The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1886-09-03
gathering flour dust to play baking with.

this" he said, "and it will be done, too p
And in his resolute zeal, he boxed the side of
his own head, imagining it was likes head.
But the boy came home so happy, whist
ling so cheerily He set down his coffee and
molasses and salt and sugar with such an
innocent air that his uncle could not speak
harshly.
But at last he did manage to say
like, do you keep clear of nonsense, mind
that noww
what nonsense ?" asked Ike, independent
why, keep clear Of folks-people-girls !"
he added, compromisingy; girls that you
know nothing about !"
He continued
There's Ruth Bovine now-she-s he"-
"What about her ?"
"Well not her, but her mother
"Why, Mrs. Bowne's mother TO every
body She's the best woman in the world!"
mo, it was her grandmother meant"
"Old Mrs. Bowne?"
mo, the other one"
"There wasn't any other grandmother you
could know! Mrs Bowne's own mother
died when she was year old"
well, guess on the whole, 1t was Ruth's
great-aunt meant"
"What allied her ?" asked Ike.
"Why-she-she was-she had-the-
rheumatism, and"-
When he recovered himself, Miller the
miller said, you keep your neck out of that
moose, and remember, Ike, I've got this mill
to give away TO somebody"
There's good luck ahead for him that gets
ii" said Ike, as he passed out, and up the
gang plank towards the road
Miller the miller was greatly exercised after
this and fancied he saw Ike's heart stolen
from him, and bis home made desoate by
some flower of girl who would turn into a
scoding woman.
Alas, alas, for Miller the miller! This
hour was coming on, and fate was even at
his very heels.
One night, thinking singing school must
have been out long time, he concluded to
drop in at Deacon Bownes to ask what made
his horses crupper gall his neck.
The horse didn't know it did The miller
thought by so doing he would surprise Ike
there; and then he would-he would-he
didn't know what he would or wouldn't do
When be went in, there was company, and
that was more than he had imagined.
The first one to jump up and offer him
chair was Ike, who exclaimed,-
"Wcll, this is treat, to see uncle out Wis
iting! Here's welcome for you ~
The bravery of this took the spirit all out
of Miller the miller. He laughed reluctantly,
sat down, after being introduced to the dea-
cons cousins a stalwart man and pretty
little woman by the name of Craig, from Pine
! Falls, some twenty miles away.
The miller actually stayed and ate apples
and nuts, and talked and laughed with the
rest of the company. He didn't go home till
Ike said,-
Come, uncle, this is pretty late for you
and me to be out We must go home now"
On their way home Miller remarked
Very nice folks those Craigs are"
Eyes, uncle, agree with you"
SO they were agreed.
Next morning at breakfast the visit was
alluded to, and Miller the miller actually
said, THAT Craig wasn't such a fool as most
men archie didn't marry till he found
woman worth having-did he? Where do
you suppose he found this one Ike?"
Found her? Why, suppose he found
her at home "
A few days after this the miller asked Ike
how long Mr.. Craig and his wife were going
to stay at the Bownes
"His wife's at home. Miss Craig is his
sister," said Ike.
"Oh, yes! Well, was thinking, Ike, that
all the years I've lived in the mill I've never
had any one here to meal, excepting beg
CARS and tramps. The Bownes are good
over to tea while they're here"
"Whew" cried Ike, in joyful surprise. "But
who would make the cake and the fol-de-rols
they always have for company" he added.
"rd ride over to Beaver Pond, and buy up
lot of stuff of the baker, and some peaches
and pineapplcs and such things in cans, and
other knick-knacks. It's only nine miles, you
know. I'd have the table all set before they
came. Have we dishes enough for six ~
"Who are your six?" asked Ike.
"Why, Mr.. and Mrs. Bovine, Mr.. and Mrs
Craig, and''-
Miss Craig" interrupted Ike, with quiz
zical look.
eyes, and you and me-isn't that six ?"
Miller had indeed bought lot of stuff,
enough to feast dozen families. He had
bread and biscuit and rolls, and crackers of
every shape and name. He had fruit.cake
and frosted cake, sponge-cake and brides
cake, nut-cake, currant-cake, doughnuts,
sugar cookies, m0lasses cookies, and hearts
and rounds. All these were piled up on as
many large blue-edged plates, looking like
chain of tiny mountains.
Then there was canned salmon and press
ed beef and smoked beef, cheese and three
kinds of pes-such as they were-and to
crown all, there were two empty peach cans,
with the exaggerated pictures still on them,
filled with long sticks of candy of every name
and hue, and there were nuts and rasins and
apples
The miller looked very sad as they all rose
from the table, saying, there was us much
stuff now as when they sat down. There
was now storytelling, guessing of conun
drums and singing. The guests admired
everything, from the cornroom and the hop
per, down to the stuffed birds and pressed
flowers and on going away Miss Craig told
the miller it had been one of the pleasantest
visits she had ever made, and added, merrrly,
There's an old deserted mill near us.
believe I'll buy it, and live in it myself~ |
Miller the miller wanted 10 say, you
needn't do that; one mill would hold three of
u.s."
But he was too cautious.
Before long the Dusty Miller" went away
on business.
Ike had to keep house two or three days
alone
When the miller came back he said, "Ike, l
am going to be married"
married? When? To whom ?"
"Well, any one who saw Mr.. Craigs house
would wonder at Miss Craig being willing to
live in the loft of a grist-millW
Four years have passed. The miller-now
wonderfully softened towards all woman
kind"-has moved into pretty cottage.
The cheerest and happiest man in that
town is Miller the miller, whose only regret
is that he did not get out of his rut oflife
fifteen years before and who wonders where
all the cross and disagreeable women have
vanished to-
Ike credits himself with all this happiness,
and at the risk of this story's seeming too
much like novel, we may as well add that
Ike and Ruthie are also very happy. There
are no more hospitable homes in our town
now than likes except Miller the millers
A Fulfilled Prediction.
The Emperor Napoleon III. was by nature
very superstitious. The following anecdote
was related in 1864, long years before the
fulfillment of the prediction that it contains.
NAPOLEON III. one day took it into his head |