Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-05-19
ONLY a JOKE.

I ncle Moses Fuller to the friends who
had Assem- bled to commemorate the gold
en- wedding of his good wife, Aunt Pat
ty and himself. " But jokes have their
proper times and places, and that reminds
me Of a little story that | will relate to
you, yourg people, while mother is in
the other room taking down the old
china.
" Some Of you are married now, and
some of you are likely to be at no distant
day-if there is any truth in signs or in
hearsay-and none Of you will object to
receive mild lesson from an old man.
l was always fond Of n Joke as /
was saying, but never joked my wife
but once. That was after we had been
married but a week, and had got nicely
to housekeeping. The old minister who
had married US and who had known Us
both all our lives, and his wife, came to
make us a call and Patty urged them to
stay to tea. They accepted the invita-
tion so cordially given with evident
pleasure.
As they were our first visitors, Patty
/ wanted TO put her best foot forward, of
course so she made hot biscuit for sup
/ per. l remember rs it were only yester-
+ day, how pretty she looked in her blue
homemade gown, and clean, freshly
I starched check apron, rs she was step
/ ping around in her shy, quiet, womany
/ way, making the biscuit, looking at and
I turning them in the tin baker before the
+ open fireplace, and setting the table, and
! pleasantly talking with her guests at the
same time for we had no parlor then.
=" felt quite proud of her, / assure
you, when we drew our chairs around the
neatly spread and bountiluly loaded Ia
Bile, and just at that moment | thought
more, | fear, Of Parson and Mrs. Ban
crolt's opinion of Patty's cooking and
housekeeping than did of the grace he
was saying. Both Of our guests praised
the light, short, properly Drowned biscuit,
and Patty's girlish face flushed with gen
uine pleasure as she shyIy glanced up at
my face for her husbands approval.
" But / did not speak, and presently
she asked, timidly hope you like
them, Moses, for they are the first bis
cult have made sincc-since-' since
you became Mrs. Fuller said the par
sons wife, considerably helping out her
speech.
"' Oh, yes replied, 1ippantly, think
ing it would not do 10 praise my wife be-
tore company, and not rolishing the pos
sibiiity of losing an opportunity to get Off
one Of my Jokes like thcm, to be
sure but | should hate to have any body
throw one Of them at my head, for the
consequences might be serious Patty
countenanco changed as if she had re.
ceived a blow ard wfe-like she tried to
throw of her il-conceaed modification
at my thoughiless speech. Although |
could End no fault with the way She per
formed her duties rs hostess, noticed she
ate very little Of the supper.
" Mr. and Mrs. Bancroft started for
their home just before dark, and as | was
tucking them mp in their comfortable old
chase thought what a happy, content
ed Old couple they were. When I hand
ed the parson the reins, after everything
was ready, and they had bidden Patty
good night aud she bad gone back
through the gate into the yard, he leaned
down toward me, and, putting his tremb-
ling hand on my shoulder, said My
son, bear in miGd TINT pure, Furnished
gold even may be scratched and delaccd
by rough usage.
" / felt like brute all the time I was
getting the cows aud milking and doing
the chores. When | carried into the
kitchen the trimming pals Of milk Pat
ty vas washing and polishing and put.
ting away that very china she is now
taking down. and | could see in the
gathering twilight that she had been cry
ing. kissed her impulsively with my
heart in my throat, and cutching the emp
ty water pail, started for the well. [
didn't make any promise to any body
but myself.
"Ihe moon was shining high in the
heavens, and as | ran down the bucket
| saw it reflect in the clear water ut the
bottom OF the round, deep we'll. | felt ms
i: it might be Pa,ty's love going down,
down, fur beyond my reach, slipping
away from me forever. As | drew up
the btimmiug, messy bucket, the bril-
liant harvest moon was reflected upon
ih8t, too, in broken flashes Of light, shin
ing up culiously from the dark depths Of
the Welt hurriedy drew up the smooth
pole, feeling that | was regajning what |
had come near losing.
- ] set the oyerhowing bucket down
upon the soft, green grass, and let it be
until the perturbed water became still
and smooth like mirror. Then look
ing into it | saw the moon pouceiul and
calm once more. | emptled the bucket
into my pail, and as l did So, said
aloud | will never joke Patty again
She is gentle and sweet and sensitive /;
far too good for rough fellow like me.
= | will never grieve her tender, loving
heart by my peculiar kind of joking
again.
, And | have kept my word. We we're
married fifty years ago to-day, and al
though | have had my jokes with our
peopIe-jokes that they say are rather
cutting, though Uncle Moses don't mean
anything Il have never joked my wife.
She has proved to be unaloyed gold,
and thanks to the good old parsons ad
vice. il has not been defaced or had its