Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1883-12-07
DEF HORNISH'S CHOICE.
Ope OF Sherwood Bonner's stories for
Young Folk.

DBD IAOANlt0AA y tAtOACAhs
ORe OF Sherwood BOnners stories for
Young Folk.
Good evenin'. Mis- Hornsh"
"Wby, is that you, Mis- Manly Come in,
won't you? / wouldn't s-knowed you, but
for your voice, seein' rs your bonnet is so fur
MAKE such fumes around my head
Mis- Manly" stood in the doorway 1t
was dusk. She wore long gray bonnet of
the kind known as shaker" with q volum-
inous skirt that wrapped her figure like a
comfortable mantle. II you could have peep
ed like a star within that bonnet, you would
have seen tired, worn face, and eyes that
looked with something like envy into the
comfortable kitchen where Mis- Hornish was
frying bacon for ''his" supper. (In this west
ern country the shy matrons always speak of
their husbands as he
"Its so late can't stop" said Mis- Manly
II Just dropped round to say / was tryin' to
git up a wool pickin' for TO morrow, an to
see if you an Deb would come"
Debby Hornish was busy at the ir ming
table, pressing out white dress with an
oyerskirt and three ruffies but she stopped
a moment pushing back the little black
rings of hair from her rosy brow to say -
"Why, Mis- Manly, what pity! I'd
have helped you with ali the pleasure in life ;
but there's the picnic Whatever possessed
you to have the wool pickin' the same day ?"
"An't it Just my luck 2" cried the widow
'You see, I've been kind O. slack about my
wool, an yestiddy mornin' Mr. Simins said
if I'd have it ready agin Thursday, that he
take il in to Mulkytown an sell it for me
It's the only chance I'll get to send it of aud
wool ia up now to 30 cents in money, and 55
in trade so just felt as if must get it out
tomorrow, come what might"
How many have promised to come 2"
"Well, you see, this picnic spoils every
thing / could a got 10 or 20, and we could
a-fnished it up before noon. But everybody
was plum crazy about this picnic. amt got
the promise of more'n FIVE ladies' an' you
know that amt no show at all to pick out the
wool Of ~ sheep, an it seems like my sheep
was always the dirtiest sheep-an' the fond
est O. brambles and brier-hedges-of any in
the country"
Here Mis- Manly let few tears fall mild
as the rain of drizzliDg day, and quite as
depressing.
1T is too bad for anything :" cried Mrs
Hornish with hearty sympathy "Fl come
over, Of course bu; Deb, you know couldn't
give up the picnic"
Law no, it couldn't be expected I'm
powerful glad to have you. YouIl come ear
ly, won't your"
"Tll be bound that get over before you
have your. dishes done up" sad Mrs Horn
ish, with jolly laugh.
The widow Manly took her sad face home ;
the supper was dished ''he' came in from
the wheat field and the white dress was fin.
ished and huted but somehow Debby Horn
ish did not feel quite happy.
"She did look so pitiful," she thought, re-
calling the pinched little face under the sun.
bonnet II should have been so glad to have
helped her"
In truth the poor, complaining little WON.
an needed help a good many times in the
| course of the year. 'He" had been killed in
a mill where he worked some FIVE years before
leaving to his wife four children, a small
farm, a few sheep and COW all Of which
she managed as well as her load of fears, ag.
itations and chlls allowed They all had
chills, poor things they had given up the
doctor as a vain luxury, but they bought
| qunine and calomel by the pound, and work
| ed on dismally between the shakes. wool
picking was one of the hardest chores OF
the year.
Are there any of my city-bred young folks
who don't know what a wool-pickng is J.? II
is a careful picking over of the wool after il
has been sheared to free it from burrs, BRAN
bles, Spanish h-needles dry mud, and dead in
| hctS lndl n lNeiy snttp viii cOll-Ct III MS rau
| bles through the world. Further north the
sheep are taken to sparkling running stream
and well washed before they are clipped
but in the stagnant, ooifee-colored creeks o.
the west this would be useless ceremony.
mot halt. a-dozen in the county to hell
that foolish little woman" thought Deb
wrathfully "why couldn't she have had he
wool. pickin week ago?"
At any other time there would have beer
no lack of neighbors to help the widow il
her need; but everybody was taken up will
the picnic. In the hard work-ad day life o
these people, few pleasures arise; and in al
the farm houses through the six.mile and thu
nine. mile prairie this picnic had been talke(
about a month Of Sundays.
They were going in buggies, wagons and oi
foot we're to fish in Big Muddy creek Il
gather wild roses and blaokbeEries to ligh
a fire in the ''timberp-so they called tn
wooded portions OF the fiat country-an'
make hot coffee for dinner and dancesun
der the trees after the rising of the big vel
low moon. Beyond all these attractions TO
Debby there was one yet more powerful
young Mr.. Thing-Hir Thing-was to b
there, Now Deb was 16 and to her think
ing Hiram vas an interesting youth
In fact, every body had a good word TO
Mr. Thing. He had q lovely farm, to beg
with. His sheep sheAred 10 pounds to tn
fleece his wheat averaged 80 bushels to tn
acre He had nice house, and since hi
mothers death only his crippled little sste
Jessy TO take care of IT, 1t was plain to q
the gossips in the country that he needed
wife. And all the girls liked him. Alic
Preston, with her bright black eyes Bett
Browning, who could turn out such loaf c
bread as couldn't be equalled in Perry cour
ty; Christy Wicker, the shy Swiss girl
they would all be casting line in Big Mudd
, and smiling on Hiram Thing Deb'sYery e.
istence would be forgotten-so Deb though
| unless she should be there in the whit
dress with the huted rutfies.
She sat out on the porch looking up to IL
, sweet silent stars and thought it over.
f the sitting room her father dozed in his cha
with a newspaper over his face TO keep o
the night, moths aud the stray flies that wei
sleepily sticking to the ceiling her mothi
= nodded over 'his" half -darned stocking. I'll
s work for the day was done. Nothing b
) tween Deb and her conscience.
, She sat there 80 long, and was SO still, th
9 finally her mother reused herself to ca
r "Why, Debby, child Why don't you con
e in? Have your wits gone a-wool gatherin'
g "Thats II, mother!" cried Deb, with
s laugh, though she brushed something war
I from her eyes as she spoke. 1--WE just abo
4 concluded to give up the picnic and go to Il
g WOO. .pickin'."
a "Debby Hornish Thought your hes
:, was plum set on the picnic"
Q $50 thought myself but it's little mo
h set on helpin' Miss Manly git her wool OF
Q She is such a shif'less little critter An it
a be a real misfortune for her if she don't S
, her wool for a good price. So I'll just
II along and bear my bob with tho rest of yo
? And II you don't mind, mother, I'll take o'
IF the cakes and things / baked for the picnic
Is That's good plan, honey, for I reek
b. she won't have much Of dinner"
in By "sun.up" the next morning Deb a
ID her mother were off, AS they reached NJ
Manly's gate, buggy whirled up in clio