Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-01-11

kndlings were near at hand, the fire
started off briskly with a cheerful air
of encouragement, and then Molly
considered her bill of-fare. There
was salt mackerel, eggs, stale bread,
and inevitable salt pork, doughnuts
and pie, and a pan of cream whose
yellow, wrinkled surface bore testimo
ny 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 fingers that had measured lace
and ribbons 80 deftly made short
work of getting breakfast, and the
squire, coming in from his strawberry
bed with a pan full of "Wilson's,"
found it about ready.
But somehow his table had an I'M
familiar look. The cloth was on
straight, the knives and forks were
laid with mathematical precision, an
unwanted air of trimness pervaded
his familiar crockery, and-there was
no pie on the table. But there was
mackerel bakedin cream, aud mashed
potatoes, and nicely Drowned toast,
and the doughnuts.
"Mlss Hallow don't feel able to
come to the table this morning. and I
guess I'll take her a bite before I eat"
And 80 saying the squire took a
plate and commenced piling things
on it in a promiseuous way.
s'Oh," said Molly, sslet me do it. ]
have had q 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 a tray was brought, 6 clean
napkin spread over it, a piece of the
msckerel laid on the plate with the
cream ladled daintily over it MOLLY
had seen too much of plates where
the meat seemed to have been
launched on them by an avalanche of
gravy; then came a little plate ofpo-
tato, a slice of brown toast, a. little
plate of butter, a cup of coffee, knife,
fork, spoon, etc. Then she whisked
into the pantry and out again with a
saucer of Strawberries, and added
them to the contents of the tray.
"Wait a minute" she said, as the
squire lifted his burden, and in a
twinkling she was out of the door and
back again with a spray of white lilac,
which, in a tall glass, was given the
place of honor in the middle of the
tray.
"Show said the squire with his
ST. W smile, "thatll just suit my wife.
She's famous for having things fxy."
Mrs. Harlow had missed the accus-
toned smell of frying, and wondered
in a feeble way if Molly couldn't find
the pork.
"Why, Bethuel," she said, as her
husband sat the tray down before her,
show pretty! I really believe I am
hungry"
And the squire went back to his
own breakfast so happy that be en-
tirely forgot the absence Of the pie.
Well, this was the beginning, and
though life afterwards was not all
cream and strawberries and white
lilacs, and though bread would some.
times burn, and pastry fatty refuse
to be faky, and though unused mus,
cles sometimes ached with the new
work, yet the girl kept up a brave
heart. The squire and his wife were
uniformly kind, and the latter, who
had suffered as much from lack Of
cheerful society al from any physical
cause, gradually grew stronger, and
would sit through the long summer
forenoons in the great airy kitchen
placidly knitting or pearing apples
and though she sometimes looked
wistfully after Molly as she tripped
rom pantry to cellar, and long fol
the girlish figure that used to fit
about in the same way, her heart took
great comfort in the bright, cheerful
stranger. And the squire, hearing
the fresh young voice singing about
the house, would give a great sigh fol-
the lost voice. but somehow the old
house seemed less lonely to him. and
after awhile his first question would
be. "Where's Molly" The plain
country society readily took her in,
and considered her high authority
in the matter of looping of overskis
and "doing up" of hair, and at last
A.SA "oAAAS Wdo SOMp4oto WILL
out Molly Perry.
Those of you who have followed
this story in expectation of some alb
sent son OF nephew or younger broth
er Of the family appearing and taking
Molly for a wife may as we'll stop
here, for nothing whatever of the
kind happened, for the squire and his
wife had no sons, and their nephews
and brothers were all married long
before Molly's dap. It is true that
some of the smart young farmers of
the region round about tied their
horses occasionally at the squirrels
gate, and it is equally true that Molly
srid "lo'' to some of them, though
they n and all swear by her.
This story is not written to induce
all clerks and shop girls to rush into
L%ousework, for not one in twenty
would be capable of doing as Molly
did, and not one in a hundred would
find such q home; it is written simply