River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-05-29
THE FESTIVAL At WILLOWBROOK


the course of true love, seems destined
not to run smoothly at Willowbrook.
"a new complication has arisen since
our memorable donation party--a COM
plieation which bids fair to end in the
withdrawal Of she new minister, Mr..
Ormsby's successor; a staid bachelor Of
doubtful age.
1t had been decided that the church
needed painting, and TO this end a
peach festival was suggested and agreed
upon with great unanimity.
Much to my own regret, was absent
| from the village at the time of the festi-
val, so as soon as possible after my re-
turn / ran over TO see Miss Melissa,
feeling confident that L should find her
as usual, faithful chronicler, nor was
/ disappointed. A few questions soon
brought out the whole story.
ut was too bad, as you say, Miss Har-
wood, that you couldn't have been here,
| but lawl the festival was terrible dis
appointment after all, for we didn't
make anything to signify. 1 could have
told 'em so beforehand, for knew jest
how it would turn out when those girls
took the management instead of lettin'
Aunt Betsy and me be at the head, as
we'd always been used to doin.'
"It's no wonder we felt kinder hurt
about it, for don't remember a death
or a weddin' or II christenin' in the vii
lage that we hadn't had our say about
in time past, and to see ourselves made
of no account in that way was enough to
provoke saint
"Of course knew it was all done for
| Mr.. Aliens sake-that comes of hayin'
bachelor for minister, Miss Har-
wood-though why girls should want to
| set their caps for man old enough to
| be their father / can't understand. If
Mr. Allen wanted a wife (and it's my
opinion that every minister does want a
wife to look after HIM he ought to have
| had chance to choose for himself
among those that was suitable, and
| goodness knows there amt many to pick
| from in this village But instid of let
| tin the man alone those girls have act
| Ell shameful from the very first-goin'
/! regular to Sunday-school and singin'
| class and what not, and stoppin' every
| day to ask about Miss Bruce's sich child
Jest because the minister was boardin'
| there-no, L never saw sech forwardness
| in my life. And he (men is such fools)
took it all for pure goodness Didn't l
hear him talkin' one night at Deacon
| Stiles about the sympathies of young
| hearts, and the sweet mission of the
fair comforters, and all the time / was
sendin' jelly and soft custard to the
house and Miss Bruce too ungrateful to
mention it again
"But this amt neither here nor there,
so must jest get back to the peach fes-
tival. 1t was mostly settled before you
went away, Miss HARDWOOD, that we was
to hold it in the schoolhouse, because
some of us thought that mebbe it wasn't
solemn enough to hold in the church,
but afterwards we had a meetin', and
agreed to take up the carpets and take
out the pew cushions, and so have it in
| the church after all.
| 1t was held on the last Thursday in
| August, you know, and every one was
to send cake or ice cream or peaches,
accordin' to their ability, and we call1i-
lated to make considerable on the sell
lin, as we should, if Aunt Betsy and me
had been let alone.
"But when / went over to the church
that Thursday mornin' to go to work,
there was Sally Stiles, and Lyddy Hall
and the two Davis girls, and that red
headed Mary Jones and her cousin
| Mandy all there ahead of me sweepin'
and dustin and movin' things round as
if they was the head of the church
themselves. When l began to tell 'em
what to 90, Lyddy Hall Jest laughs and
says, says she; You needn't trouble
| yourself, Miss Melissa, we young folks
will take charge, and let the old folks
rest spell (That girl thinks every
body's old but herselfD Sure enough
they wouldn't let me have thing to
say about settin' the table, and they
each had big rosette made to pin on
| their shouldersl Great managin' they
made to be sure. However, made 'em
know / wouldn't give up the tea and
coffee, so Lyddy says: Well then, you
can help unpack the dishes if
you like, and Aunt Betsy may
dust 'em off That to mel
"Just then Aunt Betsy come in, and
can tell you, Miss HARDWOOD it was all that
we could do to keep things straight, and
| get the cake cut even aad the peaches
all peeled. ] told Ralph that night
when | was gettin' his supper, that l
didn't know as I'd ever done harder
days work in my life, but for all that /
hurried and dressed myself, and was
| back to the church in time to light the
lamps, for 1 knew well enough that
those girls would prink and prink, and
so they did.
well, by eight o'clock everybody'd
got there, and the sellin' begun very
| brisk, and as L said before, if Aunt
Betsy and mehad been alone it would
have gone on brisk to the end, but
law! those six creatures just spoiled
everything.
when Mr.. Allen come in he walked
right over to where l was pourin' tea
and coffee, and made as though he was
| goin' to set there a spell, and with that
| Sally Stiles and the two Davis girls jest
crowded themselves down into the same
corner and began to talk so fast that no
one else could get word in edgeways.
But when Mandy and Miry Jones and
| Lyddy Hall jined in / jest told EN-
their room was better then their com
pany, thinkin' they'd take the hint.
Now you'd hardly guess what
they dId-they went and sot on
the platform in front of the pulpit,
talzin' the minister with EN- of course,
and there they kept up such laughin'
and chattern' as you never saw, preten-
din to wait on Mr.. Allen, bringin' him
plates OF. peaches and ice cream, crumb-
lin up good slices of cake and wastin"
EN- until could have slapped every
one of the six.
Il got 50 nervous at last, watchin' their
doin's. that poured tea and coffee into
the same cup, and when our big dog,
Grower, came creepin in and pu this cold
nose into my hand, dropped cup and
saucer and broke itinto twenty pieces.
told Grower to go out, but instid Of
mindin' me he walked over and lay down
at Mr. Aliens feet, and in minute that
Lyddy Hall screams out: See there,
Mr.. Allen Miss Mix has sent Grower
to take care of you, aren't you obliged
to her? and L felt my face gittin as
red as fire, ! was so mortified.
think the minister was partly to
blame for what happened next, though
there's no KNOWN, for those girls KEEP
on oettin wilder and wilder every min