River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-05-24
SQUIRE KIMBALL'S W0OING,

in his strawberry patch when he saw
some body with pink sunbonnet on
coming down the road.
That's Lucy Keene,' he said to him
self. "Luey's the smartest and prettiest
girl in the neighhorhood, by all odds.
Her mother used to be just like her
when she was girl"
Then the squires thoughts went back
across the distance of five and twenty
years, and he remembered when the
sight of Hester Wayne's pink sunbonnet
could NAL his heart hntter, and the
faintest glimpse of tie pink cheeks and
sparkling eyes beneath its broad brim
could bring such sweet
disturbance into his bosom that he
couldn't get over it in all day--in fact,
he did not want to.
But all this had happened long ago.
He was an.old man now, with grown
up son, and Hester-the woman he had
loved and had meant to marry, if Fate,
or something he had called Fate, had
not come between them-wes widow,
and before him was a second edition of
his old sweetheart 1t made him feel
quite young again to look at her.
As she came up and stopped beside
the fence that beautiful June morning,
the old fire stirred under the dust and
ashes OF five and twenty years, and he
felt little flame kindling in his heart.
II wonder why some young fellow
hasn't captured such prize as she is, he
thought, with look full Of admiration
on his face, as Lucy said "Good-morn-
ing" and added sometl ing about its
being pleasant weather.
"Yes, it is pleasant" he said, looking
at her face, and thinking more about
that than about the weather, ifthe truth
must be told. "Hows your mother these
days, Iucy?"
ooh, she's well, thank you," answered
Lucy. you'd think she was if you
were to see her, for she's cleaning house,
though it is pretty late in the season,
for such work. We h visitors all
through May. | wanted to help her,
but she said she'd rather do italone, end
take her time for it. As it was so nice
out of doors, | made up mymind didn't
want to stay in the house if there wasn't
anything | could do to help, so | hunted
up an excuse for walk to the village"
explained Lucy, with jolly little laugh.
that showed her even, white, teeth, and
made dimples IN cheeks and chin.
"What splendid strawberries you have!
The meddlesome old hens got into our
patch one day, when we were gone, and
the first we knew. there wasn't berry
left. Mother felt so bad about it, for
she always reckons on strawberry pre-
serves and jam for the Winter, you
| know"
81 want to know!" exclaimed the SYM
pathetic squire. "Now you tell your
mother she's welcome to all she wants
out of my patch She can have 'em just
as we'll as not, for we shan't begin to use
half of 'em. I'd good deal rather
have 'em used than wasted.
'tI'll tell her, and know she'll be de-
lighted at the chance. said Lucy. ''She
was saying, only yesterday, that she
should feel lost without strawberry-p
serves in the house, You know she's a
great hand for fixing up such things"
eyes, | do, said the squire, thinking
of the old times. ~ remember that she
used to have the reputation of outdoins
all the old house-keepefs in that line
they used to say she had knack of
making strawberry jam that nobody else
could get hold Of"
''She shan't lose it yet" laughed Lucy
Shed be pleased to have you come
over to tea, and try some Of that she
made last year. She had extra gooc
luck with it."
"I'll do it," said the squire, with alac
rity. "l'll do it, Lucy. Let me see, TO-
days Wednesday, isn't it? Tell her III
come over Saturday if it's agreeable
and take tea with her. | think the
strawberries'll be ripe enough to pick
| by that time, and if they are. I'll bring
! paillul along, and we can have a good
old-fashioned shortcake-t is, if i
| wouldn't be too much trouble"
''No trouble at ALL" said Lucy
Nothing would suit us better. I'm 10
| tell her you'll be over to tea on Satur-
| day, thenw
"Yes,' said the squire, feeling very
much as she used to when her mother
smiled on him. "Oh, by-theway, Lucy
! heard from Charlie, Yesterday
"Did your" asked Lucy, STOPPING TO
pick daisy.
The squire could notse the bInsh her
| pink sunbonnet mid. Ii he bad, i
might have set him thinking.
Eyes, and he wrote that he would be
home in day or two," said the squire.
Home to stay, to-"
''That'li be pleasant for you" said
Lucy, still hunting her daisies in tle
grass, as if great deal depended upon
| her finding few more.
Eyes, it will, ;" said the squire. "Char-
| lie'sa good boy, and it's rather lonesome
| here. A great house like mine needs
young faces to brighten it up. One like
yours, Lucy, for instance"
And the squire smiled across the fence
| at her in much the same way he had
smiled at her mother years ago.
81 guess I'd better be going" said
Lucy, .or / won't get back in time to
help about the dinner"
She started on, butstopped and looked
back to say:
1--WE shall expect you on Saturday.
''0h, / won't disappolnt your said the
squire.
He feared over the fence and watched
her till she went out of sight beyond the
hill.
az don't know but it's foolish to think
| of such thing" he said to himself, by
and bv. "I'm old enough TO be her
| father; but 'twoudn't be the first time q
girl has married an old man, and if we re
willing, don't see as it's anybody else's
| business. If make up my mind to
marry Lucy, I'm going to do it, }" he add
| ed.
| FROM WHICH you VIII Sec IlI1tb tliV
squire's old fancy for the mother had
| been transferred to the daughter.
| Charlie came home next day. He was
| tail, good-looklng young Fellow, very
much like what his father must have
been at his age; and the squire wasn't a
| bad-looking man now, by any means.
81 s'pose III have to tell him what I've
been thinking about" thought the
squire, feeling Gravity all over at the
| idea. cpd rather take a horse-whip-
| ping, declare, than to tell him / think
| of getting married again; but ! suppose
| pll have to do it some time, and it might
| as we'll be now as by-and- by. When
! ever you've got disagreeable thing to
| do, do it at once and have done with IT..
| That's my motto"
Accordingly, when they were sitting
| on the veranda after supper, the squire
! coughed several times. cleared his throat
| by way of preparation, and began:
olive been thinking of-of getting q
new housekeeper, Charlie"
Wont Aunt Sarah stay?" asked
Charlie.
Eyes. I s'pose so, if L asked her to"
answered the squire. 'tBut mean "a
a housed eeper of another kind. Nota-
| hired one, but one who would belong
| here, won know"
"Oh, think | begin to understand"
! seid Charlie. in some surprise. who is
| it to be, il | may ask the question:"
| The squire tried to speak the name of
the prospective house-keeper He