Mexico weekly ledger., 1881-12-29
SQUIRE KIMBALL'S O

Squire Kimball was in his straw
berry patch, pulling up weeds, when
Lucy keene came down the road.
that beautiful July morning, and he
was just throwing them over the
= fence, as she came around the cor
ner. The sun-bonnet she wore was
exactly like one he remembered to
, have seen her mother wear twenty
five years ago, and he remembered,
too, as he looked at this one, and the
fresh, rosy face under it now, how
that one had made his heart iutter
the first time he saw it, and how he
was so bewitched by it, or the face
under it., that he had walked home
with Hester Mason. and had had bard
work to keep from proposing to her.
He wondered now, and he had
wondered many times in the twenty
five years that had gone by since
then, why he never did propose to
to her. He had meant to marry her,
some time, and he was sure she liked
him in the old days; but-and he
had sighed to himself more than once
when he thought of it-something
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 Testers daugh-
ter, this summer morning, the old
fire stirred under the dust and ashes
of twenty-five years, and he felt a
little flame spring up in his heart.
Good morning, Lucy!" he said,
leaning over the fence.
"Oh!' exclaimed Lucy, with a
little jump, II didn't see you, and
you came near soaring me. Isn't it
p~leasant:'
Yes it is pleasant" answered the
squire, looking straight at her pretty
face. "How's yeur mother?"
pretty well,' answered Lucy.
"Your Strawberries are doing splen-
didly, aren't they? We're so pro-
voked about ours. The hens got
into the garden, and mother says
she don't think we will have a pailful
of berries in all"
Il want to know!' exclaimed the
the squire. Now you tell your
mother that she is welcome to all she
wants out Of my patch. She can
have 'cm Just as we'll as not. There's
going to be a sight more'n we want,
and I'd rather have 'em used than
wastcd.'
Il will tell her, answered Lucy !;
II know she will be delighted at the
chance. You know what a hand she
is to make strawberry JAM
eyes, l do answered the squire,
thinking of old times. II remember
she beat all the old housekeepers at
that. They used to say that she had
a knack Of making strawberry jam,
that nobody else could get hold off,
"She hasn't lost it yet answered
Lucy. ''She'll be glad to have You
come to tea, some time, and try some
she made last year. She had unusu-
ally good luck
"I'll do it," said the squire.
"Le'me see-to-day's Wednesday.
Tell her Ill come over Saturday, II
it's agreeable, and l guess the berries
will be ripe SO 1 car pick a pailful
by that time
"Thank you!" said Lucy. If you
do, we'll have q shortcake. I'll tell
her to expect you to tea on Satur-
day them
Yes" answered the squire; "Il
be round If nothing happens. Oh!
[ heard from Charley yesterday.
! He'll be home, in q day or two, tC
stay"
''That'll be pleasant for you,'
answered Lucy, STOPPING down tc
pick up a daisy.
YES, it will,' said the squire.
"Charley's a good boy,
81 guess I'll have to be going,'
said Lucy. I'VE shall expect yot
to tea, Saturday, remember"
) Il won't disappoint you,' sale
the squire; and then Lucy vent on
) and he went back to pulling weeds.
Il s'spose it's foolish to think o
such a thing he said to himself
I ssbut | don't know as it is anybody''
business but ours. If l see fit tt
marry Lucy, an she's wlllin L IL
> going to do it."
From which you can see that the
squire's old fancy for the mother had
suddenly been transferred to thu
daughter.
Charley came home the next day.
II 'spose I'll have to tell him wha
] I've been thinking about though
. the squire.
5 Accordingly, when they were sit
r ting on the piazza, after supper, tn
squire began:
, '.I've been thinking some of get
. ting q new housekeeper," he an
; nounced.
"Won't Aunt Sarah stay?" aske'
=, Charley,
81 meant a h~ousekeeper of anothe
; kind" said the squire.
"Who is it to be, if l may ask sucI
u,,,t,npI ., ipouiroI Charloy