The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-05-05
ONE OF THE FAMILY.

I
! Lucy keene came down the road that
beautiful July morning, and he WAS just
| about 70 throw an arnfll Of them over
| the fence as she came round the corner.
! The sun-bonnet she were was exactly
/ like one he remembered 10 have seen
! her mother wear twenty-five years ago;
| aud be remembered. toe. as he looked
| at this one, and the fresh. rosy face un-
! der it, how that one had made his heart
| iiutter the first time he SAW n. and how
! lie was so bewitched by II. or the face
under il, that he had walked home with
! Hester Mason. and had had hard work
| ia keep from proposing to her.
| lie wondered now. and Ee had
| wondered many times in the twenty-five
| years that had gone 10y since, why he
never did propose to her.
| He had meant 10 marry her sometime.
and he was sure she liked him Ia the
| old days. but something had come be-
| tween them. and she had married Rob
ert keene and he had married his cous-
in Mary.
| As be had looked al Hester'S daugh-
ter this summer morning the old ire
stirred under the dust and ashes of
| twenty-five years. and be felt little
Good morning, Lucy" be- said. lean.
ing over the fence.
90 exclaimed Lucy, with a little
jump. Il didn't see You. and YOU came
near soaring me Isn't it pleasant"
Yes, it is pleasant" answered the
falmer, looking Straight at her pretty
face. "IIoW's your mother?
Pretty well, answered Lucy. Your
-,s,r. 1
aren't they? We're so provoked about
ours. The hens got into the garden,
and mother says she don't think wen
have pailful Of berries in all.
Il want to know exclaimed the
farmer, Now tell your mother that
she's welcome To al she wants out of
my patch She can have EN- just as
well a. uo;. There's gong 10 be
sight pora'n We Il want, and Td rather
have 'em used than wasted
Il viii tell her, answered Lacy; Il
know sho'll be delighted at the chance.
You know what a hand she is to make
strawberry preserves.
"fe~. do, answered the farmer.
thinking Of old times Il remember
she beat all the old hou-ekecpers at
that They used 70 -;,} thai she had
knack Of making strawberry jam that
nobody else could get hold of
she hasn't lost Il yef. sad Lucy.
"She Il bc pleased 10 have you come to
tea some time and try some she made
last year. She bad unusually good
luck.
"TIl do it, hcrepicd, Let me see
to-day, Wednesday. Tel her I'll come
over on SATURDAY.. II ii's sgrccablc and
/ reckon the. berr.p~ j i,t ripc. 20 | can
pick pailful lty 'lai time. Ii they be,
III bring some over.
Thank YOU" said Lucy. II you do
we'll have a ,hort-cakr. u tell her TO
expect YOU to tea on saturday then.
Yes. answered the farmer: III be
round if nothing happen. Oh, heard
from Charley yesterday. He'll be home
in day or two, to stay
''Thatll be pleasant for you, said
Lucy. STOPPING down to pick up a daisy.
He could not sec how rosy the face
under the bcwiyching Sun-bonnet grew
all at once. Ii he had it might have
set him to thinking
Yes, it will. said the farmer.
"Charley's a good boy"
II think I'll have to be going" said
Lucy. 1--WE shall expect you 10 tea
Saturday, remember"
Il won't .disappoint YOU said the
farmer, and then Lucy went on, and he
went back to pulling weeds
Il s'pose it's foolish TO think of such
a thing" he said 10 himself, 'but l
don't know as it's anybody's business
but ours. If see fit to marry Lucy and
she's willin', I'm going to do it. -
From which you win see that the
farmers old fancy for the mother had
suddenly been transferred to the daugh-
ter.
Charley came home the next day.
Il s'pose I'll have to tell him what
I've been thinking about. thought the
farmer I'D bout a= soon take Il horse
whipping, declare. But there amt no
use in dreading il and putin it off rs
know of. =
Accordingly. when they were sitting
in the porch. after supper, the farmer
began:
i've been thinking Of getting new
housekeeper,' he announced.
Wont Aunt Sarah STAY ?" asked
Charley
kind" he said. wiping his face yigor-
oHsly.
Chhssrllo-- gave a whistle OF surprise
and stared hard at his father,
''Who is it to be, if ] may ask such q
question:" he said.
Down the road, said the farmer,
jerking his thumb over his shoulder in
The direction of the Widow Keene's.
He couldn't muster up courage to say
it was Lucy.
"Ah, that's the way the wind blows,
is it," laughed Charley. I'm glad to
hear it. You couldn't do better.
I'm glad to hear you say so, y said
Mr.. Kimball, much relieved. II felt
sure you'd like to have Lucy as-a
member of the family
Il haven't any objection, if she
hasn't.
SO that's over, said the farmer, as
Charley strolled down the road in the
early evening, Il wonder be never
took q fancy to her / s'pose fofks'n
say I'm an old fool, but ] don't care.
While he sat there Charley was tell
ing Lucy that his father had keener
eyes than be had given him credit for.
for he seemed to understand how mat
ters stand perfectly And what he told
her after that is none Of your business
or mine, though | will say that feel
sure it had nothing to do with Lucy's
becoming zone of the family.
About 4 o'clock on Saturday after
noon Mr.. kimball, in his best coat and
with pail of Strawberries, knocked at
Mrs. Keene's door
Good afternoon, said the widow,
as she let him in, with charming sus-
picion Of blush in her face
Here's some berries, said he awk-
wardly presenting his Offering Lucy
said the hens had PLAYED the mischief
with yours, and as have plenty why
you may just as well as not have as
many Of EN- as you need.
I'm a thousand times obliged to
you
By this time the farmer had got to the
sitting-room door Who should he see
there but Charley, seemingly very much
at home, as he held worsted for Lucy to
wind.
Il managed to get an invitation to
tea, too. laughed Charley. You kept
it very sly, but wasn't to be cheated
out OF my share of strawberry pre-
serves"
Then Charley and Lucy looked at
each other and laughed. and the farmer
felt his face grow red
"Just see what he's brought u.s. said
the widow displaying the berries. If
you II help pick 'em, Lucy, we'll have a
short-cake for tea. / remember how
fond you used TO be of strawberry short
cake years ago" and the widow,
smiled at the farmer till there was
dimple in each check. Her words
brought wildly back to him his happi-
est experiences of quarter of century
previous.
Il remember. too he responded.