The Republican journal., 1881-10-13

tHNio "olO ioolooHS vi ullou dppleS OFtl
the chimney piece. In one corner stood
a tall and very ancient-looking clock,
which had loud and jolly tick, as if it
were asserting its juvenilty in spite Of
appearances. This little place looked
very tempting and homelike in contrast
with the dismal ugliness of the other side
OF the room, but our host laid OBTAINING
hand upon US as we turned towards it.
"1ou just set down in the company
eend. Mis- Jones, she'd be terrible put
out If | let you sit down in the common
folkss eend. Mirandy, she takes on be-
cause we don't give up the fireplace, be-
in it's so ongenteel, and hev another
stove; but Gram she wouldn't feel to
home without the fire place, and she's
kind O gittin' along i'll years, Gram is.
Shes ninety nine-will be one hundred
come spring-and Mis- Jones feels as if
we'd oughter humor her.
We had cspied tiny old woman almost
hidden in the depths of cushioned rock
lng-chair. She wore a kind of skull cap
of black silk only partially covering the
head, which was entirely guiltless of hair,
and looked as if it were polished bone. A
pair of little, sharp black eyes peered at
~ ii'lAi u y NiIoN3 boiiN lobCs DIV lOOhCu
like nothing so much as the witches
which children make for fairs with wal
nut for the head.
Mis- jones' presently made her ap-
poarance-not the woman outwardly that
@ If fancy had pictured she was little
and light haired, and mild of aspect, but
before long we esped Il spark in the
depths of her light blue eyes, that re-
minded us of the tang that turks in a GER
tain mild sweet wine.
She showed us to our rooms, bleak and
bare regions where fires were evidently
unknown, and mountainous feather beds
piled one above another were the only
signs OF an attempt at comfort.
But her manner was as soft as her
feather beds, and she had been a pretty
woman once, and still showed de Jeaatf
testcs, and Ned declared that if she ty-
rannized over old Jones, it was without
doubt because he deserved it.
When we went down stairs, we found
the supper table set midway between the
''company eend" and the common folks
eend," with strict impartiality. Cur seats
were at the company ecnd," and we
shared this distinction with an atfable
and assured young man whom Mis- Jones
introduced as the schoolmaster "My
niece, Mirandy," an angular young wo-
man with Il protuson Of corkscrew ring
lets, favored uswith coquetiSh smiles, ev-
identity with view to disturbing the
schooImaster's peace; and we saw with
alarm that Mis- Jones observed this, and
that the spark in her eye grew liyelier
as she regarded us steadtastly ly-poor,
guiltless creatures who had not the least
intention Of flirting with Mirandy. AS
we rose from the table. the little, witch
like old woman beckoncd me towards
her with a mysterious air
"Wishn' and doin', the Lord he reck-
ons 'em jest the same, and drowned folks
never come up.' she said.
After supper, Mr.. Jones approached us
with an air OF Importance.
''lf YOU wouldn't take it unkindly, and
haint no particular objections, Miss Jones
she'd be obeeged to ye if ye would set in
the common folks eend tonight. You
see, the schoolmaster he's kind of edgin
round Mirandy, and it would be pooty
considerable of a spec for Mirandy to git
him. Mis- Jones, she's high-minded, and
she's set her heart on Mirandy's gittin 4
minister, or q schoolmaster, and she's
terrible anxious. When they're just be-
ginning to edge round they're scairt of
terrible easy, you know. They've been
a dom their cOurtin in the company eend
and there halnt no other place; you know
yourselves, that it's terrible kind of tlus-
term and upsettin' to hey folks round a
starin' and a gaWkin' where there's court
in goin' on. It's tusterin business any
how, courtin' is. got so worked up a
dom mine, that | haint never been ex-
actly clear in my mind about who spoke
the word, Mis- Jones or me. should not
want You to mention it to her. but I've
always run of an idee that she helped NE
along considerable"
We assured him that his confidence
was sacred, and expressed our sense OF
the propriety of having the company
eend' strictly devoted to courting.
We stole but one sly glance towards
the company eend' in the course of the
evening. That revealed to us the ringlets
of Miss Mirandy in close proximity to the
we inferred that Mis- Jones "high- mind
ed" hopes were destined to tultilment.
Our hostess hoped that we would eX-
cuse her, as there was to be a neighbor-
hood 'player meetin' to Deacon Jones' ,
and she felt it to be both duty and a
privilege to go. AS "Bijah" didn't seen
to feel a .'call to 60" he would entertain
us.
Mr.. Jones' spirits seemed to rise with
the departure Of his better half; he lost
his air of indecson and timidity, and be-
came brisk and voluble. He produced 3
convivial-looking brown pitcher repre-
senting jolly Dutchman with a capa-
cious stomach, and announced that il
contained cider which didn't "taste nc
great OF rotten apples, nor ylt of the
which was the JOnesville nOn-cOmmita
way Of saying that it was a nectar fit fol
the gods. A dish of great, smooth cheek.
ed, mellow apples, streaked with carmint
and gold, he brought forward next, anG
remarked that they were "not what yoy
could call gnurly apples,' and he guessed
"the sun hadn't had no spite agin em.'
"Gram," in corner of the fireplace
alternately slept and clicked her knit
ting needles like mad. Every time thai
she aWoke, she bent her keen little black
eyes upon me, summoned me near by al
imperious wave Of her knitting needle
duu repeated utI Ill uySlGIlOuS cOulllunlcd
ton in Il monOtonous tone, as if it were ;
formula that she had learned by heart.
"Wishin' and doin', the Lord reckons
'em just the same, and drowned folks
never come up"
''I don't understand" said once, curl
Gus to discover what was working in thai
old brain that had lent itself to dreams
and realities for so many years, until, al
last, the two had become hopelessly in
terningled; and it occurred to me thai
perhaps she was not so very different
from many of US in that respect"
"Cnderstand? OF course you dom
understand. Nobody understands. Some
folks say't was more than wishin' It was
dom. Maybe It was. 'Taint so long age
that I've forgot, and | guess the Lore
hasn't forgot"
No n6 cnyara1 laoIinrr r,act;opc