Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1877-02-02
AsHTABULA, OHIO, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2 1874.

| IN Cne covered wagon Tor YOU all
and if there are any bills at the store
| Pll pay them. I'll see to the doctor
and funeral; so drop all care from
your mind, and try to be happy"
Jehiel had grown to be very
careless man, in a certain sense of
the word. Though neat and order
ly in his person, in bis house and on
the farm, he had laid aside all the
restraints of society; he came to the
table in his shirt-sleeves, and some
times in his stocking-feet. He went
to town, and even to church, with
his pants tucked in his cow-hide
boots; once he so far forgot himself
as to put on clean farm frock on
Sunday instead of on Monday, laid
a good coat of mutton tallow on his
boots, tucked his butternut-colored
pants into them, and in this plight
took up the collection-for by this
time he was a deacon. This was to
the no small delight of the boys in
the gallery, who were always glad
of some orthodox subject for laugh
ter during service time. 6a-rI.
| Ketury Perkins was just as inde-
pendent of the worlds opinion as
was her master, and she did as many
odd things by way of shocking its
sense of propriety as he did through
Observation-Disclosures. She more than
once presented herself at church in
a clean sun-bonnet and calico sack,
and enjoyed the staring of people
because she had black silk gown,
a cashmere shawl, a straw bonnet,
and black lace veil at home, Gas
| good as Miss Deacon Joneses, any
day!" -.r
% You may be sure she did not par
tioularly Ike the idea of a lady com
ing to take her place, with three
citifed girls, full of airs. However,
she was not consulted on this matter
and had too. much good sense to
throw herself out of a home, so she
made ithe'best of the invasion.
Deacon Jehiel had a great respect
| for good women, and from the hour
that his brothers family came under
his roof, he donned his coat before
coming to the table, and even went
so far as to buy pair of slippers.
He threwopen the long unused par
lor, and said to the girls, Snake
yourselves at home there" .. ..s
| He soon found there was a great
lack in his establishment by over
hearing his nieces lament the piano
they, had out w est! He never spoke
of it, but engaged the minister's
wife to 60 to town and select one
for him. The first the music-hungry
children knew it was brought into
the house; and still he never spoke
of it. Indeed he rarely spoke of any
thing, at all. .sr o., ,,e,.rrvre +-r-. aI
The family lived on thus very hap
PLY for several years; all at once
they noticed a great change in Dea-
con Jehiel. He7began to whistle at
his work, and to sing with the girls;
he brought in the neighborhood
news; he bought a new carriage
Ketury described it as ga carriage
like folkses carriages" he even got
down violin and checker board 4
from the garnet, and for the first
time in twenty years played on
them both with zeal and interest.
Passing down the main street of |
the village, one day, he saw buxom
girl atiothe window; and leaning |
over the fence he called out: |
"Martha, hear there is a quilting |
coming off before long at your
house" ."-ii5 2 H'i'-1 'i'
a7"Yes. sir; the quilt is my own
work-a rising sun, with square
and compass in the heart of it; moth
er said if l ever got it done I should
have quilting. just like those she
used to have when she was young"
replied the girl. ai-il.s i@i-a2f |
Saint you going to invite me,
Martha ?" was the next question that
startled the village girl. ...-. ai. !
"Why, deaconr' she cried, looking |
at the hitherto grave man, to discern
if he had-as the Irish say, ''taken
leave of his senses.''r gssY6u go to a
young folks quilting?'' a
"Certalnly i will, If 1 am asked,p
said the deacon, smiling. "Your
mother can tell you how expert l
used to be at chalking the line, smut
fing the candles and throwing the
apple-paring, in old times. psodi la
Of course he got an invitation,
and before many hours had elapsed
it was noised abroad that Deacon
Braden was going to dance at Mat
tie Borland's quilting, that the folks
thought him going crazy.33i~asgz Il
For the first time in quarter of a
century the deacon set off for a trip
to Boston; and, as Ketury said, he
came back made all over new. From
the time he was gone all was hustle. Z
The deacon lappeard with gold studs {
in nicely polished linen shirt bo-
som, gold sleeve-buttons and divers
other worldly vanities such as made ;
a great stir in the Cedar Greek meet !
ing g-house; butit was only because ]
he wore such clothes; others there t
had always dressed as well. You t
may be sure the young folks stared i
at him, as he sat dressed thus, with !
Mr.. and Mrs. Borland, looking on at 8
the sports of the quilting; and the S
question was whispered one TO an t
other: Il .f-.:-. .........s ..-..- {
"What on earth has come over 6
Deacon Jehiel ?'' 'a.' ~ G
They soon found that the autumn '
sun had come out in brighter radi- L
ance than its earlier glory, and that c
-ife's Indian summer had come for .
him with bright skies, with flowers, =
md with the singing of birds in the
leart. a2 sos sh.'1 ~E# n
One morning soon after this, the f,
leacon called his sister-in-law aud o
Ter daughters into the parlOr, and e
aid: '-.' '' ''''.. I
~ have plan to lay before you; a
[ shall need this house for myself d
low. You may live beside me in Il
he stone cottage, or ! will build "
you little house in the village" d
ave will stay as near you as we II
IAN; but vino is to take nv place ?"