New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-10-14
GRANDM0THER'S STORY.

"Now don't talk to me about
snakes" said dear grandmother
Brown, with as fine a contempt as so
sweet a voice and so kindly a face
could show. It was hardly possibleto
think OF her as old, to believe that she
really began life with this wanning cen
fury, although there attached to her
the charm-the dim half-light-of the
"good old times" when our country
way very young; the fascinating but
sturdy romance Of life in the then
Western frontiers of New York State,
of pioneer days in Michigan, OF strug-
giles and experiences that were exper-
fences, in which wild beasts and In
dams, and all sorts of dangers and es-
capes, commingled in delightful confr.
sion.
"These little striped things no bigger
than your finger, ain t worth the name
OF snakes" grandmother continued.
"When / was young we had snakes that
were snakes-a dders, black snakes, rat
tie snakes-and out in Michigan lots
more that l don't remember now.
Did ever have any adventures with
snakes? Bless you, child, | should
think I did. You want me to tell
you one? Well, I'll tell you one
that I thought Of the minute you
came in and made such fuss
just as though that young col
lege chap-what did you says his
name?-had saved your life by killing
harmless little garter snake no
more'n two feet long! What are you
SO red in the face about? Yes tbs
hot day. And it was just such a day
as this that I went down through the
clearin' to pick a basket OF wild plums
to send to Aunt Mary. That was
when your grandfather-I mean your
Observation-Disclosures over on Can
andaigua Lake. How old was l then?
I was only a girl, going on II, but I
suppose you'd call it a young lady
now. And that makes me think of
your college chap again you'll find my
feather fan in the top bureau drawer,
dear. He isn't your college chap?
Well, whatever you do, child, be hon
est with him and with yourself If you
mean tYes,' say yes, If you mean
NO. say 'No,'-but be mighty sure
you mean No, before you do say it.
You'll have heartaches enough, dear,
without laying in a stock Of 'em
that you don't have any call
to have. There was a good
looking young fellow that lived
near neighbor to us-near neighbor
for those days, although our nearest
neighbor was two long miles away
that used to hang around fathers cab
in good bit KNEW what brought
him there, and guess the rest Of the
folks did. 1 was a little vain in those
days, child, and conslderln' that Twas
the only girl that was comm on to
womanhood in all that country for
ten miles around, got my full share
OF attention. That kinder turned my
head, as it has turned the heads of
better girls than I was, and so was
a little uppish and carried my head
pretty high on my shoulders This
young fellow that l told you about
he had said as much as that he loved
me, but | hung back, although all the
time l wanted to own up. One day l
heard he had taken Martha Forbes
she was his Uncle Jared's housekeeper
Ito meetin' at the crossroads school
house the Sunday before. Shewa old
enough to be his mother, and cross
eyed, and she suffered at that;
and it didn't make any difference that
in a little sniff, / had told him l
wouldn't 60 to meetin' with him and
that he needn't come for ME. Girls
will be girls and that means they
will be unreasonable when they set
out. Twas mad all through, and the
more though OF that Martha Forbes
in my place, the madden | got. That
night he came, but sent him off in a
tjiffy' Wouldn't hear word of ex-
planation. Ijust told him to go, and
that never wanted to see him around
our farm again. He was high strung,
too, but he looked more sad than an
CRY as he clapped on his hat and went
out into the night without a word.
He had a strong, three-mile-an and a-half
tramp through the woods-and when
] remembered that the woods weren't
safe wanted to call him back-but [
didn't. Invent to bed and had agood
cry and then lay awake till daylight
worrying about him. 1t would have
served me right if the bears or the
wolves had got him, with. nobody on
earth to blame but myself"
With q hand over her eyes grand
mother stopped so long that it seemed
as though she had fallen asleep.
"But what about the snake, grand
mother?" softly, 50 as not to awaken
her if she were really asleep.
That's just what we're comm to
nov. brightly. "You think I've been
wandering away from the path, as
they say all us old women debut /
haven't, child. I've only been telling
this so you'll understand the rest Of
it better.
"Well, as l was saying, I went down
into the clearin' back of the cornfeld
to pick q basket ofwild plums. Faith
er had warned me to always keep a
sharp look out for snakes, and he
wanted me to take stout stick with
me whenever went. This time was
80 nervous like and sort of upset that
/ forgot it, The plums were plenty.