The Republican journal., 1884-09-25
At klttery.

| IDaL date was as Ql11erent from The
| country known to the present generation
as is Russia now. To that change
must refer my readers for explanation OF
| whatever may seem strange or unnatural
in my story:
The village of kittery lies among the
| Pennsylvania hills, closely bordering OF
| Mary land. No railroad left it contempt
uously on one side A turnpike, badly
! kept by the farmers, crept lazily from
the country town through the hills up
| 10 it, dWind!ing down at the end of its
| Journey into the long, crooked, village
| street, with its occasional houses on
either side, each imbedded in It's garden
of corn, tomatoes, hollyhocks and dahlias
| Colonel Kildare lived in the big brick
/ house, at the top of the bill; and Doctor
| Golf in the little stone house at the bot
| tom. lii these tWo dwellings was all the
Brahmin blood of the village; that
every body knew and felt. kittery was
as proud OF its aristOcracy as it was OF
the mysterious Oriental tree, which was
the only one in the State But there
was no outward distinction between
ranks. When the sewing society met at
Mrs. kilfare's. Mrs. BaltZer, the milli-
ner. and pretty little Jane Edison. the
blacksmiths daughter, were among the
most active members and Jane used to
run in every day to talk to old Mrs Golf,
who had been hed-ridden for ten wears.
and to listen for the hnndredth time to
her account Of how, once, when she was
picking coffee, before browning it, she
found a queer looking seed and planted
n, and out ot that came the Oriental
tree, which was the wonder OF all travel
els who had ever visited kittery.
At the back Of the town. behind the
shady Commons, was st. Domingo, a
huddle of shanties, filed with negroes
The descendants, it was supposed, OF
runaway slaves, for kittery was conven-
lently near the Mary land line.
The town was so completely shut of
from the outside world that the people
fell back on each other for interest and
| occupation. When Mrs. Gotf had an
attack in the night, il was known be
fore breakfast in the farthcst cabin OF
st. Domingo, and when the time came
| t0r Mrs. kildaTe's cousin, in Philadel-
| phia, to send her spring hat, the town
was on the watch for The box, which
| Deipps, the carrier. always brought up
in the buggy, when he came, as usual,
with the mail, on Tuesday evenings.
Ha, Deipps, what's this 2" the Colonel
would say, affecting surprise as he put
on his spectaclcs, "Philadelphia, eh
PomPs and yanties, | suppose. All,
these women, these women. Handle it
gently Deipps. Aha, here comes Mrs.
lialtIer 70 GET The pattern"
Yes, the ladies everywhere like to
Keep up with the ton,7 said Deipps.-
'But | don't know of any town in my
rounds where they get the style straight
from the East as they do in kttery,
thanks Jo your good lady
\ compliment, as he knew, sure to
bring him a glass of the Colonel's famous
old bottled apple-toddy.
BY the time the box was opened and
Mrs. Kildare, with slightly flushed face,
prepared to take this new marvel from
its tissue-paper folds, Mrs. Baltzer and
Jennie Edison, and all the ladies in town,
were standing breathlessly about her.
She lifts it out, shakes loose the purple
ribbons and dangling bugles from its
peaked crown, and with deliberati0n
places it on her head There is pause
| OF suspense-silence. Then Mrs. Baltz-
er draws long breath
"Of all the beautiful hats you've had
from the East, ma'am," she cried, "that
S the most tasty
"Tastyo Its lovely" echoes Jennie
Edison. who, IN imag alton, has already
built peaked crown and dropping lace
over her curly head and soft eyes.
Eyes, must say it's very becoming, ,
says Mrs. Kildare, and turns from side
to side, and peeps and mods at herself in
the glass. "Well, I'll take it off, so that
You can get a good look at it, Mrs.
Baltzer.' For she knows perfectly we'll
that there will be long procession of
peaked crowns and purple ribbons up
the aisle next Sunday.
With all this neighborly feeling, the
town, as may he supposed, took a keen
interest in the fact that Jennie Edison
and young Habersham, the carpenter,
were engaged at last, and We're to be
| married in a month. Jennie, with her
| driving energy, red lips and beaming
eyes, and her innocent coquetry, was
| cVcrybody's friend, and seemed to be-
| long to the community. What would
| the church fairs or the sewing bees do
without her? For that slow. quiet Matt
Habcrsham to take her all to himself
was ridiculous monopoly.
'Besides," said Bonner, the inn keep
er, when the matter was discussed for
the twentieth time on his long porch, ''to
20 to the root Of the marter. Jennie's
MARVIN below her The Habershams
are strangers, an the Edsons is among
| Our first settlers. Lemme see, MatthOo's
mother on'y come to Kittery in "a -
eighteen years ago. Matthoo was about
three just in shorts"
81 mind her." said old Jonas, the
hostler. who was balancing himself Oh
| the horse trough. "Alrs. Habersham
was a peaked, delikit little woman
couldn't wash nor cook a meals vittes
nor nothin', without gettn' faint. My
wife, that's Nancy, my first, took her and
the chile to job around for their feed
But Nancy soon said she warnt worth
| her salt
"Who were the Habersham's anyhow p
said thin, light eyed young man in the
corner, speaking in mild, womanish
voice.
There was a sudden silence, and a
quick exchange of significant glances.
Shep Wolfe had been in love with Jen-
ME for years, as everybody knew, but
nobody knew how he was bearing his
| disappointment. How could anyone tell
what was going on under that perpetual
ly smiling face 2 This was the first
time he had mentioned the affair, and
| Bonner felt that he deserved a full
answer.
"Well, 'tain't known exactly, Mrs. Ha-
bersham was close mouthed She was q
widdew from Virginy, in redooced cir
cumstaDces. More'n that, evened to no.
body She warn't used to work, as JON
as says, her hands were as white as ba-
by's. But she had lots of speerit. She
TUX up taiorin', and dyin', and knittin'
and so paid her way till she died. Matt'E
got the same push in him, for all he's
quiet. He'll get on"
"Hes got on" said LomaX, the store
keeper, who was hot, irascibe fellow
and friend of Habersham's. "That lo
he's bought is the best small catch il
Kittery an look at the house he's bull
on it. He deserves the gal, Mattho(
does"
This was said with triumphant nod a
Shep, who met it with his smiling, lack
lustre eyes, pulling thoughtfully, mean
| while at his yellow heard Nobody Snokt