The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1881-12-01

pes liks you was young and the l,eAcof
VAS keepia' company with your You d'
beat all, Maria Go long aud open ,h'
door Aud Betsey replaced the cold iron
with a hot one from the stove, giving il !
} vindiciive spai With her wet finger, snd
began savaeely ironing Anson's bun liner
! vest
For the lands sake. Betsey, you don I
expect me TO let Brother Skeels in lookin
like this do you' You jest go sn open the
door while ! so an slip on my tother
dress.
And before Betsey could remonstrats,
Maria had climbes up the ereaky stair
case, and there was no alternative but for
her to receive the Deacon.
II does beat all how some do act when
there's men folks round. mumbled Betsey.
~ she proceeded TO pull up one OF the
Venetian blinds, and open The front door
for the worthy deacon. Who hAl bssu ling.
ering some little time under cover Of the
honey.suckle vine which grew on frame
over the entrance. 70 draw on pair Of
black cotton gloves
Good day, Sister Elizabeth. A warm
day.
| Yes! right warm, should think 10 be
riding around the country with gloves and
things all on. said Betsey with great fierce.
ness.
She had never had any special regard
for the deacon, and doubted the sincerity
OF his grief, and his dandiied mourning
outfit was especially ex@perating to her.
Betsey was not one TO tolerate shams OF
any kind. and had frequently remarked to
her brother Anson--the one being in the
world whom she consideusd without sin.
that Some as 60 prowling around with
black bands in their handkerchefs, aud
pilin' poppies and things on others graves,
needn't think other folks can't see through
hole in milestone.
On this particular occasion, the deacon
having devoted considerable attention to
his attire, Betsey's remark eoncering his
gloves and things WAS rather disooncert'
ing not to say provoking. In truth. he
knowing that Maria usually did the honors
in society and received such few formal
calls as were made, in the front room. had
fully expected to meet her at the door,
and Betsey's grim visage had been rather
damper upon his feelings to begin with,
even il no disheartening allusion had been
made to his toilet, and when, after his un.
comfortable reception, the deacon, in &C.
cepting Miss Elizabeth's invitation to sit
down, wont you? dropped his mourning
hat. which, with that perversity inherent
in inanimate things. rolled under the table,
and lie had TO 90 down on his knees to re-
cover it. he came up feeling very hot and
ridiculous and just little inclined to in-
iulge mental imprecation sgAinst Bot
sey as the author OF his misfortunes.
reckon you come TO see brother AnsoD,
said Bctscy, to his further discontinue;
he is Just out in the potato patch, horing,
I'll call him.
Oh. never mind said the deacon. .ome-
what hastily; l just dropped in us l was
going past t, see how you we're all getting
along, can stay long. Hem! it's quite
warm.
Having stranded upon this rock once be-
fore, it seemed strange that the deacon
should rashly have ventured remark up
on the weather; but it was an act born Of
desperation. as o drowning man would
grasp at thorn.bush or singing nettle
whe he found himself going down. As
might have been expected. he found him
self stung.
You seem 10 feel the heat amszin', Mr..
Skeels. Pears like you'd be more com
Portable in you store daytimes, than riding
around the country. said Betsey, in q
thorny way that pricked the very heart
out OF what little sell. possession he had
left; aud he was about to Withdraw, utter.
ly disco mfitted, when the low door leading |
from the entry-way opened, aud Maria ap. |
peared, dressed in manner that would
undoubtedly elected some satiricsl CON-
ment from her sisters sharp tongue, had
not that worthy lady at the moment espied
a family Of vagabond pigs entering the
front gate. which the deacon, ia his eI-
bad forgotten to fAsten-and
darted out after them, waving her sunbon-
1et wildly, crying, Shoot hie, there. shoe,
there.
Oh. blessed pigs! worthy in the dcacon's
mind TO be immortalized along with the
50 red geese, and Rome's famous wolf, or
would have been, il he had ever heard OF
these shighly virtuous myths. At oil
eveats the pigs took the dreeded Elizabeth
of the scene, and as she was too much en-
with her household duties 10 waste time
on galavantin' deacons, ss she expressed
il, the couple were left to that peaceful
solitude SO copgenial to two loving souls,
two loving hearts.
Maria seemed little embarrassed. and
the deacon, too, at Grst, not having re.
covered his equilibrium, was not quite at
his ease, and occupied himself some little
time in pressing out Of his stiff hat some Of
the dents which had been occasioncd by
his eager clutches siterit, when it rolled
under the table, each dent humping itself
gu, with ,hud that made the timid Maria
start
Like As not, I'm hindering you from
your chores, Sister Maria. said the deacon.
anally. having fully repaired his hat re.
arranged the mourning band up on it and
carefully deposited it on copy Of Fox
Martyrs which lay on the table.
pk mi ,n, Ia tba Least Rvothsv Gk kaal..