Smyrna times., 1877-01-31
mise e//UR1 e on S .
Romance of a Barnyard.

We were all sitting on the piazza, except
those of US that were swinging IN the ham
mocks among the trees the sea wind was
blowing over us, the birds We're darting low
here and there, and the bantams ana the
spring chickens and the big black COchins
were clurking and picking in the grass,
watched over 10y the old KING Charles, who
redeemed US from vulgarIty, and 1t was
scene of domestic comfort, as Aunt Helen
said. Aunt Helen, hy-the-way, became ii
very pleasant addition to the comfortable
appearance of the SCENE, as she said it. She
WAS Just as plump as woman ought to bt
when her next birthday is maybe her
fortieth. She had soft flush on her
cheek, where the dlmple was yet as fresh
as when she was II girl, and the flush
deepened sometimes into a real danlask !;
her teeth were like rows of seed-corn for
whiteness, and her eyes were just as brown
as brook water; only her hair-that was
quite white. Lovely hair, though for all
that; she parted 1t evenly over her low
level forehead and above the yet black eye
brows; and we all declared, every day of
our lives, that Aunt Helen was a beauty.
" | used to be-" she had replied, tut that :
all gone now. have put my youth behind
me-"
Perhaps she did. But we young people
used to think differently when we saw Mr..
Thornton coming up the road, and Aunt
Helen's eyes resolutely bent on her work,
but her color mounting and mounting, till
the reddest rose that ever burned i'll the
sunshine was not so rich. Mr.. Thornton
saw it too, no doubt, for he always looked
and looked intently all the way by. But
the truth was-I shall have to tell you ali
about 1t it tell you any-that when Aunt
Helen was twenty years younger she and
Mr.. Thornton were lovers, as they hal been
lovers ever since they could remember
They had built their house at last, and hel
wedding dress was made. If she was
beauty, he was every inch her mate
know he was, because he is to-iay-one C
the men it does you good to see, who loOl
as If they could hold up the world if neet
be and inspire you with confidence in thei
power. Now what in the world do yol
suppose that, with their house furnished
and the cake baked, and a dozen years O
intimate affection to bind them, Aun
Helen and Mr.. Thornton found to quarre
about? She declared she wouldn't kee
hens And he declared he wouldn't kee
house! That was the whole of it to cor
dense the statement; one word led t
another, and another led to more, an
finally, in a towering passion himself, h
told Aunt Helen that she had better lear
to control her temper if she didn't want I
be vixen entirely, and Aunt Helen too
the ring off her finger and laid it on tn
table without a word and sailed out of tn
room, and refused to see him when b
called in the morning, and sent back b
letter unopened, and cut the wedding cak
and put some of it on the tea table an
sent the rest to the fair. Perhaps, on III
whole. Mr.. Thorton might have been righ
Exactly one week from that night NJ
Thornton was married to Mary Mayhe'
an lnohensive little body who would hay
married anybody that asked her, and si
went into the house that had been furnisht
according to Aunt Helen's taste; and il
medlately afterward a hen-hOuse Of ii
most ianclful description OF architecture
win gilded vanes and scarlet chanticle
pristlng all over it, rose on the hill behr
liis house, full OF fancy fowl, and the lit
lawn was all alive with its overflow, al
you couldn't 90 hy the place without mee
Ils a Hook of cropple crown, or partrid
SSOchin, or white Leghorn, or black SI.anis
hyine up on each separate piece Of fence
crow out Mr.. Thornton's trumph-reve
.ig .,l The tradition OF the Grower, and cryir
no women rule herer'
1"ey say Mr.. Thornton grew very oldli
Jew years. his inoffensive little thing o
MIe turned out to be smart ternagal
VINO led him pretty dance. Perhaps s
was dissatisfied with her piece of heal
out then she knew that was all when S
'ook 1t. He treated her always gently
perhaps feeling he had done her Sol
wrong IN marrying her-and gratified
very wish, although, having cared nothi
,or her IN the beginning, it is doubtful if
earea any more for her in the end. 7
Tp Tnu Came after eighteen years. when M
thornton was killed in railroad collisi,
anu her husband was lett with four childI
on n ms hands, rude. noisy, il'-faring cubs,
a'' 'he neighbors said. IfMr. Thornton