Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1877-10-25
Misfsllansous. q
Ruth Oliver.
ny PRISCILLA HOPKINS.

don't see any reason why shouldn't
write story. Aramints-thats my niece
Araminta Hopkins-lsughed like every
thing when said believed could She
said -
You'll have to get IRE to look It over.
Aunt Priscilla. and spell all the big words,
and correct all the mistakes for you"
Thank you, Araminta.' said /; but
Id thank you still more not to make fun OF
your old aunt" And then told her. said
!. When | write nv story. | shsnt have
no more big words than can possibly
help. and I've got q good Webster's Die
iionsry; | paid dollar and a quarter for
IL; and. a. for the other mistakes. | guess
hain't forgot when used to study punct-
ustion at the old red school house, where
your father and | went TO school"
Araminta didn't feel any too well pleased
at that. and she hain't said word about
my story since. Aramlnta Is q we'll mean
Ing girl. but she thinks. cause her pa has
got rich. that she l. 4 terrible sight above
some other people that's just as good as she
Is. Aaria-thats Araminta's mother nv
brother Johns wife-kinder upho,ds the
girl In her notions. But there, now,
wasn't going to write a story about Maria
nor Araminta neither, but about girl
used 10 know when | was young. Ruth,
her name was, Ruth Oliver. She was one
of the prettiest girls that ever lived, do
believe. She had great dark eyes, and
such beautiful hair, all underway; some
times II looked real dark. like her eyes,
then again. when the sun shone on 1t, IL
locked almost yellow. And then-but
'tain't no use trying to describe Ruth.
cause twas the way she looked at you
made her so pretty. | mean q way she
had af nneriUn hen xuiI a,I
then dropping her -ye-lids all of q sudden;
that. and the pretty color she always had
In her cheeks, made her well, Just what
she was
When / was girl of sixteen (Ruth was
just my age), used to think that II could
be as pretty as Ruth, was. I'd be perfectly
happy, i was so homely; great big
broad-shouldered girl. and my hands and
feet were always in the way. | had to
wear number seven shoes, and father had
'em made out OF good strong leather: and
he always told the shoemaker 10 be sure
and make 'em big enough-but what has
that got TO do with nv story? rm afraid
it's going TO be harder work than had
any idea Of
Ruth wasn't any relation to me. only by
marriage. Her mother WAS my fathers
second wife. / didn't like It ut sll. nv
fathers getting married a second time-I
was ten years old. then. and mother had
been dead little over three years-but,
when he brought his new wife home and
found she had such a pretty little girl
for me TO play with, l didn't feel so bad
about IL.
She was a real good woman. Rntii's
mother was. and thought the world and
all Of her little daughter. She was good
to me. too, aud To brother John. and she
made real nice home for US all; but she
only lived about four years, and then we
was alone again, only this time we had
Ruth. Father promised that he'd look aft.
er the girl. and give her home as long as
she wanted one. He liked her. too. but
she tried him terrible sometimes. You
see, father wasn't . rich man. and he'd al
ways had to work hard. and he'd brought
me up to work, too, and he thought she
ought to take hold and help me more'n
she did.
didn't think so. Why. IL could go
back now. and do it over again. I'D be glad
to.
Ruth didn't like farm work. She never
learned to milk. and she said she hated to
feed calves and chickens; she forgot about
'em. too. sometimes, when didn't remind
her This was after we'd both growed up.
She was always wishing she could go OF
somewhere to school, and she read every
spsre minute she had. Shed go ro0nd
the the house, saying little bits OF poetry to
herself. declare. it makes me feel awful,
now, to think how she was always looking
for something in the future-some day she
was going to be, Kich aud have . nne house.
and lots OF books and pictures. and |
should come and live with her, and-oh.
dear. what nice times we would have.
She never was meant for a farmers
wife. Ii was too bad. Tor Amos Fessen-
Gen thought everything Of her Amoe was
well Of too; he had a nice little farm. oil
paid for, and q real decent house on il.
Aud always thought he was good-lOok-
ing man, though Ruth used to laugh shout
his red hair.