The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1879-01-01

Il
wall and were standing near her
There was DO need that / shoult
have gotten out of the way fee
now that my question bad stung be
cruelty, though unknoVingly.
"You are child," she said, "an(
I reckon you mean wHat you say
/ looked up in wonder, aud i
seemed that her eyes were full o
tears, and that her voice WAS hosrss
as if something was swelling NJ
from her heart and choking her. W.
had got Mercy besween us by either
hand, when she in;erposed with, 'Is
your grandfather'S hired mao Joseph
any where abcus?"
"No, Joseph was away over 10 the
hickory fields choppibg:u
Then she may go . little while,
Blu, mind, Mercy and she smooth
ed the wild hair with Der rough
hands, "you musn't stay too long,
and when you see Joseph coming
run home with all your might, mind
thai, child"
! did not understand the force and
meaning of this order at the time,
nor indeed, for many years sfe-.
We had gay, wild lime playing
together, climbing trees and the old
stone wall. But it would take up
too much time now. were We to tell
of all We did, and all the epjoyments
of that short hour. No company
could be more TO our liking than
Mercy, our compassion having bad
reference only to prejudice against
using a tea kettle to boil sugar in,
and no, in the least to the birth,
blood or condition OF Mercy herself.
Fer the first hour we mad kept
Mrs. Nesbit's admonition in our mind
because of its mystery, ,}no doubt, but
ty aud by 1 had forgotten to listen
for the axe strokes ia the hickory
field, and the keen enjoyment of the
moment crowded it ont of mind.
Suddenly dark cloud darkened our
heaven; Joseph came bearing down
upon US like a hurricane. He had q
whip in lis hand, aud bis usually
pleasant face wss so transformed
with anger that We scarcely knew
him.
"Go home with you; what are you
doing here ?" he cried out to Mercy.
es if she were dog. "The like Of
you among innocent children to be
sure; away with you, ! say, and
mind, | say, keep where you belong
after this.D
| have just the memory of two
tender eyes, dilated with fear and as
tonishment, a cloud o. loose hair fly.
ing 10 the March wind. and the flut-
ter of a red shirt, like blackbird's
wing, aud that is all
ventured some remembrance to
Joseph, but be only said. as be
threw down the whip. .It amt for
you to play with the likes of her
onto equal terms, and won't see it,
neither. How came abe strayin' on to
Christian ground, snyhow ?n
"Bat what makss eu& ground bet.
ter than widow Nesbit's, Joseph 7"
"You just shu, up; if o body had
all the wisdom of Solomon they
couldn't answer ell your questions 2
Net one word further could be got
from Joseph, aud in hopes of finding
out from grandmother why it was
that we were so much better than
Mercy Nesbit, and why cur ground
SO much holier than hers, we told her
of the events Of the day, bat l learn
ed nothing of the sort; but what |
had impressed upon me was that the
line wall Uds the line wall, and we
were never to again scale it, on pen
atty of grave displeasure.
As time went Oh, the widows heif
er became more troublesome to the
neighbors than heretofore, and less
charity than ever was shown her.
Every band was egsins. her, and
every school boy made her forehead
a target; and now some farmer
would tie e great weight to her leg,
or another would disable her in some
other way, so that the poor creature
must have bad little peace of her
life Widow Nesbit was warned
time and again that if the "plaguey
calf" were not kept at home, the con-
sequences would not be answered for;
and the warning was often accompa-
MED with sneering question Of:
What's the use of raisin' the crit.
ter, any way. You don't think
Lucy is going to get married, do
you ?"
Many a time widow Nesbit went
home from a neighbor's house with 8
bitter ache in her poor heart and
tears dropping frcm her eyes, in con-
sequence of some ilInatured remark
like this.
She conld have borne all that was
said of the beifer, no doubt, without
distress, but it was 10 the cutting
comment added. Now and then she
would manage to keep the creature
at home for few days, bat then she
would get ber neck out Of the rope
and be of again.
The second richest man 10 the
was John Harris, Lu-
cy's old-time lover, and, of course,
the one who had the most to do and
say against the luckless heifer, and
one day when che broke into the
buckwheat field she was turned cut
With both ears cul eff
That did not improve the appear
auce Of the p ser beast aud caused
her 10 look So forlcrn that she melted
the heart of the richest man, DIR.
Bowles. to Infinite pity for that and
the poor girl, aud she bad q quiet but
real friend from that time on. Wheth-
er John Harris bad been actuated bv
revenge or desire to bring still
more misery on the poor girl, or
whatever cause. be now felt heartily
ashamed Of himself and sent q mes
senge to the widow with ten dollar
bill to solace her grief, l suppose
which WAS Indignantly returned.
The heifer seemed to remember this
last indignity of having her ears cut
Dff and whenever she saw John Harris
she eyed him malevoleDtly as ifto say,
When my horns have grown q little
longer and little stronger. look out
rrr