Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-11-18

CQullc ulSCCr duN ~ NodiN AhSANNS
Keturah lived in Jefferson. But / said te
mother:
"'You spoke of quilting it herring bone
and if you do, we shall need Almira Bean te
do the left.handed work.
"Sure enough" says mother, am glad you
spoke of it, Jerusha; but if we do, there's
the schoolmaster boarding at their house; we
shall have to ask him to come in the evening
with the rest. 1t won't do to slight him
though 1 didn't calculate on inviting him
he's so spriggish.'
"'Rastus was bothering the cat, but he look
ed up dreadful sharp, o ho! says he, 'Jeru'
sha's master hand to plan, mother; she II
look out for the schoolmaster, Jerusha will
"You look out for the pumpkin, 'Rastus,
says it's high time it was on to Stew
"Yes, sonny said mother, fetch one
right in, there's good boy, and mind you
pick out good one, sound and ripe
"She never said word about 'Rastus'
nonsense I was afraid she would, she looked
at me so sharp. We hustled around, cook
ing, boiling, and stewing; and everything
come out done to a turn though mother
said it was wonder with so many irons in
the fire.
ave baked n the brick oven and filled it
full. First we put in chicken pie and the
brown bread, because it took them longer
to bake. We had riz bread on hand. Moth
er calculated there was enough without bak-
ing any more, so we put in the pies, apple
mince and pumpkin, (thcugh come to think,
we couldn't have got the pumpkin stewed in
time to bake hem with the rest) But we
baked gingerbread, sweet cake, and pudding
1 fried the doughnuts in the lard kettle. hung
on the crane. Of course we calculated on
having cheese and pickles and apple sauce
and pumpkin sauce. Dried beef and cold
sliced meat and tongue we always kept in the
house, but we baked beans for the Squire,
and had picked tripe and onions for Becky
Snow, the seamstress. In the evening for
treat, we had apples, cider, nuts, and popped
corn. Laugh, if you want to, dear, but ev-
erybody had just so much, and of course we
had to foller the fashion. Mother wouldn't
be behind when father was such good pro-
wider.
1--WE made up fire in the keeping room,
but laid the quilt in the long kitchen. Ellen
Doolittle came just in time to help get it
on. She come with Abel who had been off
to invite the folks. She was a nice, pious
girl, and we were glad to have Abel wait on
her for he was little wild, and we thought
her influence would be good. You ought
to have heard her exhort in meeting! She
was bashful, quiet girl, but at those times
she seemed to forget all about herself, her
eyes would grow misty, her voice would
sound so solemn and impressive, it would
affect me almost to tears, which was good
deal, for | was q wild, harum scarum girl in
those days; not that wasn't womanly, |
don't mean.
"After we got the quilt on, slipped up
stairs to change my dress and put on rib
bon. 0, me! how many years ago it is, and
vet how short time it seems since saw
that young face in the glass. wasn't any
thing like so handsome as Keturah, nor so
beautiful as Thankful, but for all that it was
pretty face, rather You see, dear, it is so
many years ago, can speak of it as would
any other. | hada smooth, oval face, with
black eyes, which every one said was strange,
for my complexion was so very white. My
hair was light brown, and curly, and my
form was small and slender. didn't look 80
healthy and tough as most Of the girls, but l
was. was hardly ever sick; perhaps that
accounted for my wild spirits. AS | tied
back my hair with blue ribbon, and smooth
ed my linsey woolsy gown, I wopdered if the
school-master would come that night, and if
he would be as attentive as he was before
that hateful time at Ruth Potters party at
her fathers tavern stand He hadn't spoke
to me since.
"He was nephew of old Judge Hewes.
The Judge and father came from Connecticut
together when tue country was new. Being
his nephew, the Judge hired him to teach our
school when he was committee the winter be-
fore. I wasn't 100 old to 90 to school then,
and went. I always got my lessons some
how, but for all that I was the most trouble
some scholar he had. He used to keep me
after school to talk with me about it, and
once he ferruled me-pretty hard, too. l
bore the smart On my hand for a week, but
never let any one know it. He found out.
though, how he hurt me and felt so badly |
believe he kissed me. I know he did. Isup-
pose it sounds silly to you. After that be was
gentler and helped me to be good instead of
making me be good, and he succeeded good
deal better. At the spelling schools he some
how always gave me the words l could spell,
though they wasn't the easiest, and it almost
always happened that I spelle'. them all
down. The school-house wasn't great ways
from our house, and sometimes he went home
with me from singing schools and apple.par'
ings The last time, when school was done
and he was going back to college, Che was a
student in Dartmouth), he kissed me and
held my hand. The moon shone right out
from behind the maple trees and looked SC
kind with her great, round face that I didn't