Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-01-09
HEPSIBAH kELTRY.

especial vanity of the dear old lady s.
and setting the snOw-white kerchlef
which she wore pinned about erneck,
''well. child, if you really want to hear
the story of HepSibah Keltry, III tell
it to you just as my grandmother told
it to me sixty years ago, when L was
your age.
.:She knew Hepsibah well, and a
proud. high-Spirited young woman she
was. too. but with one of the prettieSt
faces in the whole country round.
'.She was old Abiiah Keltry's only
child, and from the time she came in
to the world quite uneXpected-like, for
Abiiah had been married full fifteen
years before her ARRIVAL until she was
a grown woman. she was perfect imp
of mischief in his quiet home.
Commands, threats and punish
ments for Abiiah was a sea-faring
man in his youth, and they are mostly
none too gentle in their ways did no
good in her case. She fairly trampled
over her meek little mother-pOOr
Patience Keltry-and met Abijah with
open defiance and rebellion whenever
lie put his foot down 10 a heavily.
My grandmother said that she
could remember her Well-a tall, Slen-
der girl, with a pale. long face, great
flashing blue eyes, pretty white teeth,
and hair that was all in the prettiest
crinkles and was all mixed yellow and
brown in the sunshine. a pretty girl,
grandmother said, but with Il temper
that made the other young women a
little shy of her always, for she, when
a child. would scratch and bite like a
wildcat when any one crossed her will,
and, even when she was grown, she
had been known to slap Deacon Indus
try Peabody's oldest girl full in the
face for saying something that dis
pleased her.
1.-The young men,. hOWeyer, liked her
bold, bright ways, and more than one
had tried to keep company with her;
but although she would favor them all
by turns to veX the other young
women. she would tie herself to none,
but very soon gained the reputation
of a thorough coquette, and seemed not
ill-pleased with it.
''When she was turned nineteen,
however, a stranger came to the town
from a distant part of the country-a
well-appearing, honest young fellow,
with gentlemanly, quiet ways, very
different from the manners of the
town beaux, and Hepsibah straight
way tried to tie him to her apron
string, as she had the rest of them;
but she found it no easy task.
He was polite and agreeable to her
as he was to all the other young WO-
men, but no more so; and so at last it
came about that Hepsibah herself was
pining and signing for the first time
in her life. And when this state of
things arrived, John Shepard-for that
was his name-changed round, too, and
became her most devoted admirer.
so far, so good; and if Hepsibah
had only kept her temper and her jeal-
ousy in check, they would have been
married that very winter, and gone to
housekeeping in the house that he had
built next to her fathers on the hill;
but jealousy and evil temper are hard
to control, and one night. at a husking,
Hepsibah upset her dish after this
fashion:
John and she had been as loving as
two doves all the evening, and every
red ear that she found he was not slow
to take advantage of. and in fact, he
seemed to have eyes for no one else
until the floor was cleared and the
dancing began. Then, having danced
with her twice. he looked around, and
seeing little Faith Pulsifer sitting by
the wall, took her out on the door.
''HepSibah said never a word, but
turned as white as death and walked
into the house; and when, shortly af-
ter, Faith went in to make peace with
her, she treated her fair little face as
she had treated Prudence Peabody's S,
and walked off home with Ichabod
Bartlett for beau.
''Of course, John Shepard was raw
= ing angry at her behavior, and, after
apOlogiZing to Faith, devoted himself
to her for the rest of the evening, and
when the party broke up, made his
best bow to her before them all, and
asked leave to see her home, which she
granted gladly.
THE next week there was to be a
grand ball in the town-hall-not grand
according to your ideas. my child, but
very grand for those times-and all
the young people in town were busy
preparing for it, Hepsibah among the
rest.
''There was a good deal of whisper
ing about her actions at the husking,
you may be sure. and everybody was
wondering if John had made up; but
no one dared to ask her until one day
Martha Hodgkins-a brisk. swapping
little old maid who was not afraid of
anything-made it her business to
drop into Abijah and there she found
Hepsibah busy making pink frock,
and singing over her work as happy as
queen.
'''Be We goin'!" says Martha.
"'Of course says Hepsibah, you
didn't think l took in this frock to
make, did youl' (She was that hate
full that she had to give poor Patty a
hit about sewing for living.
"'Who be We goin' with?" says
Martha.
"'That's telling, said Hepsibah; but
III warrant he'll be the handsomest
man there And as John Shepard
was called the best looking man in the
place, Martha was satisfied who she