Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-07-30

uhL WIS only n IMuIIluE IN hNe ubVNuH
Of Luplra's inner consciousness, but she
shuddered at her wickedness the next
minute, and thought she must be "fall-
Ing from grace"
1t was such a "privilege " 10 be
minister's wife, her mother said.
Then she resolutely banished from her
mind the prayer-meetings and the con-
ference brethren, and all the unpleasant
aspects Of the position which had been
conjured up by Mrs. Smallidge's lively
imagination, and reflected upon the
agreeable ones--the lilac silk, the envy
OF the girls who had not been able 10
"get minister" the "gentility - of
the city church, and Luke always at
hand to tell her how pretty she was. So
she became cheerful again, and set her
mind mt work upon mathematical
problem which she had not failed 10
calculate at least once a day ever since
Cleopatra, the great black turkey,
hatched her wonderful brood Of fifteen
lusty young turkeys, so many turkeys at
so much each, so many yards of silk at
so much per yard ..
Every day Lupiry's calculations grew
more cheerful. So many more pounds
of turkey, so many more yards Of silk.
II there was any thing that Lupiry hated
/ It was "a scant pattern" Scant pat
terms Of the good things of life were 80
common in her experienced Now, on
the eve of the fateful day when Abner
Ransom was to sell the turkeys, Lupiry
| calculated that there might even be a
little money left for gloves and trim
ming5. Laces and ribbons doated be-
fore her eyes in dreams all night, and
at the first peep of dawn she arose and
hurried down to the poultry yard. The
whole fifteen turkeys were to be slain
and prepared for market before eight
O'Clock, and Lupiry wished to see them
once more in life. Not that she had
become attached to them, or felt any
pity for their sad fate in being martyred
for her gain-Lupiry kept too close an
account of profit and loss to leave any
margin for sentiment-but she wanted
to assure herself once more that they
were fat and well favored.
Poor Lupiryl She was only one of
the innumerable company who, follow
ing in the footsteps of the far-famed
milkmaid, reckon up the profits of their
eggs before they get them TO market,
and are often destined to bitter disap-
pointment. There lay the whole fifteen
and Cleopatra, their mother, stark and
stiff on the ground. They were not de-
capitated nor had their necks been
wrung. Some distemper seemed to
have carried them off "at one fell
swoop."
Lupiry pinched herself to see if she
were awake. 1t seemed so like an evil
dream!
Ichabod came out of the barn door.
"Pisoned, and no mistake, Lupiryl''
he remarked cheerfully. QchabOd was
one of the aggrayating people who are
cheerful under all circumstances ait
don't seem as if nobody could have
been so ALFRED mean as TO have done
it purpose. expect they got hold oi
some of that last medicine of fathers
that he throwed out of the sett'n-room
winder. Taint no use takin' on. 'Ac.
cerdents will happen in the best reger,
lated families. -"
And Ichabod went about the milking
whistling as gayly as if wedding dresses
grew on every bush.
Lupiry sat down and cried. Granny
Hopkins green silk had proved toe
scanty, even if she could have braveC
the awful perils of wearing green; tC
be married in her old alpaca, which hat
been her best dress for more than {
year, was not to be thought of. Matri
mony without the lilac silk was not al
Turing to Lupiry. That had seemed K
cover as with a mantle the unpleasant
duties in store for her of which Mrs
Smallidge had reminded her, but they
loomed up fearfully against the back
ground of the old alpaca.
"I shall write to Luke this very day
and tell him that we can't be married
till spring. He won't like it, but
shouldn't want him to be ashamed o
me-though 1 don't suppose he woulC
notice what had on, with his heaC
always up in the clouds.n
just then Seth Jones drove by on hi
way to the store, and looked back 81
lingeringly that his horse ran into tn,
fence and upset the wagon. Lupiry fel
a little autter of satisfaction at this mari
of devotion, and she laughed rs merrill
at the catastrophe as if her matrimonial
plans were not also upset. She wrot
to Luke Rankins that day explaining tn,
necessity of postponing their wedding
until Spring. -' n."#'
"Luke is terrible eager and impa
tient, she remarked to her mother, a
she read the answer to her letter, whicl
had come after the smallest possible
lapse of time. "He wants to buy m
wedding dress himself, but 1 guess
have some pride if am poor. He say
he would rather marry me in my OLE
buff calico than to have the wedding
| =, If ne 1slr, 30, korrn 10,
; think so much of me, but do wish h
cared little more for appearances. H
don't look half so genteel as--as som
folks round here, If he does live in tn
city,"
"That's what 1 call an Interpretation
/, Of Providence" said Mrs. Smallidge h
her crony, Mis- Elder Bemus, when sh
heard the news. ''Lupiry Hopkin
ain t more fit to merry minister than
, be to merry the Angel Gabriel. Sh
amt got no sprawl nor no faculty, an
what's a minister's wife without them
/ Whoever pisoned them turkeys wa
! adoin' the Lords work unbeknownst
! You see II somethin' else don't happel
l by spring to keep them apart that tn
Lord hain't never jined together. LUX
Rankins is terrible gawlky, but he
smart and I've heard that they though
! a sight Of him in bhe city. If Lupir
J Hopkins wanted him she'd better a'tooI
: him when she could get him withou
I fussin' about a trisSOO, for some {
them rich city girls will be settin' thei
caps for him, and you and l know whl
men be, Sister Bemus."
= II,-LUKE.
I He was tall and angular, had stoopin