American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-02-26
A PYRAMID OF CABBAGEs.

A PYRAMID OF CABBAGES.
"Why, where are you going. Isabel
Eastman? Not into the farm yard.
surelyP"
Yes, Miss Lottie Maxell. l am 60
ing into the farm-yard, surely" re-
piled Isabel, with a mischievous light
in her big gray ewes. and charming
smile ON her prettily curved lips, as she
opened the gate leading to that place.
.sNowhere else can we be confidential
without running the risk of being
overheard. The farmers family are in
the orchard; Charley and a half dozen
of his play-mates are playing in the
flower gardens there's a young couple
in the parlor at the piano, he making
love, and she not making music, and a
still younger couple whispering and
giggling in the bay-window; auntie is
In my room enjoying splendid Mis-
ery;" and grandma is in auntie's room
darning stockings. And SO, it YOU
really want to hear right away why
/ am here instead of at one of my
usual summer haunts, you must cen
follow me to, the farm-yard. Besides
which speaking with increased ami
may seem to YOU, developed quite a
passion for farm-yards."
cit doesn't seem at all strange to
me, my dear, for during our ten years
friendship you've always been develop
ing some odd passion or other. But
I've never lost faith in you. Lead on;
III follow"
And stepping daintiy and gracefully
unimpeded by trains sor demi-trains,
the young girls threaded their way
through the crowd of hens and chick
eks holding q loud and lively CONVERSE
ton preparatory to going to roost; past
the cows waiting to be MIXED, and
turning their heads to look after the
intruders with great solemn browns
eyes; and Old Lowhead. the white
horse, shaking his thirst at the, water
trough --to the extreme end of the
yard, where pile of cabbages, neatly
arranged in the form of a pyramid.
confronted them.
;.Behold," sad Isabel, stopping be-
fore it, :. how Nature lends herself to
Art! Chat sounds well, though l
don't Know as it means anything.) This
mighty structure, formed of the green
and succulent cabbage, is no doubt the
work of some humble field-la borer,
who, having read of the Pyramids of
Egypt-incited thereto, no doubt, by
the newspaper paragraphs about our
own dear Obelisk-has sought to vary
the monotony of cabbage lie by build
ing as close an imitation as his material
would allow. Let us hope that this
flight of Imagination may lead to a
higher one, and that the cabbage man,
like the butter woman, may meet with
public recognition, and at last be
crowned with wreath of laurel. Often
from the humblest sources spring the
81
Lottie''-breaking off suddenly, and as
Stunning a reproachful- tome why do
you break in upon my eloouence with
rude and unseemly daughters? was
about to repeat to you Longfellow's
last poem; now won t. See what
your frivolity has lost you'll And take
seat ON the extreme base of the pyramid
Il prefer the mound of sods in this
secluded corner, sacred to somebody's
rake and hoe), while 1 go back to the
commonplace"
THANK you. Bell dear, I'll share the
sods with you. if you please. Ihave an
idea that cabbage would prove very
uncomfortable seat. under any circum-
stances. " And't.o go back to the COM
monplace, that darling, for I'm dy-
ing to know what has happened since
we parted an age ago..
au aSe ago: Onc year anu q Astu
exactly. I was then engaged to Claude
Venner. Pretty name, isn't itP And
he was "a pretty little fellow, with nice
curly hair. and lovely blue eyes, with
lashes long enough for bang, small
dimpled hands, and not an idea in his
little round head. My mother-with all
due. Difference say it-and his mother
to whom accord much less defer
ence-made the match when l was
eighteen, and unniade it at twenty.
never loved Claude. How could I?
And he never Loved me. How could heP
We were the victims of circumstances
and match making mammas, and two
mortals more unlike it wonld be hard to
find. He was the most conventional of
men, and would have nearly died if at
one of those dreary dinner parties in
which his soul delighted somebody had
whispered to him that his back hair
wasn't parted straight. while l have
often been strongly tempted to shock.
the .full-tiressedl guests, at the very
start, by asking for more SOUP.
"Well, last June, at Newport, my
diminutive,. friend. Eda Smythe, with a
head the exact counterpart of Claude's,
appeared upon the scene, and she and
my betrothed- fell in love with each
other at first sight. Mamma fretted
and fumed and scolded, and asked me,
with tragic emphasis, how l could look
calmly on and see so many thousands of
dollars being lost to the family, for she
was sure that artful mink would per-
suade poor dear Claude to elope or
something; but / continued to. look
calmly on, until one evening Claude,
with a deep sigh. kissed Eda's hand as
he babe her Goodnight when l
turned suddenly upon them and babe
them follow me to my room. There l
forgave-quite in the manner of stage
parenr-the infatuated midgets their
base duplicity, gave them my blessing,
kiss>d them both; and as soon as they,
beaminS- joy. had departed, L
also, beaming web Joy, and not quite in
the manner of stsse. parent, except
perhaps in g PinasoreS~ne, executed
pirouette "a mad, revsfvs,x pirou-
ettc, in honor of my newly-acqdsrsl
freedom. Mamma was awfully angry,
but they re awlully happy. and they'v
named the BABY after me. My chains
(they were never very heavy, l must