Litchfield enquirer., 1879-02-20
From the ChristiaE Secretary.
 ONLY JIM.
BY MRS. M. s. HOLLISTER.
CHAPTER I.

Far away among the New England hills,
 Ruthven and James Blinn were born. Tfeir
 father was farmer who had inherited ais homestead from his ancestors, and so well ses- isfied was he with the way they had managed things that nothing would induce him to adoot new methods of farming His father had whipped him, when boy, one evening after school, for stating that the earth turned over every day. ~~ -
 "James, don't you tell me again that the world turns on its axles if it did, it would throw down every stun-wall on my farm. don't pay Schoolmaster Brown four dollars . 1 quarter to larn you no such stuff as that" So | the world did not move bit for these Blinns They kept on making the best of butter in dasher churns, sowed their turnips on the 's25th of July, wet or dry," moved raked and stack ed their hay by hand, chose their wives and horses for farm service, and if they had a pie | bald colt, or fair-skinned child, they looked at either as the hens did when their ducklings took to the water. ........
 James Blinn, tue great-grandfather of our | little boys, built the long red house by the | lake which he with an unWonted lapse into fancy named Rodney. Here under the low raftered ceiling, the frst-born son for three generations had been named James and the | first daughter Mary, and here the exquisitely | white hemespun linen had made their winding sheets. Grand father Blinn was an irascible | Puritan and whipped his James for the hereti- cal belief which the boy shared with Calico 1 that ''the thick rotundity" of the world moved, | simply because he had been visited that after | noon by three committee men appointed to get subscriptions for the site of a new church 1 in the village. MT. Blinn had before been urg- ed to contribute toward the building itself and had positively refused, saying that the old meeting house was good enough. "Now, ," he said, these people had been at him again, begging him to give money for sight, as ii he should be fool enough to pay for lookin' at the meetn house after he'd told lem he wouldn't help lem build it."
 The spirit of Innovation seized his son James when he married Mabel Jones, the pretty school-mistress, instead of farmer girl. The idea of a poetry reading, piano playing woman at Rodney must demoralinc everything there, the neiehbors said. James had been advised by his parents to court Mary Barnes, the best butter maker in the county, but somehow he put it off week after week. On Saturdays he was quite resolved to ''sit up' the next Sun day night with Mary and pop the question but when he got to meeting and saw Mabel in the singers seat, her bright curls made him forget all about the butter. By Wednesday he subdued such cratic fancies. What was the use of golden hair? Give him butter which would turn into gold. E.... One Thursday afternoon he was driving by the school house. He had already advanced so far in his imaginary courtship with Mary Barnes as to suggest to her that her mother might give them at their wedding her stone churn, because Mary was so used to it, and perhaps her luck would leave her if she used his mothers wooden one. How it happened, he didn't know, but he looked at the third window by the teachers desk and there- sat Mabel. crying bitterly. It was district visit ors' afternoon and he suspected that something had occurred He saw that she was alone ; so he drove his old white horse under the win dow and softly called her name. She locked up, tried to dry her eyes, over which the pret- ty curls dropped, and blushed when she rec ognized him.
 "Whats happened, Mabel?" "Mr Wheaton and Mir. Hine came here. I was peadng to the biz children the Siege They examined me in fractions, andI couldn't do the sums. MT. Wheaton said that knew more about Byron than did about decimals," she sobbed, ''so he dismissed me- I've got no home now since mother died"
 James tickled old Whity's ear with the whip, cleared his throat before he ventured to look into MabePs face, and asked her, Eff MT. Bryants book was bad 'un?"
 Not Bryant, MT. Blinn, but Lord Bly, ron"
 'Was he a wicked man, Mabel ?" The question was a staggering one She hesitated, then replied, ''The poem was not a bad one. I can't do that sum- she said in a despairing tone.
 ''Where are you going tonight, Mabel ?"
 'Little Aggie says I'm to go home with her tonight"
 And tomorrow ?" -s..- .-.a Tomorrow ! 1 don't know" She burst into fresh flood of tears. James squirmed around on the hard seat, pulled off his hat, and contemplatively scratched his head while he looked intently into hole in the bottom of his wagon. He seemed to find something, for | he veered around and faced the window, driv- ing Wmty nearer to it. sgt Come here, Mable, clus to me-" ....... sYes, sir"
 "Will ye come home with me now, to see mother ?" He put his whip between his knees and took her hand. ... .t--. ''What will Aggie do ?' ''Guess she'll do we'll enough. Will you come now9' he asked, studying the blue veins and thin nails in her little hand 30 earnestly, l he would not release it. 'Feels just like a young robin. Can't squeeze It much, can ?" ''If you think your mother will welcome me, I'll ge with you"
 ''In course she will, ? he replied. 'Let me get my bonnet Will you take the l key and deliver it tonight to MT. Wheaton ?" "Yes." F8
 She put on her neat shaker bonnet and he | helped her into the high wagon beside hlm on | the bare board seat. ''You won't mind joltin 8 little, Mable. Kind of pretty name of yours | aint it ?'' ... ..- -.-...... -
 'sNo, sir, think not" she answered. with | big stones. .a3a +' l eff you git scared, will you jest take hold of me? See that big rut there It's dreadful l hard travelin', so 1 must hold yeu tight. I'd | kind of hate to lose you off" throwing his arm around her. When they reached Rodney, the moon threw a long silvery. beam upon the lake and fell upon the little upturned face ly- | ing upon his shoulder. .af esss ilsa--t .s| l "How lovely it is here," she exclaimed. l ''Folks say it's nice, but Mabel, Mabel" he hurriedly spoke, ''can you make butter3" 1 Mabel lifted her head, looked into the kind, stolid face beside her, and frankly an- swered, ssNo."l Y -.< 2't | Cant make no butter ?" ' ''No, sir; never tried" 5sa .1 | A polite instinct told James he must not ex- | press too much horror at her want of educa- tion. Her mother had lately died and he would not insult her memory. ''Think you 1 can larn, Mabel?' ,- ?:
 II can try" | Don't git out or the wagon jest ylt. Aln't that pretty sight ?"
 She turned toward the lake again, but he pointed to staring new hennery and commo- l dious pig-pelis. = HI | ''Yes" she answered, laughing andibly.
 "What are you, larfn' for? Amt they nice? .'
 '.Very nice MT. Blinn; but was thinking of something else" ...
 "Were ye thinkin' about me, Mabel?"
 "Perhaps."
 ''Think you will have me if ask you to marry me?" A .a
 ''I can't make butter"
 The shades of all the Blinns. living and dead, ought to have rlsen before him. But he put his lips close te hers and whispered,
 'Never mind about it. Say Yes"
 "Yes." ss-e 4-t
 So Mabel stayed at Rodney
 | CHAPTER II. -s-+ The old folks were not little startled when
 James led Mable in looking so shy and pretty