The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1884-04-29
HER CURIOsGTY WAS 0AEl,s.
FnED. !.ns

EAs =.
"a maxin Grace" said Mrs. Piisbary,
a. she sat with her daughter At theirf af.
ternoon sewing, be yew goin' 70 tece
quilt ?" !i n:
"What fur, mother?" 1;
"Why, amt Mr.. Van Vleet been fe zee
you twice't runnin' lately? Hes ! sxed
ye, s'pose, to have him?" TX
can guv him the mitten." l.
"Sho! You wouldn't be half spisilly.
Why, he's wuth . dozen Urinary men.
You might 20 further and fare wuss.
Jest what I'm going t" dew"
"Did you tell him So" 1, ih
"No, writ; now, mother, let Eis be
amt goin' to marry no man that. thinks
I'm jumpin' ct the chance. I'd ruthes be
An old maid" i'.s
There was nothing said Tor soms time,
then the widow asked: Ii HI
"When did you write, Maxin ?":.cj III
"a day or 30 past" @ Ii. lls 80
"where did you get q penf" L. IS
"I borrowed one. Mebbe youM Nike
to know what said tew him?" 4 @It:
"You've guessed rite" said the widow,
eagerly: 80. ~ !
s'long es didn't have him." said The girl,
curtly, and no more was said, bnt the
widow sighed heavily and hela: her
hands to her left side. II
Amazin knew that it meant her heart,
for she had been brought up to respect
that organ as an intimidating power.
This time she did not relent, but wondeNed
why she could not like that big, good
looking Van Vleet we'll enough TO marty
him, for they were poor, poor as that hb-
toric church mouse, and he was well 0G.
But they were not mercenary. Tsop3e
called them simple folks, perhaps bedaate
they lacked education, and believed eve1s-
thing lat was told them. But they were
good as gold. The widows face, aud
form, lank and ungainly, were familiar in
every sick room. Then rendered ento
Caesar the things that were C@sar's. They
owed no man anything, though they
worked early and late to accomplish h.
They were good to everybody and every
thing, and Amazin Grace-her mother
had named her after the hymn beginning
"Amazing Grace, how Sweet the Sounds
was really pretty. So thonghtthe big,
hulking, shame faced Var Fleet, when de
came a courting her, with his trousers
tucked into cow-hide boots and q soca-
skin cap tied down over his ears. She wac
the only girl he was afraid Of ard he
wasn't really afraid of her, corne right
down to it,
He was an honest, decent chap, with 3
fist like a sledge hammer and heart likN
child's. He wanted Amazin Grace, and
he couldn't imagine any reason why he
should not have her. When he got her
simple little letter of refusal, written, out
with infinite difficulty and spelled on d
new plan of phonetics, he read it over and
over, smoked his cob pipe, read the letter
again, grinned good bit. then folded il
reverently, and put it in his pocket near
est his heart. i.
"That's all right, my GIRL he chacki
led. ! i
A couple of months passed away. One
popularity of time is that it treats all
people alike. 1t does not fy from some
and stand still with others. 1t was spring
at the Van Vleet farm, which was one
mass of apple and cherry blossoms, and
it was spring at the Widow Pilsbury'e
little lean-to house, without shrub or bios.
som. The widow looked out of the ~in-
dow and sighed. She had never beard
the "Song of the Shirt" but she had sang
it all her life. 1t was her bread and bats
ter !
"There's Van Vleet!'' she exclaisri ed !,
looking up from her lap-board. Il
"Well, l declare! What brings bin
here?"
"Pr'aps he's comm to ask yew to bev
him, mother," said Amazin Grace, lasth-.
ing, while sweet flush of pink stained
her red cheeks. I!
81 wish he would" said the widow. de-
voutly; 81 should consider it was fyin'
in the face of Providence not to ;n,arFy
such man-if he should ask me-"
But Mr.. Van Vleet stalked in with
brief "good day." threw an armfui :of
blossoms into the lap of Amazin Grace,
and said: 8.
"Pm ready for weddin'." y
Did you get my letter ?" asked She
girl. !;
eyes! 1t warn't to say lovin', but.
took yer meanin'. I've fenced in the ERn
north lot, and furnished the house up 80
yer wouldn't know it, an kalculats ,ef
we kin get married next week, it won't
interfere with my spring work, hey phi
Amszin Grace sat back and looked tie
picture of surprise. The widow thought
she heard the cat in the pantry and DE
creetly withdrew. As the door closed
farmer Van Vleet took two little red
hands in his, and bending forward grwe
Amazin Grace an awful smack. 81
"That seals the bargain" be said, but
the indignant girl jumped up and ordered
him out of the house. To her astonisS-
ment he didn't bulge step. Il
"Not much reckin' I've q right tb
kiss yer now," he said boldly-then he
stepped to the door and called loudly
Mother, KUN here?"
The widow must have been conver::.
iently near, for she almost fell into tht
room at his first word, and he bestowed
another sounding smack on her. Il
"1t's all rite" he said, me and AmS-
zin Grace is goin' to be married, and yol
kin dance At the weddin'."
But-but the letter, gasped the girl
"You amt understood word of it," /
"The fact is," said Farmer Van Weed
amt had no eddication to speak Oh
been too busy grubbin' land all my IitA
didn't really read the letter to sense il.
but when I see how you signed it th3s
was 'nuff for me. knew you wouldr1
have writ that way to feller ye wereu,t
going to marry. don't know mueL
about gals, but know that" II
When it was all settled that they weiA