Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-06-27

bo iSaIu6u luS upuHuaTleS Ol n Nnt
Bsity.s dominions quite prepared 10.
the greeting that met him from the
old lady who without looking around
from great kettle over which she
was bending, recognized his familiar
step at the threshold and exclaimed,
Sergeant O'Dale will bleege me by
wipin do mud off of bis boots before
be steps on my clean foo.
| While the men stop on the TIRES
| hold in obedience to this injunction,
which, however polite in form, was
decidedly peremptory in its tone, we
have an opportunity to scan Aunt
Betty and the departmentrover which
she ruled with undisputed sway The
kitchen was noble one in proper
tons. Its ceiling was of implanted
oak, great beams Of which, fauItlessly
white, and free from dust and cob
webs, traversed its ample breadth.
A wainscoting of the same substantial
wood ran nearly breast high around
the apartment. protecting its walls
from spot or stain and the floor, also
of oak, had become as white and
smooth as polished ivory from repeat
ed scourings. Capacious dressers re
vealed rows of vessels of copper, brass
and other metals, conspicuous among
them being an innumerable array OF
great and small pewter platters and
block tin covers which shone like sill
yer. Two tidy young negro girls,
their heads picturesquely bound tur
ban.wise with immaculate white
kerchiefs, stood beside table chat
tering and laughing while iudustri-
ously preparing for an approaching
meal; aud little removed from them,
at table, was sedate matron of
the same race, her head similarly
adorned, busy upon some elaborate
creation in pastry. At the farther
end OF the apartment, opposite the
| door, where we lett the sergeant and
Daddy Will, before the mouth of q
cavernous Fireplace whose dark re-.
cesses were garnished with tangle
of sooty iron cranes OF different
heights and sizes and from which
dangled black iestoons of chains and
pot-hooks and trammels terminating
in pots that sent forth savory steam,
stood the sovereign of this culinary
sphere. Aunt Betty was parsonage
at whom one would look twice, even
when her back, was turned as
was now the case. Tall,
lean, muscular as a man, and
straight as pine, her Srizzled head
surmounted by party-eolored turban
of generous proportions, and made of
some stuff in which yellow and bright
red largely predominated, as she
bent over mighty caldron, the steam
from which enveloped her like mist,
as she stirred it's boiling contents
with ladle of prodigious length, it
required only slight effort of the i'm
agination to convert her into one of
those weird beings who first gave
form to Macbeth's criminal ambitions.
So intent was the sergeant upon
getting on the right side of Aunt Bet
ty-whom he evidently regarded with
some trepidation-that he was entire
ly unobservant of the remarkable eff
feet produced OH Daddy Will 10y the
sound of her voice. The old man
stood spell-bound, and, made oblivi-
Gus of all save her by some strong
emotion, stood stiff and motionless
step behind the sergeant, gazing
intently on the old woman. The
younger women were quick to notice
the singular action of the venerable
negro, and, dropping their work,
scanned him with open-eged curiosity.
Of all this by-play Sergeant O'Dale
was unconscious, and, intent on con-
ciiating Aunt Betty, he replied TO
her salutaiion: sThrue enough for
you, Msthress Betty, the divil right
has dirty fut to put itself on your
Elegant clane tlure, and so I'll just be
afther taking off my boots and prom
enadin' on it in my bare stockin's.'
Cit out sergeant, responded Aunt
Betty, perceptibly Modified by the
compliment to her floor, but without
desisting from her occupation OF urn
ing round, you'll alters be a-crackin'
your jokes but | guess On de hull if
you scrapes your boots and wipes 'em
off keerfully dey'll be mighty sight
cleaner n your stockins'.
'All right, auntie,' replied the SER
goant, with invincible good humor
'and now that your feelin's are re-
lieved, Ill introduce this ould gintle-
man that you've kept standin' at the
duie till his venerable bones ache for
an aisy-chair.'
1t was plain from the effect of this
speech on aunt Betty that she was
totally unconscious of the presence
of his companion, for, upon learning
that he was not alone, she turned
around quickly and confronted her
visitors, her ample ladie still in hand
At first lurking smile at the GER
geants expense was playing over her
honest but hard features, but it was
soon chased away by gaze bent 30
fxedly on Daddy Will that it SEEM
ed almost to convert her dark Wis.,
sage into stone. She stood like a
statue not a limb moving, her lips
parted but uttering no sound, and
then dropping the ladle from her
nerveless hand, her tall figure sway
ed toward Daddy Will, who strobe
past the astonished sergeant with .
celebrity that heightened the voter
ans amaZement and mutually elac.
uIated, .BetI 'WilIv The two old
negroes locked themselves 10 each
others arms and sobbed like children.
Prompted by delicacy, the:sergeant
was stealing away, when Aunt Bet
| ty, rousipg from her emotion, urged
him to stay. Then summoning the
| matron whom we saw at the pastry
board, and resigning to her the great
ladle and the charge of the caldron
into whose depth she had been
plunging it. she motioned her Wis
itors to be seated, and was about to
draw chair beside them for herself,
when her ruling habit of vigilant
domestic oversight led her to first
cast her eyes around TO see that ev-
erything was going on as it should.
4 4 u n 4