Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1878-12-13

Isn't she paid her lawful wages for do
ing whatever her hands find to do, be il
to cosset lambs or cook the victuals?"
Have you always lived here Polly?'
asked Baxter.
: | have always lived in this house
but not always as a servant. This was
the old parsonage; my uncle lived here
with little or no salary. He didn't care
for that; he came here to do good tc
show the people tie road to Heaven
there was no church then for miles
around-and he had money of his own
My mother and l came with him. and
after she died we two lived on here to-
gether, and he taught me all | know-it
isn't much. But when | was fifteen, he
came home one day from the city, where
he had gone on business, and told me
that some wicked people had ruined
him, that his good work was ended; and
he threw back his head, sitting in his
armchair, and gasped once or twice and
died. | was all alone then-qute
quite alone. After that people came
and looked at the place, and the Thor
neys among them; and | was a little
moping beggar, not knowing which way
to turn, and the Thorneys offered to
keep me for maid-of -all-work for food
and clothing. There was nothing else
for me to do, and the neighbors all said
it was providence; but since then I've
struck for higher wages, and now have
day-dreams; when | get money enough
| mean to 60 away to school, even if I'm
as old as the hills, and then maybe can
do something nicer than churn and cook
for my daily bread.
"And you have saved something's
"A hundred dollars already"
Baxter smiled And when do on
expect to have enough to set on I
seek your fortune?'
DO you think it will take very lon,
she asked, anxiously. Shall | be too
old?'
Il should think not" he returned,
still smiling to himself
This was not the first walk Baxter
and Polly had taken together, neither
was this the last confidence rcposed in
each other.
You two seem to have an everlast-
ing lot of talk together commenced
Hannah, "and Polly amt nothing of a
talker, neither; and what's queer, you
always come to a full stop when a body
catches up to you" She had just over
taken them on the highway, as it happen
ed, though usually Hannah's Interrupt
tions were not owing to chance. No
sooner did she see them strolHng off to-
gether after work was over, than she
slipped out the sink-room door with un-
/ Il, oh ,uh
the woods, and joined them, as if she
were returning from a neighbors.
YOU oughter not take to tramping
around the country so much with Bax-
ter" she advised, on one occasion, for
folks will begin to talk about you
Talk about me? What can they
say?" asked Polly.
They'll say Baxters making fool
Of you-and they won't be far wrong,
either"
"Why should he wish to make fool
of me?" persisted Polly, the tears gath
ering in her eyes "Why should he take
the trouble?"
1T amt no trouble-its amusing.
/ Your an easy victim, reckon.
After that Polly made an excuse when
Baxter asked leave to 90 with her on an
errand, or begged her to step outside on
fine twilight nights and listen to the
whip-poor- wills: she always had a stint
to finish, the bread to mix, the milk to
set, or some homely duty to detain her.
| An older woman than Polly would have
seen that Hannah herself had set her
heart on Baxter, followed him about like
his shadow, courted him with sweet
meats, aud fattered him within an inch
of his life. 'Baxter's that cute about a
place, it's a pity he wasn't born twins,
she used to declare
Though he be a tramp" Thorney
would add
But it was loves labor lost Her fiat
tcries fell upon unheeding ears, as she
was not slow to discover By painful
degrees her keen eyes took in the situa-
ton, and her emotions changed as the
case became hopeless, from love to ha-
tired; she seemed to echo the poets as
sertlon:
"To love you was pleasant enough,
But. oh. It's delicious to hate you!'
Neither was Polly's existence made
agreeable just at that time. Hannah s
amusement was to thwart Baxter in his
! love-making, to send him on wild-goose
chase Of mile or two the wrong way,
to put stumbling blocks in the way.
But she did not stop here; she suggest
ed to Thorney's slow mind the possibili-
ty of an elopement, of duty neglected,
along of spooning upon Polly"
Do we know anything about Baxter?
Did he have a Recommendation? she
darkly insinuated Didn't | caution
you about taking him in? Ii you lose
anything through him and Polly, dom t
lay it to my door, that's all. y
" Him and Polly" gasped Thorney
Baxterr'
Hannah had hit the mark at last.
Blessings brighten as they take their
flight. Polly might have lived at Thor
ney Farm century, and Thorney never
found out that she was dearer to him
than Hannah, till some one else should
threaten to claim her. After that Bax-
ter could do nothing to please him; he
lay in wait and watched the lovers as a
cat watches mouse, and worried HIM
as cruelty.
One evening Miss Hannah entered
the room where Polly was sitting in the
twilight
Plotting mischief, I reckon" she
said. Are you fond of darkness, Polly
cause your deeds are evil? Strike a
light, girl. had a roll of crisp bank
bills in my hand an hour ago Squire
Emery paid his butter bill this after
noon; put them in my gown pocket
when Hiram called me to turn the grin
stone-and they're gone Now you
needn't tell me they're gone without
hands
There's been no pickpocket here
Hannah"
"Ain't there? When you take folks
in out of the highways, without no rec
ommendation, how do you know what
their habits is? To be sure | didn't
suspect no one of having stole EN- out
of my pocket; there's a hole in it; Ic
forgot about it; and naturally them
bills must have dropped out between
here and the barn; but Hiram and me
has hunted the place over and again