The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-05-16
AUNT JEANS MISTAKE.

''Oh, dear 1t is too pleasant to
stay in the house to-day" said Kitty
Ford. Aunt Jean, couldn't | go
berrying up in the pasture lot ?"
Nonsense !" said Aunt Jean.
with the back bedroom to be
whitewashed, and the churning to
be done, and the quilt to be got ready
for the frames. I'm surprised atyou,
Catharine."
Kitty looked with longing eyes at
the creeping tides of sunshine on the
hill, the great shadows that the APP
pie tree boughs made, swaying on
the grass.
There was catbird singing in the
naples. Kitty wished that-just for
a while-she could be that catbird,
and dwell in glorious region OF
green leaves, where churning, white
wash pals and quilting bees were
unknown,
She knew that even now the scar
let poppies were nodding along the
stone walls like tiny soldiers, with
wild roses opening in solitary hooks,
the strawberries ripening in fragrant
wood openings on the hill.
As these tempting thoughts pass
ed across her mind, she heard Aunt
jeans shrill voice at the back door,
talking to some one.
"a painter, eh ?" said she. "Oh,
yes, your welcome to a'drink of wa.
ter. You can draw it, fresh and
cool, for yourself. The wells out
under the big butternut tree. A
painter did you say? P'raps you can
whitewash, too?"
Certainly, ma'am J" said a deep,
pleasant voice.
Kitty leaned forward toget peep
at the possessor of that clear, soft
tenor.
He was young man, with a sort
of pack strapped on his back, and
something resembling a magnihed
umbrella in his hand.
"Oh," said Kitty, to herself, "a
peddler. Aunt Jean is getting harder
and harder Of hearing every day"
"Well," said Aunt Jean, IL do be.
lieve Providence has sent you. I'd
engaged Perkins Polk to whitewash
the back bedroom to-day, but he
hasn't come near me. And here it is
nine O'Clock. l don't believe he
means to come to-day. Perkins has
took to drinking dreadful of late
poor creetur P'raps, sir, you could
whitewash the back bedroom2 I'd
be willing to give you your dinner
and quarter of a dollar for the job.
And l can't say more liberal than
that.
Aunt Jean was awaiting the decis-
ion of the young man, with one
hand back of her ear, when Kitty
walked in, her bright eyes sparkling
with mirth, her cheeks rosy, and her
lips pursed up in the desperate at
tempt not to smile.
You'll please excuse Aunt Jean,
nv good man." said she. 1--WE don't
want anything to-day. There was a
peddler along on Saturday, and we
bought all that We required"
The young man-Horton Leigh
was the name stamped in gilt letters
on the inside of his color box-look-
ed from grim Aunt Jean to pretty
Kitty, and made up his mind at
once.
"Pardon me-" he said, "but | am
not peddler. And if you will al
low me shall be very glad to un-
dertake the job"
"The sooner the better" said
Aunt Jean, brisklv. 81 s'pose you
amt got your overalls with you.
That don't make any difference.
There's pair up stairs that belong.
ed to Hiram Harkness, who worked
for us one spell, and a jumper jacket
that Billy Barlow wore, who ran
away and joined the gypsies, over
six months ago. Kitty, run up
stairs and fetch them. And the
young man can go in the harm and
put them on. Well, ] do call this
q streak of luck"
And in less than fiYe minutes the
young man was mounted on a lad
der, brandishing a good sized white.
wash brush, Kitty Ford was churn.
ing, and Aunt Jean was tacking the
quilt on the frames in the best room
in the house.
!. "There's nothing like getting q