The Washington critic., 1886-06-15
ONE OF TIE FAMILY.

berry patch, pulling up the weeds,
when Lucy Keene came down the road
that beautiful July morning, and he
was just about to throw an armful of
them over the fence as she came round
the corner.
The sun bonnet she wore was exactly
like one he remembered to have seen
her mother wear twenty-five years ago;
and he remembered, too, as he looked
at this one, and the fresh, rosy face
under It, how that one had made his
heart flutter the first time he saw it,
and how he was SO bewitched by It, or
the face under it, that he had walked
home with Hester Mason, and had had
hard work to keep from proposing to
her.
He wondered now, and he had won.
dered many times In the twenty-five
years that had gone by since then, why
he never did propose to her.
He had meant to marry her some
time, and he was sure she liked him in
the old days, but something had come
between them, and she had married
Robert Keene and he had married his
cousin Mary.
AS he had looked at Hester's daughter
this summer morning the old fire
stirred under the dust and ashes of
twenty-five years, and he felt little
flame spring up in his heart.
Good morning. Lucy" he said,
leaning over the fence.
"Oh," exclaimed Lucy, with little
jump, al didn't see you, and you came
/, ,,1n
Eyes, IL is pleasant" answered the
face. CLOVIS your mother ?"
Pretty woIl," answered Lucy.
"Your strawberries are doing splen-
didly. aren't they2 We're so pro-
voked about ours. The hens got into
the garden, and mother says she don't
think we'll have pailful of berries in
ALL"
II want to knowp exclaimed the
farmer. "Now tell your mother that
she's welcome to all she wants out of
my patch. She can have 'em just as
well as not There's going to be sight
moren well want and I'd rather ha &c
'em used than wasted"
II will tell her" answered Lucy; II
know she'll be delighted at the chance.
You know what hand she Is to make
strawberry preserves.
Eyes, / do" answered the farmer,
thinking Of old times. "I remember
she beat all the old housekeepers at
that They used 10 say that she had
knack of making strawberry jam that
nobody else could get hold Of"
"She hasn't lost 1t yet" said Lucy.
"She'll be pleased to have you come to
tea some time and try some she made
last year. She had unusually good
luck.
"I'll do it," he replied. "Let me
see--to-day's Wednesday. Tell her
I'll come over on Saturday, If it's
agreeable, and I reckon the berries'll
be ripe, so can pick pailful by that
time. If they be, I'll bring some
over"
"1'hank you," said Lucy. "If you
do we'll have n short. cake. I'll tell
her to expect you to tea ON Saturday,
then"
Eyes" answered the farmer; "I'll
be round If nothing happens. Oh,
heard from Charley yesterday. He'll
be home in day or two, to stay"
Lucy. STOPPING down to pick up a
daisy.
He could not see how rosy the face
under the bewitching sun-bonnet grew
all at once If he had 1t might have
set him to thinking.
eyes, it WILL" said the farmer.
"Charley's good boy"
81 think I'll have 10 be going" said
Lucy. "We shall expect you to tea
Saturday, remember"
tsJ won't d;eoppoipt vo,, - coiJ tbn n
farmer, and then Lucy went on, and
he went back to pulling weeds.
II s'pose it's foolish to think of such
thing" he said to himself" but l
don't know as It's anybody's business
but ours. If i see fit to marry Lucy
and she's willin', Pm going to do it. !"
From which you viii see that the
farmers old fancy for the mother
had suddenly been transferred to the
daughter
Charley came home the next day.
II s'pose I'll have to tell him what
I've been thinking about" thought the
farmer. "Id bout as soon take O
horsewhipping, l declare. But there
amt no use in drcading it and putin
it off as know Of"
Accordingly, when they were sitting
in the porch, after supper, the farmer
began:
ave been thinking of getting new
housekeeper, he announced.
Wont Aunt Sarah stay?" asked
Charley.
I'll mean houselleeper OF another
kind" lie said, wiping his face vigor.
ously.
Charley gave whistle of surprise
and stared hard at his father.
who sit to be, If may ask such {
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 t
SAY it was Lucy.
"Ahl that's the way the wind blows
is III" laughed Charley. "pn
glad to hear it, You couldn't do bet
ter"
'1'm glad to hear you say So" sale
Mr.. Kimball, much relieved. 81 fel
sure you'd like to have Lucy as;
member of the family"
81 haven't any objection If sh'
hasn't"
$50 that's over" said the farmer
as Charley strolled down the road il
the carly evening. II wonder h
never took a fancy to her l s'pos
folks'll say I'm an old fool, but don
care"
While he sat there Charley was tell
ing Lucy that his father had keene
eyes than he had given him credit for
for he seemed to understand how mat
tiers stood perfectly And what he toll
her after that Is none of your busines
or mine, though l will say that I fec
sure it had nothing to do with Lucy
becoming zone of the family"
About o'clock on Saturday after
noon Mr.. Kimball in his best coat an