Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-12-15


in pieces, you Ben Brindle; what you
after?"
The door of the little deep-eaved
kitchen flew open, letting out a scent of
boiling coffee into the clear December
air; blue linsy skirt cleared the open
passage-way, and Aunt Nancy Dawson
popped into the sitting-room, armed
with a broom which she st once pro-
ceeded to devote to the obliteration of
the string of powdery tracks left by her
nephew across the striped rag carpet.
.tKnowed there'd be tracks wherever
Their was man." observed the little
woman, whisking away briskly, "whaty'
out SO early fer?"
"We-el," said the old bachelor rather
dolorously, "you see the long and short
Of it is, I'm lonesome, Aunt Nancy
dwfuI lonesome"
'Jest what you orto be-" returned
Aunt Nancy, with blunt candor,
"y'own fault. I've told you to get
married forty times, amt II"
"But-there amt any one left to
marry, round here as I kno W Of"
Fiddle ! amt Their the wider Bur-
ley2"
eyes, there's the wider Barley"
said Mr.. Bfindle, doubtfully, "but
then you know she does weigh most
three hundred, and i, kind of curious
and cross-grained like"
There's Melissy Hicks; lovely
housekeeper-couldn't get better"
mo; she's too good. A Teller
could never get bit of rest SO long as
she sould find straw or ravelling to
fuss about. Wants everything in
straight rows and no crooks nowhere.
She'd put strings to all the young ones
she could find and run them up on
poles like butter beans if she could.
Anyhow, Aunt Nancy, don't reckon |
could get married light of to-day, and
| would kind of like some one to cook
a Christmas dinner for me. Not that
fellow can't pack the spirit of Christ
mas round in his heart without any
dinner, but it would make it seem like
old Christmases, and / want you to
jump right into my sleigh and go right
home with me, Aunt Nancy, and stay
all day. Hey?"
81 sha'nt," said Aunt Nancy, with no
waste of empty apology; ppm going to
Jim Dawsou's folks, across the Branch
promised 'eG month ago, an it's
saved me cokin' lot of truck. Ole
Peppers hitched now, N I'm goin' to
start in just the time it takes me to
get my shaw! an green woosted sun
bonnet on. You kin go along too if
you like"
"No-I don't like" returned bache-
lor Brindle. They'll fish out all their
kin-folks from SIX counties and have
'em there, and don't know half of 'em
and don't seem to want any crowd to-
day-only just them know. I'll go
home and roast sweet potato in the
ashes and cook spare-rib before the
fire place; that'll be good enough, only
the gravy III be full of cinders."
Bachelor Brindle drove slowly home
ward, his spirits rather depressed in
spite Of the beauty of the day, bright
with q glad glory of sunshine pouring
down goldenIy over the hawless white
fleece of the nights bestowing, yet al
ready to grow damp and heavy under
the warm glow, when turning the cor
ner of fence, where the drifts were
blown up like blocks of marble, his
horse gave startled spring and stopp-
ed at sight of small, dark figure trug-
ing along on foot, picture unusual
enough to scare any horse III the coun-
try where not farmers daughter, in
however moderate circumstances, will
undertake mile Journey at any sea-
son of the year unless provided with
some shape or form of a "Dag." And
Mr.. Brinde gazed down with a wonder
that grewdeep and intense atsight of the
fair little face and dark eyes and slight
ly upturned nose raised toward him.
"Mab LacyW he cried; "is it Nab
Lacy, or a Christmas vision?"
"It is Nab Lacy" she answered, with
q little, fluttering laugh. 1--WE come
back to see Aunt Nancy"
"Then you've come on as much of 4
wild-goose chase as | have" he return
ed, ruefully, "She's gone-gone plum
to the Branch. Her Old Pepper beats,
my Floss woefully, and | saw the gable
end of her sleigh shy around the cor
ner before | got to the end of the
lane"
"Oh. then what-what shall do p
cried Nab, overcome with the sudden
ly desperate appearances of her posi-
ton, and sitting carelessly down upon
wayside stump, whose white cap
of snow was gradually shringing away
and oozing in drops down its sides.
Don't do that !" cried Mr.. Brin-
die, with alarmed sharpness: "you
musen't sf- on a wet stump and catch
a cold Just because Aunt Nancy took
a notion to go cumming around for a
Christmas lark. Jump in my sleigh,
like sensible girl, and we'll see"
whats the user" walled Nab,
trying to stop little rill of tears that
was slipping down her cheek with a
corner of her grey veil. 81 can't go
home with you, and there's nowhere to
90. Oh, Mr.. Brindle-Ben, what shall
| do?
"Do just what tell you," said Mr..
Brindle. First give me your hand,
and you jump in here back of this
robe. Now We'll have a talk. SO you're
alone, Nab p
"All alone, Ben," sighed Nab.
''Well, look here. Pm the same old
Ben you always knew-and hated"
~ didn't" said Nab. "I-I-you
know, Ben"
"Aud you're the same Nab Lacy I
always knew"
Eyes; Pm tempted to wish l was
someone else just now"
"Well Amt. If you're alone, we're
both alone, Nab, for | am; and it's
rather rough, in my opinion. Now,
why couldn't we drop overheard this
big slice of time that's separated us so
long, ard 90 back to where we left off
before we flew out at each other?"
Glow could we?' asked Nab.
Look through yonder," said Ben,
pointing to little yellow cottage at the
end of lane branching off the road.
"Our new minister lives there, Nab"
"Does her Mah's tone expressed
nothing whatever, but bachelor Brin-
dies solemn gray eyes caught the
flicker of blush in her cheek.
YES, he does" he answered. "Mab
I've got ten dollars in my pocket. l
expect the minister is needing about
ten dollars awful bad"
Hadn't you better make him pres
ent of it?" asked Nab, sNeetly smiling
of Mt the lace-work of the snow. dap
pied tree branches in the winter blue
distance. Ben looked a little discon-
certed, then rallied.
bat, Mab," he said, hes kind of
proud wouldn't dare to offer it to
6,,~> l.; =,