Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-02-22

TeBRy was DeabluS pun" aS ~
spoke, and instinctiveiy Aunt Brier-
ly's eyes were turned upon her and
such wild, astonished, frightened
eyes that Peggy will never forget
them to her dying day; eyes, too,
with something like tear 10 them,
in their startled depth. Then she
was on her feet in an instant, reach
ing out vainly toward the door, and
uttering food ofincoLerent words,
as if she would assure them she had
important business on hand that
must not be neglected; then she
sank back exhausted among her
pillows, and the yellow sunlight fell
across her face, and dead leaf float
ed past the window, and Aunt Bier
ly's soul foated ont into the great
unknown.
Peggy was thinking about some
of these things as she went about
her humble task of making the pan
dowdy-of such part OF these
things as had fallen within the scope
of her experience. There were good
reasons why a gold ring had no
longer any meaning to her or any
charm to hold her. Why should she
care to ornament herself, when no.
body needed whether she locked
we'll or ill No; she was making a
pandowdy to please Uncle John, who
bad always stood her friend, hoping
its flavor might bring back his youth
for little. Let other women who
had husbands or lovers to please
deck themselves in finery, but it was
too late for her. Once she might
have coveted such things, but that
was by-gone. Nothing could re-
store to her the supreme confidence
of youth; nothing could bring back
those warm Juno nights when she
and Royston had watched the stars
slide across the heavens, had noted
the heavy fragrance of the dew
drenehed fiowers as they walked the
fields, OF had sat on some rocky
ledge by the river, and had seen the
be.ated fishermen come in with
masses Of ouivering silver tangled in
their nets, and bad listened to the
echo of voices on the other side, or,
taking boat bad moved, silently
as the stars themselves, across the
half-Iuminous expanse of waters ;
and now and then, fish had leaped
to the surface, cock had crowed
from some distant farmhouse, an oar
had played in its rOwlock and made
the chord complete. Peggy never
stopped ont now on sultry summer
nights to carry comfort to some all
ing neighbor, but the inspiration of
that sacred time came upon her like
u strain of tender melody waking
one at the dead of night--like an old
hymn that her mother sang when
she was child, a hymn laid up in
that heart in lavender and scented
with sweet, brier, and speaking of
infinite love and happiness.
Ten years had passed since Aunt
Briefly had been stricken down in
the act of lighting the fire in the
brick oven, and they had not been
years calculated to touch Peggy
lightly. She was no longer the rosy
lass that Royston had left behind
she had lost something OF her round
ed contour: much of her bloom; her
mouth had settled into seriousness,
her eyes had the appearance OF look
ing on other scenes than those about
her-to9 all they were bright eyes.
as if their light reflected from tears
rather than from joys. Yet, in the
mean time men had not been lacking
who found her comely enough to
share their hearts. And yet, her
disappointment had not soured her ;
one might say that it had ripened;
her instead. She could laugh as
heartily as the rest when occasion
served OILY it was apt to end in a
Sigh; she relished cuttings and par
ism pionics, and loved to see the
younger generations at their pas
times. She kept Uncle Johns house
like wax-work, could fashion almost
any garment you might name, sent
butter and honey to market, sang in
the choir, read metaphysics, and had
faculty, as neighbor Kempton said,
for every thing but getting married.
Patty Pratt had died the second
year Of her marriage, but in all the
eight succeeding years nobody in the
place had ever heard or spoken of the
young widower Royston. He had
passed out of mind as entirely as the
leaves of that dead-and-gone summer
time, out of the mind of all but Peggy,
in whose heart remembrance was still
green and living.
Peggy rolled out her paste refiec-
lively, and lined deep pan as dalnti-
ly as the tailor-bee lines her nest with
a rose leaf; then she pared the apples,
thinking of the CHEEKY evenings when
Royston had helped her out with her
stint, and the fire had sputtered over
the black log, and the kettle had sung
on the hob and heaven had not SEEM
ed far away, since Aunt Briefly was
taking tea at brother Pratt's. Sliced
apples and spice and molasses, spice
and molasses and sliced apples and a
canopy of paste and the thing was
done. But mind, you, Peggy, the hak-
ing is half the battle.
When the pandowdy came to the
tea table. wearing healthy brown,
"Ah," said Uncle John, tasting it
prospectively, "That looks something
like. Heydayl it carries me straight
back to the time wen | was little
shaver. picking up the windfalls for
mothers pandowdy.Ah Peggy, Profes
sor blot couldn't hold candle to you.
1t smells as if the spices of Araby the
blest had been let loose in it! All %
Iniumphh . z randowdy indeed Pan fid-
dlesticks
whats the matteran asked Peggy
taking alarm.
s.That's what I'd like to know. Per
haps it's the modern recipe for pan
dowdy; but it amt no more like my
mothers than swan like geese Well,
well, cooking amt the art it used to