Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-10-01
A WOMAN's SYMPATHY,
And What Came of It.

"WTERE are you going Nellie"
II was woman of apparently some sixty
years, who asked this question of a young
girl who stood before q small mirror ADJUST
ing her hat.
"DOn't know" was the sulky answer.
You will be to home fore dark, won't
yerY continued the woman, whom we shall
call Mrs. Melton, as she raised her specta-
Cled eyes to the girls face, in gaze that she
meant should be pleading, but which was
decidedly reproachful.
"Don't know whether 1 shall or not. 1
haven't made up my mind bout what l sill
do so fur ahead" was the muttered answer,
as the girl gave her head contemptuous
toss. u.a
"YOu know I s'll be worried bout We,
Nellie, II yer not IN the house afore dark. F"
To this Miss Nellie deigned no reply, ex-
cept to flash defiant glance at Mrs. Melton
through the little mirror. Gathering her
black and white worsted shawl about her
pretty shoulders, she crossed the big, old
fashioned kitchen, and passed out Of the
door, which opened upon the porch, as they
called it. Said porch consisting only of n
rough board floor and rude bench built
under fine maple tree, which grew in the
angle formed by the ell and the main body
Of the house.
Mrs. Melton followed her, with her eyes,
through the open door, as she moved briskly
along the path running westward through
the green field, to the main road half mile
distant. The sinking sun cast a golden glow
over the landscape, toniDg down distinctive
colers, and so blending the hues of earth
and sky that the little figure Of the girl, clad
in dark contrasting hues, became a prOmi-
nent feature in the near view. This golden
glory also had the effect Of heightening and
beautifying her tiny form. Mrs. Melton,
however, saw nothing Of this. She had no
eye for the varied pictures that nature was
continually presenting to her careless gaze.
L., L.. 1roI nN Nha ,I.FN -
hills, and searched the gorgeous clouds piled
high behind, simply to determine what the
weather was to be, so far as it had to do with
her laying plans for farm work. Work,
work. This was the keynote Of her every
thought and every act from one years. end
to another. At this moment she was looking
simply at the girl, not at what was beyond,
or around her, in order to make sure that
she was well beyond hearing before she freed
her mind to her sister-ip law, Mrs. Dales,
who had heard the colloqiiy between herself
and "Nell." "Nell" was what she invara-
bly, called her, except on the rare occasions
when she was moved to make a pTetense of
fondness or solicitude for the girl. Pre-
lenses Of this kind were all worse than lost
upon Nell, however, for she held the utmost
contempt for every thing of the sort, and
she did not hesitate In expressing 1t, usually.
at does beat all how that girl carries on,'
began Mrs. Melton, presently. 81 never
thought / should raise up girl to be SO
sassy rs she is"
''How old Is shep'
"Jest seventeen; an Nell Lynn-he' s the
mans son who lives right across the field, In
that smart lOOkin', white house yonder.
There 'tis-yOu can see II right through the
winder. See what nice, big barn, all clap
boarded an painted brown. They got II
brimful o. hay, too, this summer. There
aint better farm for hay in the State o.
Maine than theirn is-'cept mebbe, it's mine.
1.nWV fvNn d Ns.h h.,k kauN l.
diggin's, ef do live In an old, yaller, two
story house with a fiat roof. I've got Just
as good a barn as old Lynn has got, only it's
shingled instead o. clapboarded, an it's
whitewashed instead o. bein' painted brown.
But I've got a good stock o. cattle, an I've
got money at Interest, too, though don't
tell o. that ter every one" and Mrs. Melton
winked Mt her slster-in-law in patronizing
way. "But, as / was sayin', !" she continued,
''thls Nell Lynn-yer see he's the only child
% the Lynns over yonder, he's been maxim
b'lieve court Nell for nearly year-that is,
he's come here every day, an sometimes
two or three times; an'they'ye sOt out on the
porch, under the maple tree, till nine or ten
O'Clock Of eYenin's. An then we'd hear, ar
terwards how he'd be galaYantin' with the
girls down 70 the village every chance he
could get. An when the boys that work fol-
me would tell Nell ont sh'd be Just good fol
nothin', an her eyes would look all red an
swelled from cryin' TIL she see Nell, an he'd
palaver her over, an make her believe he'd
never cared iaek-straw for the rest o. the
girls.
"Talk to herp guess I've talked and
talked till she Jest told me might talk til
doomsday and It wouldn't do any good.
told her Nell Lynn wouldn't marry cir
that belonged to such poor trash as she did
Why, bless your soul when took that girl
she hadn't a rag c. close fit 70 be seen--not q
cloak nor bonnet Of any kind 'cept pink cal.
leo and sun bonnet. Her father was drunk
when went after her,an her mother was as
shiftess lookin' soul as you ever sot eyes on
But Nell turned out 10 be smart as a steel
trap; ef she hadn't been 1 shouldn't kept
her TIL this day, tell ye. Why, she was
only five years old when / got her, an she
could do lots o. chores then--yes, Nell Il
smart, If she is a sassy trollOp. When she
was little and / could put the stick on her,
could keep her in her place but senee she's
been agoin' with that feller couldn't make
herpay any attention 10 word said.n
:" You took her at such an early age that Il
would be quite natural for her to regard you
as a mother. 1t may be that there Is som'