Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-05-14

IN New Bethany"
Miss Kezia was sitting by the table,
knitting as usual. She had Just begun 10
narrow for the toe Of the stocking when
a step sounded on the walk. She threw
down the stocking and opened the door,
and, holding the lamp high above her
head, her eyes rested on the amazing
spectacle Of the Deacon In all tho Sun
day magnihcence Of white shirt and
shiny black broadcloth. /" Well, / new
erl" she calculated and then, feeling
that her reception hud been hardly hos
pitable, she lowered the lamp and said
kindly, "Come in, Deacon-come in. 4"
Thank ye, thank ye: 1 don't mind
II dew"
"Take a seat, Deacon"
"Thank ye: don't mind II dew"
The Deacon surveyed the attractive
room, which, with It's CHEEKY fire and
comfortable cushioned chairs, seemed a
veritable Paradise in comparison to his
untidy, ill-kept home. He placed his
hat on the floor beside his chair, display
ing his scant gray locks ingeniously
plastered over the top of his head so as
to cover as much of the bald surface as
possible. Then there was long pause.
Any thing goingon Deacon P''ssked
Miss Kezia, resuming her knitting. She
was greatly puzzled to account for those
Sunday clothes.
"Nothin' within the range of my OBJ
servatiOn. There won't be much agoin'
on now till 'lection-time: things IL be
pretty lively then"
"Want TO buy any hay this yearP"
chirped Miss Kezia. "Mine is extra
good this season: my hired man says it's
the heaviest yield in town"
Il rayther guess I'll hev' enough to
carry me through the winter. If don't,
| shall know where to come for hay as
is hay. | declare your farm does beat
all! feel kind o. rigged-like when
think the best farm in town is managed
by woman
Miss Kezia smiled graciously, and the
Deacon drew his chair a little nearer
his hostess. "It must be gret load
for ye to carry all alone. Such large
farm is a Tremendous responsibility for
lone woman"
"Oh, don't mind it; it keeps me
proper busy"
The Deacon hitched his chair along a
few inches farther: eyed oughter
hev' brother or cousin, or some rel
ative like, to share the burden with
ye."
"My shoulders are plenty strong, " re-
turned Miss Kezia, good d-naturedly. "I'm
glad to show folks that there are women
who are good for something besides gid
dy-daddying and tattling."
Yis, yis," answered the Deacon,
"we can all testify to your vally and
worth. You're a real honor to your
sex, You're-you're a bright and
shinin' beacon-light to the trifin' and
vain-minded women of the world :" and
the speaker waved his hand at the con-
clusion of this little oratorical flourish.
Then, hitch, hitch, hitch went the
chair Miss Kezia-ward. "Don't We feel
sort O. lonely at spellsP" he asked, in
sinuatingly.
Miss Kezia glanced suspiciously at the
rapidly-advancing chair. She dropped
her knitting, and went to the fire and
piled up the blazing sticks of wood.
Then she came back to the table and set
her chair on the farther side of it, thus
putting barrier between her and her
visitor: "I'm never lonely, Deacon; /;
plenty to do is the best medicine for
loneliness"
"But woman's tender, dependent
creatur'. Woman's a vine" (here the
Deacon assumed his weekly PRAYER
meeting drawD, "and needs suthin'
to cling to when the troublous,
desolatin' waves and winds of affiiction
and sorrer roll over her."
"Stuff and nOnsense!" exclaimed
Miss Kezia, with contemptuous sniff.
al shouldn't have expected that man
of your sense, Deacon, would repeat
such silly trash. 1 have no patience
with the people who are always talking
as if woman couldn't stand alone, and
needed propping up, like rag doll that
hadn't any backbone. I'm no vine--no
such creeping, helpless thing, 1 can
tell you. can stand alone as well as
any body, if the Lord so wills it, although
l admit, Deacon, thatit's pleasanter to
to have some one to keep you company. {"
That's jest it: ye bev' hit the nail
squar' on the head! 1t is pleasanter to
heV' company in our sojourn on this
mortal earth.n
The Deacon seized his chair with both
hands and by a circuritous line of hitch
ing placed it within three feet of Miss
Kezia's table. "You're a fOrehanded
woman, Miss Kezia: I'm man of prom
inence and influence in the community; !;
it seems to me that it would be a good
thing if we could walk hand-in-hand
through this vale of tears. Providence
seems to pint its finger that way" The
Deacon was thinking at that very mo-
ment of the money he would save by
putting thrifty manager like Miss Ke-
zia in the place of his inefficient, waste.
full hired woman.
Miss Kezia was dumbfounded. She
dropped her knitting, and the ball of
yarn rolled across the floor. " Mercyl"
she finally gasped.
"I'll make ye a first rate husband,
and yen make me good wife. We've
been members of the same church for
thirty year or more, and as we've been
members of the spiritooal family, Wen
now be members of the same human
family
Miss Kezia Strengthened herself up in
her high backed chair and drew in her
chin, while her voice rang out shrill and
clear: al rather guess it'll take two to
make that bargain" ;"
A second look at her aged admirer,
who was edging up to her with a sheep
ish simper, exasperated the good woman
beyond control. "The old fooli" she
said, wrathfully.
The color came into the Deacon's thin
cheeks, and he started to his feet, look
ing anxiously toward the door, as if
meditating hasty retreat. But the
yarn was wound around his boots and