The Worthington advance., 1882-05-04

| OASSuAuA PVSS O0AOA0 AAa0o ~VSV04t0 ~sVVA Va
Sunday night; and only once or twice had
be been seen shyly t. offer her nosegay
Of southernwood and cinnamon pinks,
which grew to great perfection in bis gar
den, and OF which, in her girlhood, Miss
Cordelis had been very fond.
Many other admirers had Miss Cordelia,
but ste had turned q cold shoulder upon
al, and seemed perfectly contented to live
on in her comfortable old house, with trim
box .oordered flower beds in the front yard.
lilac bushes crowding In at tho windo vs.,
with her handmaiden Tryphosa, who was
not. as her name suggested. q romantic
young maiden. but m ancient and angular
spinster, who believed in signs and olnens,
and always "felt" coming events "in her
bones." Tryphosa was now gazing at the
| green silk with melancholy expression Of
conntenance.
Green means forsaken; there amt no
denyin' it. And Seliny Wilson, that was
mer1ied in green, was laid out o corpse in it
before the end of the year: and Mertildy
Lyman, that was merried in white muslin
sprieged with green, and green bunnet
strings, she had a drunken husband that
fell of the haymow, and dislocated his spi.
nal column and everybody knew her twins
want bright; and"
But am not going to be married In 1t.
you know, Tr.phosa, said Miss Cordelis,
turning merry face up to Miss Tryphosa's 9
doleful one. "Perhaps it is only unlucky
| as wedding dress. As for being forsaken,
there doesn't seem to bs anybody left to
forsake me but you, and am not afraid
that all the green dresses in the world ca n
make you do that.
There amt no luck about green nohow, "
said .rryphosa. 1T, twas laylock. now. Or
handsome brown"
| Il suppose really had ought to have
had black, said Miss Cordelia, meditative-
ly; but some way the spring coming on.
with everything 80 fresh and bright, made
nee feel as used to long ago, and I've
made believe to myself -Iwouldn't own It to
anybody but you, T1yphosa-but I made
believe ! was girl again. And that's why
had this green silk"
"Aad that's why you've been putting po-
sizes in your hair. Well, 1t beats all what q
difference there ia In folks. Now spring
puts me in mind of house. cleanin' and soap
biliu' and bitters-Land sakes! If there
amt Parson G1eely comm up the walk.
and nothln but the old coppercrown fox
d nner, and all skin and bones at that, he
a-comin' in the yard this blessed minute!"
Miss Cordelia whisked the green silk out
OF sight, and smoothed her crimps demure-
| y oo"0, Nd ono o"o'euou W greet nes
visitor.
1t happened that Miss Polly Watkins.
who went about the village peddling con-
ooction known as Watkins Unapproachaole
Liniment, was so fortunate as to be pass
'ng just as the minister opened Miss Cor.
dell's front yard gate.
There! knew we'll enough that there
| want never 81 much smoke without sous
fire. Miss Badger needn't think she could
make me believe that green silk gown with
| train didn't moan something. So it's the
minister. Well, men. folks is terrible short
sighted ereturs. There is them in West
| field that would make him good, sensible
wife,"
Miss Polly was so unhappy as to 60 On
Tor nearly quarter of mile before she
met anybody to whom she could tell her
news and then it was only Dr. Ramsay, Jog
ging, along behind his old white horse, and
between him aud Miss Polly "thoro want"
as she expressed 1t, mo great llkin'. NO
molen there Was apt to be between two of
trade" But still news was news. and
Miss Polly could not resist the temptation
OF an opportunity to share it.
| Well, things do turn out queerl" said
! Tie doctor 10 himself. meditative!y Ticking
lily off his old white hcrse as he logged
along again. Il wouldn't have thoug ght she
would have anybody. let alone the old par
sou. IT had thought--Wh I'm ten years
younger'n he ia, and a sight better calcula-
! ted &c please tho fair sex And that's
snug bit Of property of Miss Cordilly's and
she's wholesome looking, good tempered
woman. to say nothing Of being handsome.
which don't signify. believe can cut
out the parson il l try. always said
would die a bachelor. but it's a wise man
that changes his mind"
And the doctor actually whipped his
horse out OF his accustomed jog into live
" trot, and everybody ran to the window,
for the doctor in hurry was sight that
| the Oldest !ahab;tant had never seen.
In the mean time Miss Polly had net
| Abner Phillips. one of the back folks,
Who lived three miles from the village.
But Abner could not have been more inte f.
essed in Miss Polly's news if he had live ID
oext door to the possessor OF the green
silk. His homoward way led him past
John Parclenter's house, aud John was
! hceing in his garden.
! Nv. al, now, Parson Greedy il eoin' to
do pretty good thing for timself. amt
he?" drawled Abner, after the usual CON-
ment5 aud inquiries after the crops had
been exchanged. He knows which side
bis bread is buttered on. Parsons gineral-
y does" What is he going to do?" in.
! qn,red John Parmenter,
You don t mean to say you hain't heard?
Naal, declare, you don't know what's 90
N on SO well as back folks does! He's a.
goin' to marry Miss Cordilly Brewster.
He's turrlble tejus, the old parson is, and
she'll have to step around lively to fetch
up them boys. But women.folks always
'ioes set by minister.
After Abner had gone, John Parmenter
dtopped his hoe, and stood wiping his fora
! head with his handkerchief with bevil.
dered look.
1 don't know why l shouldn't have ex-
pected she'd marry, but somehow didn't.
never thouAht Of such thing. don't
know Why should feel so about it. III
'adn't the courage to ask her when I vas
! toung and prosperous, surely I couldn't
| now. always began to be coward the
minute I came in sight OF her, I never fel:
| 80 before any other woman but then nev.
er cared anything about any other. Any
way, cant rest until find out whether it's
true or not. Cordella can't object to telling
| an old friend. Madam Razor rules this
village; and she's very apt to be mistaken.
So John set out to call on Miss Oordelia.
AS he passed the bed Of cinnamon pinks,
he found that. although it was early in the
morning, and he made them into little
noseeay with some sprays Of fragrant south.
ernwood. And he was in such haste that
he forgot to conceal them from the pubic
gaze by bit Of paper, as-reollng that it
was somewhat ridiculous for stout old
bachelor Of forty.tive to he carrying about
little touquets-he had on other occa-
sions.
The doctor was driving sway from Miss
Cordelia's door as John approached it. tho
horse going at his old. fashioned jog, as il
there were nothing in the world tLat was
worth hurryine for.
I hope she isn't MI" thought John, aud
then sudden suspicion seized him. Here
might be another rival, and q more fosmida.
tile one than Parson Greelv. Were rivals
s.oringing up around him like mushrooms.
when he had never thought Of the pos ki.
bility OF the existencs OF one?
Miss Cordelia's cheeks were very much
flushed. and they grew reddsr still at sight
OF Johns noseeay
John, strange TO say, did net blush
OF stammer as he presented il. Rivals
seemed to be wonderful stimulus to his