The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-02-14

known where she lived, for fear of her
mother she sold her house and farm,
left that part of the country, bought
the Golden Sheaf, and she set herself
up where nobody knew of her family
or history; she had been doing we'll
for many Il year.
Stern us she looked, Mrs. Williams
was kind to me, and did nv best to
please her. There was good deal OF
novelty and life to be seen about the
inn. l soon got over the parting with
my mother and sisters and was trying
hard to think no more of Harry,
though I had made up my mind
minds are easily made up at seventeen
to live unmarried for his sake.
Thus the Summer wore away and the
harvest passed, and the dull days of
November came on. had got accus
toned to the ways of the house. AL
though good, it was an old one.
There was the best parlor and the best
kitchen opening from it; numbers of
pantries, closets and cupboards, and
stairs behind the old dresser, leading
right up to Mrs. Williams own room.
1t Was over the porch, and had WIN
dows on three sides, which gave her a
| view of all who came or went. Her
accounts were kept there in an old
fashioned ash desk, so were her choice
everything.
There was cupboard set in the
thick walls, it's doors not to be distin-
guished from the rest of the wainscot,
in which Mrs. Williams kept the most
rare and curious of her stores. was
once permitted to see them as great
privilege, for she never trusted the
key to any hand but her own. There
were spices, and essences costly at the
time of my story but not common yet;
old China, which had been brought in
by the first of the East India Com
pany's ships mixtures for taking out
stains powders for destroying moths,
and poison for rats, invented long
ago by some of the Cornish people. and
of terrible nature So Mrs. Williams
told me, and | Can remember now that
the poison resembled nothing I ever
saw but red pepper, an expensive lux.
ury at that time, and kept in the cup
BOARD also.
It may be believed that I was in
great favor, for not only were her
treasures shown to me but I had tea
with Mrs. Williams in the porch room
Every evening. She took kindly to
me from the jrst, because I exerted
myself to learn housekeeping, which
my mother said was the principal
thing for a young woman expecting to
have a home of her own, and still more
because kept quiet and sober, and
had no looks of levity. Nothing of
that kind would have been allowed at
the Golden Sheaf, inn though it was,
the house being kept with the greatest
propriety. There were ho3 jokes, and
very little gossiping, plenty Of work,
for almost everything was made at
home, and great deal of coming and
going. Our quietest time was about
the middle of November, just before
the winter fairly begun. Then Mrs.
Williams got her cattle killed, and her
meat sailed, and most of the servants
were busy about the work in the yard
and buttery.
One close, cloudy day, such as come
so often at the Martinmas time, l was
sitting in the best kitchen, close by
the window, doing some needlework,
and Mrs. Williams was in her own
room, settling the accounts, for it
| was in the afternoon. The sound of a
horses hoofs upon the road made me
look out, and there was a gentleman
handsomely mounted, with a servant
after him, as gentlemen had in those
days. They looked as if they had
travelled far, and were coming to rest
at the inn.
When the gentleman alighted. saw
he was tall and handsome, somewhere
about thirty-fve, and had a jovial, look
well pleased with himself and every
thing about him. He walked in not at
all strange like, and asked me in the
most civil and courteous manner if
Mrs. Williams lived here, and if he
and his servant could have dinner.
The last question was in low tone,
the second in louder key and before
| could answer it, Mrs. Williams came
down. Judging from her look, he was
| quite a new conner. l thought the
gentleman glanced curiously at her at
| first, and then, seemingly satisfied that
all was right, repeated his question
about the dinner, saying that he was
a stranger in that part of the country,
but that he had heard SO much of the
Golden Sheaf that he wished to stop
and dine at the house.
Inever saw Mrs. Williams receive
any gentleman with more respect and
ceremony. She curtsyed him into
her best parlor, called her hostlers to
help his servant with the horses, took
his orders for his dinner, land set about
cooking it herself, for the cook was
hard at work in the buttery. My first