The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-04-12
RUNNING TIE TOLL.

OuSG uluC Nv iuuu1AB Iuo COll anu
grandma will tell you story" said
lilly Weathcrbee, demure as little
Quaker and sweet as wild rose, looking
Grandma overheard her and answered
with smile that made her piercing
black eyes sparkle like diamonds.
II don't think you will ever run the
toll, Peace and Plenty" she said. That
was the name she lad given Lily when
she was a baby. ~
sort is quite enough" laughed the girl;
''but here is Hattie waiting to be
amused, and you must tell her about
it." i
"Well, how shall I begin, chatter
box?"
"Why, tell her about the old house
with the gray moss olinging to the raf-
ters, and the haunted win dow and the
great barn, first.
'The haunting was easily enough ac-
counted for" said grandma, rolling up
the stockings she had been mending
and taking of her speotacles; "that was
the tapping of the old horse chestnut
when the wind blow, but 1t was q long
time before found out the meaning Of
the three mysterious knocks-always
three-and when L did, what fun had
at the expense Of Miss Sllena Gross, our
dress-malker, who had taken intiuite
pains to prove that was favored with
spiritual visltsi Poor Miss Silena! I
never saw creature more disappointed.
AS for the barn, it had originally been
built for Westinghouse, but never
having been finished on account OF lack
OF funds, my grandfather took it for
debt and turned it to very good account.
That old barn was great institution,
and was regularly farmed out during
winters for revival meetings, dances,
huskng frolics and snndry other things.
One night we let tramp sleep there,
and the consequence wns that by noon
next day there was nething left of the
barn but smoke and ashes. Poor fatheri
1t had been source Of income, and
nothing could Jake its place. Every
body mourned the destruction of 'Uncle
Hiram's DaHn, but nobody offered to
rebuilt it.
"We were poor, not that we suffered
for the necessaries Of life. The farm
kept our table, but my father worked
too hard for an old man, anu his boys
were all girls. The fact OF our poverty
never troubled me, however; I was too
happy. Only give me plenty of fun,
plenty of sunshine and nothing seemed
hard to me. My genius at improvlsing
alI sorts Of amusements made me q
general fayorite in society. Nobody
looked down upon me because wore
calico and worked from morning till
night. In fact, Jack was always in
requisition; it was Jack who took the
lead at our merry gatherings, who filed
the gap with some audacious gossip
when nobody knew what to say, who
was afraid OF nothing-who was, 7 am
rather sorry to add careless OF conse-
quences, so that she had good time.
"But I was happy; nobody can ever
take that consolation from me. L never
aighed for what gas unattainable. Fair
weather or foul, washing or baking, at
home or at the country .sidc parties,
was always at peace with the world,
though my one best muslin gown had
done duty for several years."
"Oh. grandma what would you have
thought then of pink satin reception
dress, and everything to match, like
the one 1 am having lnade2" exclaimed
Lily.
Shouldn't a. heen q bit happier, my
dear; couldn't a. been," was the oalm
response. '.Bes1des; young girls never
wore satin in those days. bless you'll
plain white null was considered dresay
enough, with flowers, which, to my
taste, are prettier than iowels and day.
And now I am coming to how ran tho
toll. Ned Hamilton q as considered one
Of the best young men III town. He
would o. been handsome but his nose
was too thin and his eyes were too close
together, though they were fine eyes.
AT alt events, he was q great favorite,
and the girl who secured him for a
partner considered herself fortunate.
Nobody treated him Just exactly as 7
did, for I would tell him to his face that
he was conceited, though secretly did
feel flattered by his attention. l sup
pose the great Rosedale farm had some
thing to do with it, and the two grays
and the handsome carryall. Perh ps I
Yves ambitious and didn't exactly know
it; for to tell the truth, when I did think
OF him at all seriously it was the big
farm that loomed up, not my liking for
him. 10 be Mrs. Hamilton--the name
was q good one--to step from our
homely one-story house into grand old
mansion, where the furniture had stood
for u hundred years that was some-
thing for o poor mans child to achieve,
was very proud and happy when he
showed me any unusual attention. It
did stir what vanity [ had to see his
team at our cottage door, to pass our
acquaintances seated beside him, to be
singled out ut parties--me IN my PLAIN
dress, with perhaps only rose at my
throat and another in my hair"
Nov confess that you were hand.
some, grandma" said Lily.
That's not for me to say, my dear,
though I believe they did call me rather
pretty. One day Ned Hamilton invited
sEne to go with him to Silver Spray, q
beautiful water fall, six miles away.
Yves particularly pleased with the inyi-
\ tation Just at that time, for matters at
home were complicated, and the atnos-
1 phere was not agreeable. Father had
been paying money on a mortgage. and
that always made him GROSS mot GROSS