Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1881-12-15
A sERENADE..

Wonders never will cease r. cried
Posy Poplar, flying into the cool dairy,
where her sister LEFTY was printing off
pats of fine fragrant butter.
Outside, July upheld her golden shield
in the blue zenith trees dropped in the
torrid sunshine, and cattle stood pant
ing under the trees. But in the dairy,
at Poplar Farm, a refreshing GOODNESS
reigned; the shadow of green vine
leaves quivered in the wind across the
deep, stone mullioned easement, and
the shining pans of milk, the stone jars
of cream, and the little round balls of
cottage cheese, gave one an idea OF
homely plenty.
'sWhat's the matter?" said Lefty.
sDear me this print doesn't work half
so nice as the last one. I can't make
this look like sheaf of wheat, do what
wi1ll'
"Aunt Lex has got a heaui"
''Nonsense ~ said Lefty.
"But she has r. cried Posy, her blue
eyes sparkling with mischieYous delight,
ga real, live, masculine beau ~
Lefty laid down her butter print,
wiped her plump, dimpled hands on a
towel, and looked with surprise at Posy.
They were passing fair to look upon,
these two farmers daughters, who had
grown up among the cedar forests of
Maine, and who had never even looked
upon the walls of a city.
Posy was tall and slight, with braids
of blonde hair, and a complexion del
icately tinted, like a sea she'll Lefty
was dark, with velvet-brown eyes, full
red lips, and hair that waved in natural
ripples across her forehead.
"Who is it" said Lefty.
Posy seated herself on the low window
seat, and made an impromptu fan Of her
hat-brim.
"Don't you know that tall, round
shouldered, red-haired, lantern -Yisaged
man from New Hampshire" she said,
'who stops at the Red Lion Hotel, and
adyertises Music taught thoroughly in
six lessons'-the man who goes around
lecturing on the accordion, and who has
opened singing school, of evenings, in
Squire Dennison's big red barn ?"
sMr. Ezekial Greengage r. cried
Lefty; with the goggle-glasses and
fine nasal accentr',
'aThe very one," said Posy. "Weli,
it seems that the Red Lion Hotel was
almost too far away from Squire Den
nison's barn for the convenience of this
musical prodigy, so he asked Aunt
Alexandria to accommodate him with
his meals twice week, on the red-barn
evenings; and all the time we have been
camping out in the pine woods, Aunt
Lex has been practicing do-soI-fa-
mi, with Mr.. Greengage."
"Are they engaged?p cried breathless
Lefty.
"Well, not quite that but Aunt Lexy
has given me to understand that an
engagement is imminent. She has made
up her mind, she says, to consent. Mr..
Greengage is the only'man, she declares,
to whom she can safely confide her
fature.''
sWhat goose she is r cried Lefty,
nearly dropping the skinner in her
energy. "At her age, to think OH
"Geese, indeedP' shrilly echoed a
nigh treble voice, and Aunt Alexandria
herself bounced out from the protecting
shadow Of the doorway. Sand at my
agel I'd have you know, Letitia Poplar,
that I amt forty yet, and you're five
and-twenty, if you're day, yourself,
"Dear me, Aunt Lex, said LEFTY, ssI'm
sure / didn't intend to hurt your feel.
ings, bnt-"
Sand I've long had it on my mind, =
added Miss Alexandria, with very visible
venom, "to speak TO your poor, dear,
unsuspecting pa about those two young
men that are hanging around here hall
the time"
Posy colored scarlet.
s'Aunt Lex, said she, with spirit, ssmy
sister and are doing nothing secret OF
underhand. Papa knows very well
that"
:'All the same, said Aunt Lex, with
toss Of her faded faxen ringlets, II
stand in The relation Of mother no.
not exactly that, but Of an elder sister
Ito you two girls, and I plainly give
you to understand that I'll have none OF
this ridiculous philandering and none
sense going on while your pa is away.
So you can tell your two young men to
make themselves scarce.
But Aunt Lexy,p Z pleaded Posy, who,
amid all her discomforturo, could mol
but aee the hun3or 81 ne thing @Ihis