The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1883-11-01

after her. They are sort O kin
folks O yourn, too. Mahaly was
yer Uncle Ellis own cousin. An
eff you like, I'll write 'em o few
lines, an tell 'em you're a-comin'
an sort O perpare 'em, fur nobody
likes to hev comp'ny Unexpected"
And so it was settled, much to
Hiram's relief, and he whetted his
scythe and went out to NOW feed
of green clover for his horses with
lighter heart than he had had for
a week.
For he had made up his mind
that if Martha Jane Perky was as
good housekeeper as Aunt Peggy
said, he would bring her home
with him as Mrs. Honeydew in a
weeks time, if she was willing.
And no doubt she would be, for
Hiram was quite a good,looking
man, with pleasant brown eyes,
curly brown hair, and a thick,
brown moustache.
Moreover he was "well-to-do,'
and almost any of the girls in his
own neighborhood would have
jumped at the chance of fpresiding
over i,is broad acres and pictures
que cottage farmhouse, halfburied
in sugar-maples ard tall Lollard
poplar-trees.
But to Hiram, as to most others,
distance lent enchantment to the
view, and he was "bound and de-
,termined," as Aunt Peggy had said,
to seek his fate in some of the wide
old farm-houses dotting the fertile
borders of Clover Creek.
= & x x
! Hell be a mighty good ketch
fur You an no mistake, Marthy
Jane" commented Mrs. Perky,
when Aunt Peggy's letter had been
duly received and read. ga mighty
good ketch an you must do yopr
best to ketch him. :Tain't often a
cal has sech a chance throwed at
her head, and if you have got a
mite o pluck about you, you won't
let them stuck-up Briggses git
ahead Of you. Delilah Briggs
would give her'ears to git ahead of
you, I'll bet a buttonl''
TO which bit of logic Martha
Jane assented, with a toss of her
head, and the assurance that Delilah
Briggs, nor no one else, wasn't a.
goin' to git ahead other.
Consequently, when farmer Per-
! ky drove his gray team 20 the gate,
with Hiram Honeydew on the seat
beside him, the necessary prepara-
tions had already been made
floors secured. baking done, and
substantial country dinner, with a
dessert of apple-dumplings and
sweet-cream sauce, ready to be
served.
While Martha Jane, in a pink
plaid frock, with futed ~rufties,
stood waiting to welcome the ex-
pected guest.
"Shes mortal humly," thought
Hiram, as he sat smoking, after
dinner, on the porch, and mentally
reviewing Martha James narrow
forehead. hard black eyes and high
colored cheeks. "But. then, I amt
a.lookin' out fur beauty, an if she
suits me other ways, l reckin 'taint't t
no great matter how she looks. A girl
with them kind ofeyes an mahog-
any colored skin kin do the chores
an make butter, an sech, as good
as if she had blue eyes an goldy-
lookin' hair, like that girl they call
Hitty, that brought in the dumplin's
an passed round the dip fur 'em
at dinner to-day. She's the hired
girl, l reclin. II any rate amt
cot time to hunt round much, an /
reckin Marthy Jane, won mind
changin' her name to Honeydew
afore long, an I've got to hurry
up l amt got no time to waste
a-courtin'. | reckin if nothin' hap
pens we kin be married in week,
an git back home. l don't like to
stay here a.settin' round doin' moth
in, with all the fall work a-gittin'
behind at the farm"
4 4 X X
ooh, dear?"
Down through the long grass
and crimson cloger-beds, under
scrubby haws and tall persimmon
trees, went Hitty Mavis, a deep.
1caped sunbonnet shading her violet
eyes and tangled yellow curls.
She was after the COWS standing
knee.deep in the tall aftermath,
where they he'd been turned fol-
pasturage after the meadow hay was
cut.
! ..Oh, dear!'' sighed Hitty again
'Pm so tired. and here's the COWS
to drive home, milking to do, sponge
to set for the baking tomorrow
and goodness knows what else
and-Oh!'