Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-05-22
IN A JAR

'The days are shortening" sighed
Friend Decker, as he folded up'his spec
tacles and replaced them in their tin
case; "or else my sight isn't what it
used to be. Well-a-day! one can't ex-
pect to be young always. Is it thee.
Leah? did not look for thee so soon.n
Leah Decker came into the room like
breezy young whirlwind. She had
none OF the repose of manner which is
at present so much in vogue. Born and
bred Quakeress, there was nothing of
the Quakeress about her, except her
quaint Scripture name.
'Yes, it's me ~ said Leah shortly.
"Did thee go to Friend Anastasia's?"
gently inquired the old man, read iusting
the big pine logs, SO that they should
burn brighter for Leah's benefit.
"Oh, yes, Iwent there!"
81 hope she is better of her rheuma-
tism2"
eyes, she is better. But-but-she
will not buy the apples, father. Mean,
stingy old thing!" cried leah wrathfully
tiinging her coal. scuttle bonnet on the
table. "She says she can buy all she
wants at fifty cents barrel of old Jacob
Joyce. So she can, perhaps wretched,
gnarly, wormy knots, not fit for the pigs
Ours are apples! She says thee asks an
exorbitant price"
Friend Decker slowly shook his head.
"Friend Anastasia is under misap-
prehenslon, " said he. "Elghty cents a
barrel is what they are paying at the
clder-mill. Only one does not like to see
such beautiful, rare -colored fruit ground
up into baleful spirits to set mems brains
on fire."
''AIuch she would stop to think about
thatp' said Leah, still ruff1ed.
II am sorry" said Friend Decker,
mildly. II need the money much; and
think she would have been better salts
fed with my apples than with Friend ia
cob Joyce's."
"And after all that" flashed out Leah,
the spirit of indignation still rife within
her, ''she had the impudence to ask me
for jar of that plum sauce made. She
says Friend Mary More told her how nice
it was, and
"And," quietly interposed her father,
"thee said, 1 hope, that thee would be
BloN' W opllSc ueI!
mo, I didn't" bluntly answered
Leah. 81 said that l gathered the wild
plums myself in the Crook Woods, and
cooked them after Aunt Mahalas recipe
and that there were four jars, and that |
wanted to keep them for thee; especially
since thy health had failed and thy appe-
tite was so variable"
II am sorry, DEAR" said Friend Deck
er. Friend Anastasia is very old, and
old people are apt to be fanciful about
trlties. Moreover, she's our kinswoman,
q degree or so removed, perhaps, but
"Then why don't she do something
for US, )" flashed out Leah, "beside Civ
ing us good advice, and tormenting us
with her fault-fnding? Ididn't mean to
mention it, father, but she told me out
and-out that she had adopted Moses
Sawyer, and meant to make him her
heir"
"Well, daughter, why should she
notP composedly questioned the old
| man.
Because he is no relation to her at
all, " cried Leah; "and the property all
came from our great grandfather Lennox,
| thee knows"
''Thee attaches too much Importance
to mere dross, Leah" said Friend Deck,
er. 'Thee must study the text of the
lilies of the field in the Bible. we shall
all be provided for, if only we can have
patience to wait"
Leah bit her full, red under-lip, as she
| glanced around at the sparsely furnished
room, and noted her fathers dropping
figure, and rapidly whitening head, but
she made no reply, as she took up the
coarse pile OF vests ON which she had
been working button n-holes for neigh
boring clothing contractor.
''Father's saint, " thought she, "but
/ am not, and I'm afraid | never shall
be. | should like to cuff Anastasia
Akerly's ears. If every one had their
rights, half of that big Lennox farm
would be ours. She gained possession
of it by the merest legal quibble and il
father was like any one else, he would
have gone to law about it long ago, and
got back his own. And now to see il
willed deliberately to some one else!"
And Leah's needle flew vindictively in
and out of the cloth, like a miniature
javelin piercing the heart of some unseen
enemy.
But the next morning, when Leah had
gone to carry her bundle of vests home
and get another batch of work, Friend
Decker put on his hat and buttoned the
great coat which was getting so worn a
the elbows and shiny at the seams.
'1t is bright, clear morning, albeit ,
trife frosty" said he. ~ think 1 may
walk as far as the Lennox farm withou
aggravating my cough"
And under his arm he carried nea
parcel.
Old Anastasia Akcrly was winding
blue yarn before her fire when he cam,
in. She greeted him not without
shadow of suspicion.