The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1883-05-24

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SQUIRE Elk KI N B, i E WQo ] NC
Squire Kimball was pulling up weeds
in his straw berry patch when he saw
some body with pink sunbonnet a.
coming down the road. @
''That's Lucy Keene," he said to him
self. "Lucy's the smartest and prettiest
girl in the neighborhood, by all odds.
Her mother used to be just like her
when she was girl" ~
Then the squirrels 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 e his heart dutter, and the
faintest glimpse of the pink cheeks and
sparkling eyes beneath its broad brim
could bring such a 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-wss widow,
and before him was second edition of
his old sweetheart. It 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 a prize as she is" he
thought, with look full of admiration
on his face, as Lucy said "Good-morn-
ing" and added something about it's
being pleasant weather.
eyes, it is pleasant" he said, looking
at her face, and thinking more about
that than about the weather, if the truth
must be told. FLOWS your mother these
days, I'ucy?" i,
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 d visitors ali
through May. I 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
could do to help, so I hunted
up an excuse for walk to the village"
explained Lucy, with jolly little laugh,
that showed her even, white, teeth, and
made dimples i'll 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 a berry
left. Mother felt so bad about it, for
she always reckons on strawberry pre-
serves and jam for the Winter, you
know"
Il 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 a good deal rather
have 'em used than wasted.
"1'll tell her, and know she'll be de-
lighted at the chance" said Lucy. sShe
was saying, only yesterday, that she
should feel lost without straWberry-pre-
serves in the house, You know she's a
great hand for fix!n. up such things"
Eyes, l do" said the squire, thinking
of the old times. II remember that she
used to have the reputation of outdoins
all the old house-keepers 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
She'd be pleased to have you come
over to tea, and try some Of that she
made last year. She had extra .gooo
'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 II.
come over Saturday if it's agreeable
and take tea with her. think thu
strawberries'll be ripe enough to pick
by that time, and if they are. I'll bring
pailful along, and we can have good
shortcake-that is, if i
wouldn't be too much trouble"
''No trouble at ALL" said Lucy
"Nothing would suit us better. I'm to
tell her you'll be over to tea on Satur.
day, then?"
eyes," said the squire, feeling very
much as she used to when her mother
smiled on him. "Oh, by'the-way, Lucy
! heard from Charlie, yesterday!'
"Did your" asked Lucy, STOPPING to
pick daisy.
The squire could not see the blnsh her
pink sunbonnet hid. 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'll be pleasant for you," said
Lucy, still hunting her daisies in the
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 I won't get back in time to
help about the dinner"
She started on, but stopped and looked
DICK 10 say:
eve shall expect you on Saturday:
"Uh, 1 wont disappolnt you'll" SAID the
squire.
He feared over the fence and watched
her till she went out of sight beyond the
hill.
81 don't know but it's foolish to think
of such thing" he said to himself, by
and. by. ppm old enough to be her
father; but 'twouldn't be The first time a
girl has married an old man, and if we re
willing, l don't see as it's anybody else's
business. If make up my mind to
marry Lucy, I'm going to do ii" he add
ed.
From which you will see that the
squire's old fancy for the mother had
been transferred to the daughter.
tai faS nGH yoang Fellow very
much like what his father must lave
been at his age; and the squire wasn't a
bad-locking man now, by any means.
II s'pose I'll have to tell him what I've
been thinking about" thought the
squire, feeling Gravity all over at the
idea. "l'd rather take horsewhip-
ping, declare, than to tell him I think
of getting married again; but suppose
I'll have to do it some time. and it might
as we'll be now as by-and-by., When
ever you've got disagreeaDle 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:
"1-I've been thinking of-of getting a
new housekeeper, Charlie"
"Won't Aunt Sarah stay?" asked
Charlie.
Eyes. I s'pose 50, if / asked her to-