The Brookhaven leader., 1883-11-08
BESSIE AND THE JACK % LAM
TERN.

TERN.
BesSe'S papa and mamma were
spending a year in Europe. and Bessie
was staying with her grandparents in
the country. She had been in the
country every summer of her life, but
never had seen the great bare hills COW
cred with snow. nor walked in the pine
woods on a smooth, icy crust with
snow birds twittering in the lonely still
ness, and the sunbeamS creeping in to
glitter on the icicles that hung like
necklaces on the bushes before. She
had never been up before daylight in
the morning to go by the light of
lantern, which somehow seemed like a
glimmer from fairyland to the barn,
with Joe to feed the sleepy COWS and
impatient old Dobbin. The light of the
lantern ALWAYS started the hens oil their
perch, and the ROSTERS would begin to
crow with such delight that one would
think all they cared for in the world
was to have it morning. She
never had been tucked away
in a great bung with all the chill
dren in the nelghborhood on snowy
morning, and carried to school
by Dobbin-bells jingling and the boys
shouting all the way. She had never
taken long, delightful rides into the
woods on Joe's oX-sled, nor cOastcd
down long, steep hills, nor popped corn
over the Goals in the fireplace, nor
made the kitten. play vito the shadows
of the freight, nor had she eaten
roasted apples and hickory and butter
nuts while Abby, the hired girl, told
fairy stories of an evening But now
she was enjoying all these delights, and
wondered why people d dn't go into the
country to spend the winter instead OF
the summer.
But sometimes there was little dull
spot in her existence. and that was on
evenings when grandpa read his news
paper and wOald not be coaXed to look
up from it, and grandma got drowsy
over her knitting, and Abby and Joe,
who were said to be counting, though
Bessie didn't know what that meant,
would 90 out early to spend the evening
with Abby's mother, or sit by the kitch-
en- fire and talk with each other without
paying any attention to her. Abby
wasn't always wiling to tell Gender
ella or Jack, the Giant Killer" by
anv means. Even the kitten, who was
n fat, funny little. thing, would some
times refuse to play on these evenings,
but would curl herself into a little
round ball on the hcarth-rug, and
try to 90 to sleep, and Carlo,
the great Newfoundland dog,
would good-naturedly go through
with all his tricks once or twice,
and then subside into a meditative
mood, from which it was impossible to
arouse him. Carlo was getting old and
enjoyed meditation more than frOlics.
So all that Bessie could do would be to
sit and wish that it was eight O'Clock,
which hour was her bed time.
But IN her aunt's house. which was
only little ways around the corner at
the foot of the hill, things were delight
fully different There were six children
in the family, and such romps as they
INDUCED in before bedtime! Abby
had taken her there two or three times
i'll the evening, and sometimes she went
by herself in the afternoon and stopped
to tea, and either Joe or Abby would
come for her Just before the clock struck
eight. But Bees was never willing to
90 home at that time She would play
until m dnight if she were allowed to
do so, and eight o'clock would always
come in the midst of some charming
game, or Just before the end of one of
Cousin Jennies prettiest stories, and
'. she felt like very much abused indi
vidual when Abby insisted on taking
her home and whisking her off to bed.
One dark, cold night, when the frost
was so thick on the wihdOw-pane that
one could hardly get a peep out-of-
doors, and a few flakes of snow were
flying about in the bitter air, Bessie was
seized with stronger desire than ever
to spend the evening with her cousins,
for Tommy, one of the boys, had an
nounced that he was going to make a
'"Jack o. Lantern" and viii asked her
very particularly to come over, saying
that if she could come, they would have
a " candy-pull."
Now if there was anything in this
world that Bessie enjoyed, it was a
candy-pull;" not that she cared much
for it by herself in grandma's kitchen,
but only with merry party of boys and
girls who enjoyed it as much as she did.
And then she did wish SO much to see
the Jack o Lantern" for never in
her whole life had she set eyes on such
thing, and she had been told that they
were very funny. But she knew that it
would be of no use to ask grandma if
she might 90, it was such a very cold
night. Then Abby had a sore throat
and could not go with her Joe was
very busily engaged in mending har-
ness which must be ready for use in the
morning, and grandpa was hardly
able to stir with an attack OF rheuma-
tism. So Bessie ate her supper in
silence and with very doleful little
face. Grandma noticed it, and pro-
posed that they should pop some corn,
there were such nice Goals in front OF
the fireplace, and told her that she
would show her how she used to pop 1T
when she was little girl by coveringit
up in hot ashes,