Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-06-11
Aunt Maria's Bargain in Lace.

Aunt Maria's Bargain in Lace.
1t was just noon, and dinner was
ready to put upon the table ia the
roomy farmhouse at the foot OF Hem
lock mountain. The horn had been
sounded full quarter of an hour,
giving plenty of time for the men to
come from the field, but they did not
appear. Mrs. Stone took advantage of
this fact by seating herself comfortably
in the kitchen rocking-chair, and TAX
ing o snatch of the rest of which her
brisk steps in doing the mornings work
had made her feel the need.
But it seemed to Aunt Maria that the
"men folks" should be looked after,
and accordingly she took her way
through the wide hall to the front door.
She paused q moment on the piazz 4,
which was made delightfully."- shady and
enticing by an awning of wild grape
vines. The atmosphere was clear, and
as she looked across the valley she saw
the tin roof of a newly-built house in
the far distance glimmer ana glisten in
the bright sunshine like silver star.
In the front yard her bed of double
portulac.s, mixed red, yellow and
white. blossomed gorgcously, but just
in the middle of it, to her great dis
gust, cleaned provokingly the shining
feathers of Pedro, the old slack rooster.
When Pedro presented himself ut the
kitchen door every morning after
breakfast and demanded the usual cold
potato granted him, Aunt Maria treated
him with u certain amount of consider
alton; but in the middle of her flower
bed he was uncomfortable. Watch was
lying on the piazza, and she tried to
urge him to the chase; but he persisted
in looking up and down the road, never
for u moment allowing his gaze to rest
on Pedro, assuming that provoking air
Of being really unable to see what he
was expected to run after that cunning
dog knows SO we'll how to feign. After
many vigorous shakes of her blue ging-
ham apron, Aunt Maria succeeded in
starting Pedro, who left the csmforta.
BILE hole he had dug and walked slowly
away with an untroubled air which
seemed to say, IF l never have q
worse enemy than Aunt Maria l may
count myself fortunate. All! if Aunt
Maria and Pedro had but known! But
let not coming events cast shadows.
Pedro once dispersed, Aunt Maria
walked to the gate, from whence she
discovered that Brother Samuel and his
sixteen-y ear.old son, Asa, had stopped
to talk with Tom Price, a neighbours
son, which she considered waste OF
valuable time. So she called, in an
emphatic tone of voice, "Dinner is
ready" as a hint to Tom to be moving
on, which he accordingly did.
Asa had hardly set foot within the
kitchen door when he began to relieve
himself of the news just received from
Tom.
"Going down to see your new neigh
bors?" he asked.
"New neighbors! Where? There
isn't an empty house for mile about"
"Well. this kind don't generally take
to houses-at least, not when it's warm
weather, so they can camp out. But
there about forty OF EN- down in Dea-
con Prices woods. Tom says they
came there this morning from the other
side of the mountain. The deacon
hated awfully to have 'em there, but
he didn't want to drive 'em away, and
he s'posed they'd got to stop some
where. Tom says they're as strange
looking a crew as he ever saw; dark
skins, the blacklist kind of eyes, and
the straightest, blacklist hair. And
they wear red and yellow and such
bright colors more than anything else.
And they've got some splendid horses,
and the queerest lot of wagons and
filings. And there's been lots of folks
to see 'em this morning, and we must
all go tonight, after the chores are
DONE"
Now in this remote neighborhoed
among the mountains a real, live gypsy
had never before been seen within the
memory of the Oldest inhabitant.
Even tramp was rarity, and the few
specimens who presented; themselves t
the farmhouse doors were interviewed
with AN energy and thoroughness which
must have given very unsatisfactory re.
turns as regarded the information re.
ceived. So there were many wonder.
ing copjectures concerning the dark
str, n""'s ana an agreement was made
tolock up the house and go to visit them
IA 81. eovl VI tue evening.
When little Burt came homo from
school in the village, he too was full OF
a wonderful story of q wagon load oil
dusky women and children who drove
past the school-house on their way to
the hotel, where they walked into the
bar room and drank beer until the
astonished landlord refused to let them
have any more, upon which they swore
rcundiy and noisily departed.
The sun was an hour high when the
Stone family started for the gypsy
camp, strolling along in that free-and.
easy, comfortable country fashion,
which makes keeping step or any other
formality entirely superfuous. A part
OF the way they walked in Indian tile,
always with energetic Aunt Maria al
the head, then spread across the road
like the front rank of company OF
soldiers, and again divided into
groups, just as fancy and the uneven.
ness OF the road dictated.
But the camp was soon reached. and