Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-07-19
HARVESTING.

beat down fiercely, making the leaves
on the vine creeping up over the back
porch droop, and the moss on the shin
giles dry and crisp. There were other
things in the back porch. There was
the blue dash-churn turned up to dry
in the sun, and row of milkpans put
there for the same purpose in the early
morning, before the sun had left that
part of the house. The well was close
beside it, and the bucket. cool and still
dripping, was set down on the green
grass-the only cool article to be found.
The milk-room opened toward it, and
through the wire screen which formed
the door could be seen Aunt Rhoda
whisking out few intruding flies,
stopping a moment now and then to
turn cheese or inspect a jar of but
ter. Out in the kitchen Priscilla
{" Prissa," her father and mother called
her), and Jane Ann, neighbor's
daughter who had come to help through
harvest, were preparing dinner. The
great stove standing on the painted
floor held several kettles, some of which
were bubbling and Kissing, sending
out spiteful little jets Of steam from
Under their bright tin covers, among
them the tea-kettle, which Jane Ann
insisted on attending to first of all in
the preparations for dinner. probably
so it could get well cooked, and which
she always filled till the water ran
out of the spout and oozed
out under its great iron cover, and
which, as a consequence of the last
mentioned fact, was making a great
boiling. bubbling and splashing of hot
water generally. Priscilla could see
through the open windows as she went
back and forth between the oven and
the pantry the men working in the
harvest field. She could see the white
glare from the stubble, the stacks of
grain growing less and less down in
the west lot as the men drew them
into the barn and piled them up on
the broad rack. She could see the
ripened grain still standing, and the
reaper passing round and round it, the
men following binding up the grain,
joking and laughing, in spite of the
heat, while all the time the square
place grew smaller, and the bundles
increased in number. She saw the
reaper's red sides shine in the sun, and
the fierce glitter of its steel knives /;
saw the gray horses that drew it saw
their proud heads, curved necks and
glossy names; saw how warm and
heated they looked; saw the brown
hands that held the reins, the neat cal
leo shirt with its broad collar turned
back, the broad d-brimmed straw hat, and,
occasionally, as he turned a corner
toward the house, little of the black
mustache of the man who drove them;
saw all this, but never saw the face
turned in her direction otherwise !;
never saw the broad brim lifted to let
its owner look toward the house. She
saw her father pass over to speak to
him; saw him stop, holding his hat in
one hand and handkerchief in the
other, and laugh; and though she could
only see the broad back of the calico
shirt, the broad-brimmed hat and
glossy black hair between, she knew
there was smile under the black
mustache and twinkle in the black
eye. She waited a moment then, hold
ing the pie she had Just taken m
the oven, and saw her father rep.aee
his hat and handkerchief and turn
toward the house, and the gray team
and red reaper start again but the
face under the hat did not turn once
toward her window she went on into
the pantry and set the pie down to
cool, and stood there thinking in a
mixed-up way ofspelling-school over at
the corners" span of gray horses and
a pair of black eyes, and when Jane
Ann came to the door and asked if
"she'd have them there pertaters billed
or baked" and whether her folks liked
their lamb every brown, or not SO
much So" she said, Eyes, she guessed
SO !" and when Jane Ann laughed and
said "she reckoned she knew now, :
She started and asked, "oh, what did
you say?" and went back to the
kitchen.
She passed on into the cool sitting
room, stopped only amoraent, however,
to straighten tidy on fathers arm
chair and pick up flower dropped
from the bouquet on the table, then
went on to where her mother was Civ
ing the finishing pats to great roll
Of yellow butter, and her father was
drinking from the tin dipper chained
to the well.
He stopped as he came in, and turn
ing his brown, heated face toward her
said, II wish you would make us some
of those cooling drinks, Prissy." then
reaching over and patting her playfuIlJ
on the shoulder, said: Henry has )
warm place on that reaper"