Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1884-05-10
BESSIE and the Taek O. Lantern


Bessie's papa and mamma were spend
ing a year in Europe, and Bessie was stay
ing with her grandparents in the country.
She had been in the country every sum-
mer of her life, but never had seen the
great bare hills covered with snow, nor
walked in the pine woods on smooth, icy
crust with snow-birds twittering in the
lonely stiffness, and the sunbcams creep
ing in to glitter on the icicles that hung
like necklaces on tie bushes. before. She
had never been up before daylight in the
morning to go by the light ct lantern,
which somehow seemed like a glimmer
from fairyland, to the barn with Joe to
feed the sleepy COWS and impatient old
Dobbin. The light of the lantern always
started the hens off their perch, and the
roosters would begin to crow with such
delight that one would think all they
cared for in the world was to have it
morning. She never had been tucked
away in great bung with all the children
in the neighborhood on a snowy morning,
and carried to school by Dobbin-bclls
jingling and the boys shouting all the
way. She had never taken long, delight
full rides into the woods on JOe'S oX-sled,
nor coasted down long, steep hills, nor
popped corr over the Goals in the fire
place, nor made the kitten play with the
shadows OF the iirc-light, nor had she
eaten roasted apples and hickory and but
ternuts while Abby, the hired girl, told
fairy stories of an evening. But now she
was enjoying all these delights, and Won
dered why people didn't go into the coun-
try to spend the winter instead of the
summer.
But sometimes there was little dull
spot in her existence, and that was on
evenings when grandpa read his newspa-
per and would not be coaXcd to look up
from it, and grandma got drowsy over. her
knitting, and Abby and Joe, who were
said to be courting, though Bessie didn't
know what that meant, would 60 out early
to spend the evening with Abby's mother,
or sit by the kitchen fire and talk with
each other without paying any attention
to her. Abby wasn't always willing to
tell "Cinderclla," or "Jack, the Giant
Killer" by any means. Even the kitten,
who was fat, funny little thing, would
sometimes refuse to play on these even
ings, but would curl herself into Il little
round ball on the hearth-rug, and try to
90 to sleep, and Carlo, the great Newfound-
land dog, would goOd-naturedly go
through with all his tricks once or twice,
and then subside into meditative mood,
from which it was impossible to arouse
him. Carlo was getting old and enjoyed
meditation more than frolicS. So all that
Bessie could do would be to sit and wish
that it was eight o'clock, which hour was
her bed time.
But in her aunt's house, WHICH was only
little ways around the corner at the foot
Of the hill, things were delightfully."- diff
ferent. There were six children in the
family, and such romps as they indulgcd
In before bedtime. Abby had taken her
there two or three times in the evening,
and sometimes she went by herself in the
afternoon and stopped to tea, and either
Joe or Abby would come for her just be-
fore the clock struck eight. But Bessie
was never willing to go home at that time.
She would play until midnight if she were
allowed to do so, and eight O'Clock would
always come in the midst of some charm
ing game, or just before the end of one OF
Cousin Jennie's prettcst stories, and she
felt like very much abused individual
when Abby insisted OH taking her home
anG whiSking her of to bed.
One dark, cold night, when the frost
was so thick on the window-pane that one
could hardly get a peep-out-of-doOrs, and
4 few flakes of snow were flying about in
the bitter air, Bessie was seized with a
stronger desire than ever TO spend the
evening with her cousins, for Tommy,
one of the boys, had announced that he
was going TO make 'Jack o. Lantern"
and Will asked her very particularly to
come over, saying that if she would come,
they would have canGy-pull."
Now if there was anything in this world
that Bessie enjoyed, it was a "candy-
pulls" not that she cared much for it by
herself in grandma's kitchen, but only
with merry party of boys and girls who
enjoyed it as much as she did. And then
she did wish so much to see the "Jack o.
Lantern" for never in her whole life had
she set eyes on such thing, and she had
been told that they were very funny. But
she knew that it would DC of no use 10 ask
grandma if she might 60, it was such
very cold night. Then Abby had sore
throat and could not 90 with her. Joe was
very busily engage ed in mencing harness
which must be ready for use in the MORN
ing, and grandpa was hardly able to stir
with an attack Of rheumatism. Grandma
noticed it, aid proposed that they should
pop some corn, there were such nice Goals
in front of the fireplace, and told her that
she would show her how she used TO pop
it when she was little girl by covering it
up in hot ashes.
But Bessie did not want 20 play corn
popping just then. She said that she was
tired of popcorn and wished that she had