Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1880-03-18
THE 'sOUIRE's WOOING.

Squire Kimball the WidoWer, was
in his strawberry-bed pulling up weeds,
when Lucy Keene came down the road,
that beautiful June morning; and he
was Just throwing an armful over the
fence, when he caught sight of her, as
she turned the. corner. The sun-bon
net she wore was exactly like the one
he remembered to have seen her mother
wear tive-and- twenty years ago; and he
remembered, too, as he looked at this
one, and the fresh, rosy face under it,
how that one made his heart futter,
the first time he saw if, and how he
was so bewitched by it or the face un-
der it-he hardly knew which, for sun
bonnet and wearer were equally be-
witching, it seemed to him-that he
had walked home with Hester Mason,
and had hard work to keep from pro-
posing to her. p" 5.. #.F.
He wondered now, and he had won
dered many times in the fVe-and-twen-
ty years gone by, why he had never
proposed to her. He had meant to
marry her, and he was sure she liked
him in the old days, but-and he al
ways thought of it with sigh-some-
thing had come between them, and she
had married Robert Keene, and he
had married his cousin Mary. Fate
must have had something to do with it
he concluded. As he looked at Hester s
daughter, the old fire stirred under the
dust and ashes of the dead years and
he felt little fame springing up in his
heart. a..
"Good-morning, "Lucy, he said, lean
ing across the fence.
sop exclaimed Lucy, with little
start. "I didn't think any one was
near, and you almost scared me. Isn't
it pleasantP | told mother it was so
nice out of doors that l couldn't stay in
the house."
eyes, it is pleasant" answered the
Squire, looking straight into her pref
ty face. elbow is your mother, Lucy~
80, she's WE'LL" answered Lucy.
"What splendid Strawberries you are
going to have! The meddlesome hens
got into our garden, and mother says
She don't think we'll have pailful OF
berries"
81 want to know!' exclaimed the
Squire. "Now you just tell your
mother she's welcome to all she wants
out of my patch. She can have 'em
Just as well as not. There's goin' to be
q sight more'n we want, and l don't
like to have 'em wasted"
"Pll, tell her, and know she'll be
delighted with the chance" answered
Lucy. "You know she's such hand
to make strawberry preserves"
"Yes, l do" said the Squire, think
ing of old times. "And l remember
that she used to beat all the old house
keepers, too. They used to say she had
knack Of making strawberry jam,
that they couldn't get hold OFF,
"She hasn't lost it yet," laughed
Lucy. "She'lI be glad to have you
come to tea, sometime, and try some
she made last year"
"IWill," i" said the Squire. "Le'mme
see! To-day's Wednesday. Tell her
pll come over Saturday, if it's agree
able; and l guess the berries'H be
ripe, so / can pick pailful by that
time. If they arc, I'll bring over
some"
"Thank you,'' said Lucy. "We'll
expect you to tea, Saturday, then. -
"Yes,'' answered the Squire, feeling
yerv much as he used to when her
mother smiled at him. +" / had letter
from Charley, yesterday. HE'S coming
home in day OF two, to stay" "L
"That Il be pleasant for you," said
Lucy, STOPPING down to pick a daisy
How could he see the blush behind the,
sun-bonnetP If he had, it might have
set him thinking. iL.S
'Yes, it win, . responded the Squire
"Charley's good boy, and | get
pretty lonesome without him. / wish
he'd take it into his head to settle
down"
II must be going" said Lucy.
"Don't disappoint us, now. "
"I WON'T answered the Squire, and
then she went on, and he went back to
pulling weeds.
such thing" he said to himself, by
and by, ''but folks do such foolish
things as that would be. l don't know
as it's anybody's business but ours. If
I see fit to marry Lucy, and she's will
lin, I'm goingto to do it;' and the Squire
looked about de6antly, as if he half ex-
pected somebody to object to it.
Charley came home that afternoon.
al suppose r1 have to tell him what
I've been thinking about, " thought the
Squire. 'I declare, / hate tol Pd
sooner take q horse-whipping, but there
is no use Of dreading it and putting 1t
of, as / know Of. The sooner it's done
with, the better"
Accordingly when they were sitting
on the piazza, after tea, he began to
break the news:
"I-rve been thinking some lately,
Of getting a housekeeper,n he stamner-
ed, growing very red in the face.
stDoesn't aunt Sarah want to stay"
asked Charley, unsuspecdngly. 3I