The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-05-05

H..
n3 NV nvnected from him. He was not actu
alIv unklnd, but there was difference ne
did moi appropriate Polly rs he used TO 90;
he ALWAYS cave way when Simeon Brown OF
Hall Bnrton or any other OF the young men
came about. He was away Il Sooo zeal III
the evenings, and when he old remain "a
homo was usually absorbed in the newspa-
n.rs or "A book, or else he Was busy with ac'
counts and must not be disturbed.
Polly wonders sometimes II John has lvr.
gotten all about that little scene III the Ola
Kitchen, one spring morning, mol 50 very
Lang aro. She does not wonder If he has got.
ten over being tono OF her-as &c sala ne
would endeavor to do-she Is quite sure that
he has. Though why she should cry about
# is not quite so clear to Polly; but she does,
nevertheless, and the brny drops fall slowly
and mourniully into the dish.pan hen she
has done up" the dishes and wcpt her ut
lie weep" she bathes her face in cool spriDg
water, and without even one tiny peep lht"
the little cracked looking glass, goes mo 'he
sttingroom. ., a..
Uncle Silas was enjoying his pipe and the
pewsnaper together, and Aunt DebDy MAS
counting off the loops on her knillihg,neeu'
les preparatory to setting up the httl III
rray yarn stocking, whose dimensions pro-
claimed that it was intended 10 warm anu
comfort, during the storms oi Inc coming
winter, one OF II pair OF ieet al preseht Iepo''
ing inside of Uncle Silas's far from LiIIIpu-
tian slippers. John is not present 80 ne
rnom is yery still; il IS worse even than The
Great empty kitchen, for The crlcKeIs Keep
That from being utterly dreary, hut Inc td!I
clock IN It's dim corner only makes The sH'lhS
room seem more lonesome. Polly taxes HeI
work and sits down in her little sewing chali,
and wonders what alls herself and every O"Hy
and everything. She longs TO throw heF ""iN
min the fire and herself on the nOor, ana cry
her ewes oft; but what would Aunt DebOy say
IN such doing? All, il Aunt Debby couIu out
inok beneath the surface, Otlentlmes, "hal al
.unliftlnc of hands and eyes would lake place.
70 be sure! But Aunt Dehby set up hef
heel undisturbed, and, getting ln'o pam SAL
ing, she remarked how quiet everyone was;
This eliciting no response, she next 'upPUseu
II would be late before John got hoIlc' 'he"
Polly asked where John was:
"Hc', gone to Deacon Browns to core meet.
in. Slu,.on cum along this AFTERNOON and
Gin him nurlcc. think you better wenl,
100, Polly; you don't seem pert; there's nom
in like BIZ o. company TO 'iiven young iolkS
up. or old ones ether
Polly did not say anything, but pahS
shot through her heart, and she wanted 10 CRY !
worse than ever-what could ali her!
Uncle Slas LAID his paper down ana cast
a shrewd glance at Polly over his gIasSes'
then hemned and SAID: Mother, do you
think It is the singin and nothln' else, 'nat
takes our John to Deacon Browns so oltn OF
an eveIln'E ,
Why, what should 1t be: You don't think
he's under conviction do you? l shouldn't
wonder though, now that you mention H. II
he was. Them powerful sarm0ns larson
Hammond's been preachln la'eiy-mOst
enough to awake the dead, specially III the
graves under the meetln' house "ihueia,
We'll, if It's the Lords Will 10 call hini' 1t
" ould he maZin' comfort TO me 10 see nun
brought into the fold alorc | die. Not but
Jobn7s allus been a good son us things is
tho ruther fond % tlddlin aud daLcln' may
be. and carin' less for prayer meetins than |
could wish-still dunno as he's much Oil.
fer'nt To most Young folks that way; USED
to be ruthcr clipper myself when was "a
GAL
You're on the wrong track, mother, en-
tlrely. How would you like the DeaconF
Alice tor darter?
ia, suzl' and Aunt Debby dropped her
knitting and stared at Uncle Sllas with "luc-
distended eyes for the space OF thirty seconds
but nothing short Of paralysis could longer
leprivc that excellent woman Oh Tue use ol
her tongue.
"Deary me! well, to be sure, why not? Al
ice is good sensible gal as well as manu-
some one, ANA not bit split with being au
only daughter as gals is upt to be- ana men
the Deacon's iorehanGed and his medder jlnes
ourn Well, father, conslderin' eyery'hih
John might 90 further and fare wus."
So think, mother; not that Alice would
be my ch'Ce-she's too still ana white; out
,t,,t,, Ninif tn m
John tancIes her it's all right shan't ASK
him to look at her through my glasses. No,
no; let him please himself and he'll please
me"
Polly tried To say something to keep her
silence from being Observed but il her HE
depended on the articulation OF dozen sylla-
hlrs she could not have spoken them. Poor
Polly! She loved John with her whole warm
little heart, and now he would 60 ana marry
Alice Brown and a lump got into Poliy's
throat lust here and threatened to choke her,
and before she knew ii sob escaped and
Polly took refuge in deceitiul nj OF cough
ing which like all falsencss carried lis own
punishment with it-ior II distracted Aunt
Debby's attention from her future daughter
in.law and concentrated it on PoIly's self
"Why, child, you We caught dreiful hard
cold all to onct, you must take leaspooniul
of huarhOunG balsam rlght away never
heard a drier cough nor that Of yourn-it
sounds just like Cynthy Besom's die the win.
ter she took the galloping consumption, and
was dead and buried all Inside fisk months
And Aunt Debby hustled about and got out
the big bottle from the chimney cupboard
ana measured out dose OF the hoarhound
balsam. Polly knew that remonstrance would
be worse than useless, SO she swallowed the
btter-sweet mixture without protest. Then
she was sen, to bed with directions 10 go TO
sleep light away, ard with the comforting as
surance that if The cough did not succumb 10
the balsam before morning John should go to
old Drugem first thing after breakfast.
Polly's mistake was one hat is often made
by young girls who are too much taken up
with the pleasant story of their own lives TO
stop to think or ask questions of their own
hearts. We are none at us gwen to intro
spectlon in our salad days." and when at
last we do take to soul probing, ii is usually
too late 10 benefit by our discoveries.