The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1877-09-15
JACOBS LADDER IN THE BARN.

Cynthy (they never called her Cynthia,
and she would never have recognized
herself in such a looking-glass of name
as Cyn-thi-a)-well, l was going to say
that Cynthy was sitting on the front
doorstep, about nine o'clock in the morn
ing Breakfast things had been washed
up and put away. The butter had been
made, stamped, weighed, and set on the
dairy shelves. 1t was so bright a yellow
that it is wonder that it didn't light up
that dark old place-the dairy under the
L. Cynthy, too, had been out in the
barn, and had tracked those "perverse
hens" up to nest on the hay-mow. How
they ever got up there she didn't know.
Cynthy was now taking sniff of fresh
air" on the front doorstep.
"Therew said she. 81 don't look fit
to be seen by tramp, even! shall be
glad when Mrs. Clarke gets home, so
that sha'n't have 50 much to do and can
keep decent. Wonder where that Ralph
is Guess I'll go and fix up"
She first stood and shouted, at the top
of her voice: "Ralph! Ralph! Ralph"
The last time she. hallooed loud enough
to send the name of Ralph flying over
the pines on the hill opposite. There
was no answer. The hill stoodup stiff and
prim as ever. The pines probably felt
a strong wave of wind from Cynthia's
lungs, but they said nothing, if they did
Provoking" said Cynthy, and disap-
peared. ......
In little while Cynthy was back
again, and stood beside the sweet brier
bush in the garden. Her smooth, glossy
hair was neatly tied up in ribbons of
pink, Cynthy's favorite color. Dress,
apron, and cuffs all were fresh and tidy,
and her whole aspect was so healthy,
bright, and rosy that, if she had stood in
the sweet-brier bush, you would have
thought her part of the beautiful
bloom of the bush. But what comfort
could be taken when "that Rail- phi" was
nowhere to be seen?
Ralph? Why, there he was turning the
corner of the little lane leading up from
the road. He was stout, plump little
fellow of four and carried a wonderful
head. His parents must have stolen the
head of one of Raphael's cherubs and
stuck it on Ralph's shoulders.
He had large, wondering eyes. There
were depths of imagination, depths of
spiritual insight and depths of fun, too,
in those cherry black eyes. Cynthy APP
preciated the last fact more than the
first.
"Hullo! Cynfy" he shouted.
"Cynfyw shouted that maiden, with
scorn. "Where have you been?"
"Ben in de paster, to see de lows"
"Cows? You've been in the water up
to your neck, sir, l venture to say.
Well, come in"
Where ZOO been?"
81? Trying to look you up, for one
thing"
The young man was pulled energetic
ally into the house and deposited in a
lump on the little chamber bed, to take
his regular forenoon nap"
"Where ZOO benz" Ralph still insisted
on asking "Cynfy."
So she told HIM quite story about
finding two hens nests upon the hay NOW,
under the barn window. As Cynthy was
very much elated by her success and told
it off in wide-awake way, the effect on
Ralph's big eyes was only to make them
bigger.
80 Cynfy! can't shut my eyes.
'Spects negg is in EN-" complained
Ralph.
can egg! You don't try, sir, to shut
them. Why, they are as large as Black
Moolly's eyes" and Cynthy planted her.
self despairingly back in her rocking
chair.
Ralph was incorrigibly wakeful and
rolled off the bed at last.
In the afternoon Cynthy tried it again.
This me different kind of story was
tri Ralph had two sets of stories"
o. about ode Iswaelites" and was
Gu on Sunday. The other kind was
abou the "'Jipshuns." These were
fished out of the depths of the Red Sea
and paraded in their wet robes only on
secular days.
In the afternoon Ralph's petition was:
"Tell me, Cynthy, about de Iswealites. d"
1t was the wrong day for these worthless;
but Cynthy was anxious to find some
kind of soporific, and she took Jacobs
dream at Bethel. AS she went along she
mixed in some soothing features, so that
Father Jacob himself couldn't have rec
ognized his own experience. The dose
was effective. Ralph's eyes faded be-
tween their lids more and more, like
Goals on the hearthstone, gradually going
out. At last he was fast asleep, and
Cynthy skipped out of the ROOM With
an expressive "Therew at the outside
door she let off her Impotence like steam
escaping from a safety.valye.
All through his sleep Ralph was
dreaming. He was mixing up the two
stories of the day-the hens and the
ladder-at fearful rate. There were
some irreverent hens, who evidently
thought they were winged beings of a
higher order, and persisted in flying up
to positions on the ladder. Ralph awoke,
still thinking about the stories; and,