The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1883-02-09
miscellaneous.
Running the Toll.


ma will tell you story" said Lily Weather
bee, demure as n little Quaker, and sweet as
a wild rose, looking up from her Kensington
stitch.
Grandma heard her, and answered with a
smile that made her piercing black eyes spar.
kle like diamonds.
II don't think you will ever run the toll,
Peace and Plenty" she said. That was the
name she had given Lily when she was a
baby.
"No, indeed one in the family of that sort
is quite enough" laughed the girl but there
is Hattie waiting to be amused, and you must
tell her about it,"
"WeIl, how shall begin, Chatterbox :"
why, tell her about the old house with
the gray moss clinging to the rafters, and the
haunted window and the great barn, first"
"The haunting was easily enough account.
ed for" said grandma, rolling up the stock
ings she had been mending and taking off
her spectacles; that was the tapping of the
old horse. chestnut when the wind blew, but
it was long time before | found out the
meaning of the three mysterious knocks
always three-and when did what fun | had
at the expense of Miss Silena Cross, our
dressmaker, who had taken infinite pains to
prove that | was favored with spiritual visits !!
Poor Miss Silena | never saw creature
more disappointed. AS for the barn it had
originally been built for meeting house, but
Fever having been finished on account of
lack of funds my grandfather took it for debt,
and turned it to very good account The
old barn was great institution and was reg
ularly farmed out during winters for revival
meetings. Dances husking frolics, and sun
dry other things. One night we let tramp
sleep there, and the consequence was that by
lou tbnrn pnfhpn lnft nf fine
barn but smoke and ashes. Poor father 1t
had been source of income, and nothing
could take its place. Everybody mourned
the destruction of Uncle Hiram's barn. but
nobody offered to rebuild it. We were poor
not that we suffered for the necessaries of life
The farm kept our table, but my father
worked too hard for an old man, and his
boys were all girls The fact of our poverty
never troubled me, however; | was too hap
by. Only give me plenty of fun, plenty of
sunshine and nothing seemed hard to me-
My genius for improvisng all sorts of amuse.
ments made me n general favorite in society.
Nobody looked down upon me because
wore calico and worked from morning till
night In fact Jack was always in requisi.
| ton; it was Jack who took the lead at our
merry gatherings, who filled the gap with
some audacious gossip when nobody knew
WItI W Say, WIN WAS ullulI vi uO
was, | am sorry to add, careless of conse.
quences, so that she had good time. But
was happy nobody can ever take that conso.
lation from me. never sighed for what was
| unattainable. Fair weather or foul, washing
| or baking, at home or country side parties
was always at peace with the world, though
my best muslin gown had done duty for sew
| eral years"
"Oh, grandma! what would you have
thought then of a pink satin reception dress
and everything to match, like the one am
having made ?" exclaimed Lily.
shouldn't a been bit happier, my dear
couldn't a. been" was the calm response
"Besides, young girls never wore satin in
those days, bless you! Plain white null
was considered dressy enough, with flowers
| which, to my taste, was prettier than jewels
any day. And now / am coming 10 how
ran the toll. Ned Hamilton was considered
one of the best young men in town. He
would o. been handsome, but his nose was
too thin and his eyes were too close together
though they were fine eyes. At all events he
was great fnvorite, and the girl who secured
| him for partner considered herself fortu
nate Nobody treated him just exactly as
| did, for | would tell him to his face that he
was conceted, though secretly did feel fiat
| tered by his attention. | suppose the great
Rosedale farm had something to do with it,
and the two grays and the handsome carry
all. Perhaps was ambitious and didn't ex
| actly know it for, to tell the truth, when
| did think of him at all seriously it was the
big farm that doomed up, not my liking fol
him To be Mrs. Hamilton-the name was q
good one-to step from our homely one.story
house into a grand old mansion, where the
| furniture had stood for a hundred years
that was something for poor mans child tc
achieve was very proud and happy when
he showed me any unusual attention. 1t did
stir what vanity had to see his team at oul
cottage door, to pass our acquaintances seat
ed beside him, to be singled out at parties
me, in my plain dress, with perhaps only g
rose at my throat and another in my hair"
"Now confess you were handsome, grand
ma" said Lily.
"That's not for me to say my dear, though
I believe they did call me rather pretty. One
day Ned Hamilton invited me to go with him
TO Silver Spray, beautiful waterfall, SIX
miles away ! was particularly pleased witt
the invitation Just ut that time, for matters a.
home were complicated, and the atmosphere
was not agreeable. Father had been paying
money on mortgage, and that always madt
him cross-not cross exactly, but very, very
miserable. The sight of his sorrowful fac,
and the sound of his depressed voice causet
us all to feel more or less wretched.
THAT night there was to be party at thu
house of Judge Mills. They only gave one
year, on the occasion of Meeny Mills birth
day. Poor Meenyl A homeher girl neve
lived, but the judge was RICH and she wor
all the latest fashions, so perhaps she neve
realized how very plain she was. had beef
hasty over my only white dress, taking
tuck out here and adding bit of lace there
wishing for wonder, that could hay
something new to wear. At sight of Me-
and the team, however, all my troubles van
ished into air, and ran down stairs laugh
ing.
~ do wish't you'd be little sober-mind
ed said my father in his fretful way. j
seems kinder heartless to be laughing whe