The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-10-01
LOST HER FACULTY.
The Minister and the Arithmeti.
cian-Letty's Escapade.

: A stre1g soft south wind had been blow
leg and the trees had dropped nearly all
their leaves. There were left only a few
brownish-gold ones dangling on the elms,
and hardly any at all on the naples. There
were many trees on the street, int the
fallen leaves were heaped high. Mrs.
Wilson Torry's little door-yard was ankle
deep with them. The air was full of their
odor, which could affect the spirit like a
song, and mingled with it was the scent of
grapes.
The minister had been calling on Mrs.
TORY that afternoon, n now he stood
facing her on the porch, taking leave. He
was very young, and this was his first
parish. He was small and light and mild
looking; still he had considerable nervous
.volubility. The simple village women
never found him hard to entertain.
Now, all at once, he made an exclama-
ton, and fumbled in his pocket for a folded
paper. 'Tnere,f said he, 81 nearly forgot
this. Nh. Plainfield requested me to hand
this to you, Mrs. Tory; It is a problem
which he has been working over; he gave
1t TO me to try, and wanted me to propose,
when I called, that you should see what
you could do with it."
She seized it eagerly. "Well, I'll see
what I can do; but you an he mustn't make
u0 kEca0 C6lCuld6lOuS Oh lie. GU KNOW i
don't know anything about the 'rithmetic
books an the rules they hev nowadays;
but Pm willin' to try"
aOh, you'll have It done while Mr.. Plain
field and I are thinking of it, Mrs. Tory"
"You faint neither of you lone it, then?"
"He had not at last accounts, and-I
have not" replied the young man, laugh
ing, but coloring a little.
The old iady's eyes CLEANED as she looked
at him, then at the paper. 81 dare say I
lA~yt 0nAIo kAa1 ~ %os1 ~ --sI H.
Shut I'll see what I can do by-an'-by."
She had something of a childish air as
she stood there. She was slender, and so
short that b was almost dwarfed; her
shoulders were curved a little by spinal
disease. She had a small round face, and
mouth which widened out innocently
into smiles as she talked. Her eyes looked
out directly at one, like q child's; over
them doomed a high forehead with bullying
temples covered with deep wrinkles.
mas the aass f hsvsn's S ssa. S Mrs.. r ssns 81
l said the minister, in his slow retreat.
"Lor, yes. I can't remember the time
when / WANT crazy to cipher.
aArithmetic is very fascinating study,
Think" remarkedIthe minister, tryingst to
slide easily off the subject and DOWN the
"'Tis to me. An there's somethin' !
was thinkin' about this very forenoon
seein, all them leaves on the ground made
iuCy 1 . pOoSs 1U5 dlWdyS D66u b SlRuU VI
comfort to me to count When 1 was 6
little girl pd most rather count than play
1 used to sit down an count by the houl
together. remember a little pewter por.
ringer I had, that I used to fill up with
beans an count 'em. Well, it come intt
my head this forenoon what a blessed
privilege it would be to count up all tn,
beautiful things in this creation. Jus
think of countin' all them red an gold-col
ored leaves, am all the grapes am apple:
in tho fon. anS ruhn,n - nm - 4h<
winter, all the fakes of snow an tn
sparkles of frost; an when it come to tn,
spring, all the flowers, and blades of grass
an the little new light green leaves.
don't know but you'll think it amt exactl,
reverent, but it does seem to me that +,
rather do that than sing in the othe
world. Mebbe somebody does lave to d,
the countin'; mebbe it's singin' for some.
She stared up into the warm blue air, i
which the bare branches of the trees glist
ened, with a sweet, solemn wonde in he
old face.
The minister in a bewildered way pon
dered all the old woman had said, as b
rustied down the street. Later, Mr.. Plain
field (the young high-school teacher) ar
he would Ia a discussion over it. The
often talked over Mrs. Wilson TORY.
After her caller had gone, the old woma
entered the house. On the left of the lit
entry was the best room, where she ha
been been entertaining tba riadhspg the minis minister err, On ! Il
ItehoS " hAOShVhs u Jooh6 Sh1 "oo
there eating an apple. She looked U
when Mrs. TORY stood in the door.
"He's gone, amt he?" said she.
"Nhhy, Lefty, when did you come:"
"a few minutes ago. School just on
] came in the back door and heard hi
talking, SO l kept STILL"
"Why didn't you come in an see MIN
ooh, / didn't want to see him. VIII
you got there, grandma"
~"Nothin' but a sum the minister brougl
me to do. He am Mr.. Plainfield have be-
workin' over it."
"Couldn't they do it,"
swell, he said they hadn't neither
'em done it yet"
s'Is it awful hard?"
81 don't know. I 'ain't looked at
yet"
Let me see. He didn't get it out of al
of our books, 1 know. We never had an
thing like this"
81 s'pose it's one he come across som
where. l guess lIl sit down and look at
two or three minutes"
An old bureau stood against the wall;
1t were arranged four religious new
papers in the exact order of their issu,
the latest on top, Farmers Almanacs I
the last four years filed in the same We
and q slate surmounted by an old art
metic. Tn pile of newspapers was in t
middle, the slate and almanacs were
either side.
Lefty, soberly eating her apple, watch
her grandmother getting out the arithme
her small, innocent face, in spite of
youthful ~roundness and fairness, remind
people of Mrs. Torry's.
~ don't think much Of Mr.. Painae
nayhow,o said she, as the click Of I
HrhHaanethef't perril. On tbs slate hsss