Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1883-10-18
trade dnllars e-Ao el4eo

saem, said the clerk. Molly turned to
mr.. Rush, who, sauntering along with
MS eyes on the other side of the store
was taking in the whole proceeding,
$" Mr.. Rush." she said, "I took these
mere day before yesterday, and now the
clerk refuses them"
Mr.. Rush was grinly amused at her
audacity, but instead of answering her
turned to the grinning cash boy in wait.
ing' and snapped Cash, what are
you waiting for? Take the goods and
money this instant!"
The youthful Mercury disappeared
like spirit and Molly felt somewhat as
her great grandfather did at Concord.
Monday morning brought letter
which seemed promising, and which read
as follows:
Ut, ,WHEATsfIEI.ns, N. II. June 2.-M1ss M. P,
we need domestic, and prefer one Of our
oWn nation. The family consists of myself and
w1e and hired man. My wife is feeble, and
the domestic would have to take charge of
everything We would pay 80 week to the
a., and can bring recommendation, we should
hke 10 have you come az soon as possible.
Then followed some directions about
trains, and tho whole was signed in
plain, homely fashion, "Yours, Bethuel
Harlow"
:" Wife feeble" mused Molly; "well,
she won't be poking round the kitchen
all the time" (another flash of the Con-
cord spirit. Domestic" not "ser-
want" or ''hired girl" That suited.
The result was that few days later
Molly, armed with letter from her
minister, was set down, the only passen-
ger, at Wheatfelds station.
Squire Harlow, waiting for the ex-
pected "good plain cook" was smitten
with great misgivings at the sight of the
stylish young lady, for to his eyes, ac-
customed to the dress of Wheatfelds'
daughters, the simple gray suit with its
graceful drapery seemed the height of
elegance, and ne was not reassured by the
question of the station agent: "Got
company from the city, amt ye?" But
It was too late to retreat, and soon old
Dsnl was pulling them steadily toward
home. The squire said little, but
glanced at the girl occasionally from
under his shaggy eyebrows. It was a
fair, honest face, which freshened with
every mile in the sweet evening air, and
the gray eyes took in everything, from
the chipmonk on the wall to the locust
trees with their fragrant, dropping clus-
ters.
"Want piece ?" said the squire, as
they drove under one. Her face was
answer enough; and stopping old Dan'l
the good man cut cluster and dropped
it in her lap. She thrlftily took off her
new isle thread gloves to take it, show
ing hands so white that the squire
groaned internally. Those hands wash
his dishes and scrub his floors? Was
this young lady who was prettier and
better dressed than any girl in Wheat
fields, his domestic2 He shook his Head
slightly, chewing bit of the locust.
Molly ventured few questions about
the family, and heard the story of what
was always uppermost in the squiress
mind-the story of the lost daughter
Mary, one of the victims of New Eng.
lands scourge, who had faded away
three years before, since when "Miss
Harlow had sorter pined." It WAS a pa
thetic little story told in the laconic New
England way, but the brown, knotty
hands worked unsteadily on the reins,
and the squire's eyes had far-away
look, as though toward the country
which held his Mary.
Presently they drove up to a com
Portable house, with an air OF plenty
about the large barn and wide porch,
over which grew white lilac. Molly
found her mistress little woman with
faded, gentle eyes, and soft, slow voice.
She looked at the girl kindly, and held
out her hand. After giving her few
directions, add telling her where to find
things, she added to her husband, "Tell
John to carry her trunk to the east
chamber. This apparently was some
thing unusual, for the squire opened his
mouth as though to say something, but,
being a man of few words, shut it again,
and went out.
Molly, following her trunk, found her.
self in small room, with bright rag
carpet on the floor, white curtains looped
away at the windows, homemade linen
towels with knotted fringe on the little
table, an old fashioned chest of drawers,
and low four-rosted bed with valance
and patchwork counterpane. The room
was neat, but had an unused look, and
Molly wondered il the tribe of girls of
which the squire had made mention had
marched through it; but, too tired to
think long, she nnpacked her small
wardrobe, said her prayers, and knew
nothing more till morning. when trill-
ing of birds and ray ofsunshine on her
face woke her to her first day of service
as "domestic. While making her
simple toilette she gave many quick
glances at the billows of apple blossoms
under her window, and something born
OF the light and fragrance and music was
reflected in her face as she took her way
to the kitchen. The wood and kindlings
were near at hand, the fire started off
briskly with cheerful air of encourage
ment, and then Molly considered her
bill-of. fare. There was salt mackerel.
eggs, stale bread, aud inevitable salt
pork, doughnuts and pie, and pan of
cream whose yellow wrinkled surface
bore testimony to the squire's Jersey.
That mackerel won't be fried" said
Molly, for the course of frying at widow
Jackman's had been severe. The fin
gers III 1T had measured lace and ribbon
so deity made short work of getting
breakfast, and the squire, coming in
from his strawberry bed with pan full
of =" Wilson's" found it about ready.
But somehow his table had an unfa-
miliar look. The cloth was on straight,
the knives and forks were laid with
mathematical precision, an unwonted air
of trimness pervaded his familiar crock
cry, and-there was no pie on the table.
But there was mackerel baked in cream,
and mashed potatoes, and nicely Drowned
toast and the donphnutc
Miss Harlow don't feel able to come
out to the table this morning, and 1
guess I'll take her bite before T eat. y
And SO saying the squire took plate,
and commenced piling things on it in a
promiscuous way.
"Oh," said Molly, "let me do it. I
have had a long experience with sick
people. They must be tempted, you
know"
She looked up at him with her bright
smile, and the squire gave in at once,
and watched with wonder while tray
was brought, a clean napkin spread over
it, piece of the mackerel laid on q
plate, with the cream ladled daintily
over it (Molly had seen too much OF