Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-12-20
Deacon Pitkil'SFarm
BY HARRIET BEECHER STOWE.
CHAPTER |,

Deacon litkin'S wife that she did 4 see
nothil' no she was gon' to get through
things and there was Saphry S gov II
and Miss Deacon lrOwbridge CLOAK, and
Liza .ane'S new merinO, not a str Ike done
on t. The Governor ought to be ashamed
of him elf for hurrying matters so"
1t was very rash step tor Miss Brs
kett to 90 to the length of such remar =
alb ut the Governor, but the deacon s wi c
wa one of the few women who are nom
conductors Of indiscretiOn, and so the
Governor never heard OF it.
This partlcuI0 Thanksgiving tide was
marked in appleton by exceptionally
char ing weather. Once In great viii e
the Indictment New England skies are
taken W tn a remOr>eful twnge and for
get to gi e their usual snap of September
frost which generally bites OFF a the
pretty flowers in so h 1drt-breaking u way,
and then You can haze Lovely times quite
down through November
1t was so this year at Maj ton. Though
the Thanks -iyinE prOciamat on ha been
read, and it was past the nj lie of NO
VemOer, yet marigOldS and fOur-o clocks
were all abba e in the gardens and the
golden rod and purple as er were Lloom-
ing over The feel Is as IL they were expect
ing to keep it up all winter.
r.. lily is a Getting, the jolly good
heart wi h which tn Sc bright child en- of
the rainbow tlaun and wave and dance
and go on budding anu blossomng In the
very teeth and snarI of oncOming winter.
An autumn G lden rod or aSter Dug t o
be the symbol for pluck and courage, aud
might serve New nglan creSl as the
broom flower oil the cd lantagenets.
The trees round MapletOn were 10 king
like gantiC tulip beds, and breaking
ever hour INTO ncw LhantaSmag0ria of
color; and the great III that over>had-
owed the red Pix II farmhouse seemed
like dome of gold, and sent q yellow
IA ance thr ugh all the doors and win
dow as he dreamy autumn sunshin
streamed tn ough it.
The ri kin elm was noted among the
trees OF New England. Now aud then
Ia ure asserts herself and does something
so astonishing and OverpOwerng a, actu
ally to strike through the CruSt of human
stupid Y, and convince mankind tina a
tree is something greater than they are.
AS general thing the human race has a
slIl id haled of trees. They embrace
every chance to cut them down Til v
ha no idea of their fitness or ANYTHING
but trewOOd or fruit bearing. But a
great cathedl al elm with shad WV afsles
of DOughs, its choir of whisper NJ wlud,
and chanting birds, its hush and solemn
ity anI majestic grandeur, actually con
QucrS the dull human race and asserts its
leave to be in manner t. which all
hearts respond; and 30 the great
elHs OF New England have got
to be garded with sort of
pri as among her We y few crown ew-
els and the litkin elm was one of these.
But WASH it busy time in MapletOn
Busy IS no word for it. Oh, the chopping.
the pounding the 'ng of raisinS, the
pro ectioAs of pies and puddings the Xxi IL
ing of turkeys who C utter it? The
Vert chip s uirrels in the stone walls
who nave family custom of making a
market basket of their mouths, were rush.
ing about with chops incredibly distended,
and their tails had an ext whIsk OF
Thanksgiving alertness. A SOU rrel $
Thanksgiving dinner is an affair of mo-
ment mind you.
IN the great rOOmy, clean kite hen OF
the deacon 5 house might be seen the
1.-the, comely form of Diam Pitkin pre-
ri ing over he roaring great oven which
was to engulf the armies of pies and cakes
which were in due c .urse of preparation
on the ample Ia les.
or c0u-Se you want to know who Diana
Pitk n was. 1t was G neral fact about
this young lady that anybody who ga @
one look at her, whether at Chu CHI or nj
lone, always in uiTed at once with efTu.
sion, ''N no is she particularly If the
in uirer was one Of the masculine gender,
This was to be accounted for by the fact
thai Mis- LLAMA presented b the first
view of the galer daz ling combination
OF pink an white, a flashing air of black
c es. ripple OF dimpleS abO Il the pref.
test little rosy mouth in t @ world and
FIRE luent somewhat sauce laugh which
showed set of teeth like pearls. Add
to this quick wit, generous though
spicy temper, and min 10 tongue an /
you will not won Ter that Miss lana was
marked character at Ma Teton, and that
the INJURY who she wa was one of the
most interesting facts OF statistical in
formation.
Well, she was Deacon Pitkin's second
cousin, and of course lUst in that convent
ent relationship TO tie Pitkin b yS which
has all the advantages of cOusinship and
none of the disadvantages as may be
plain to an ordinary observe. For if Miss
Llama shed to ride or row or dance
wi h any o. the Pitkin boys why
shouldn she? Were they not her cousins
u
fellows ad anced on the strength of these
intimacies presu ptive calm to nearer
rela ionship. why, then Diana was aston
ished of course she had regarded hem
as her cousins! ami she was sure she
couldn't thing W at they could be dream
ing Of-''A cousin is Just like a brother
you know"
This was just what James Pitkin die
not believe In, and now as lie Is walking
over h II AMI dale from Cambridge col
lege TO his fathers house he is gatherin!
up decided resolution to tell Diana tina
he is not and will not be to her as
brother-tbat she must he to him all Of
nothing. Jan eS is the brightest, the tall
est. and, the Map etun girls sa d the
handsOmest of the ri kin boys. He wa
trOng-E eart'd generous, reso' ute fel
low as eyer undertook to walk thirty five
miles home to eat his Thanksgiving din
ner.
We are not sure that Miss Diana wa,
not thinking quite as much OF him as HI
was of her, as she stanls there wi tn,
long kitchen shovel in one hand, and on,
plump Whit arm thrust Into the oven
and her little head cooke on one side
her brows bent and her rosy moutl
pursed up with a solemn sense of the i'm
DOllhiNC VI hOl d5 bD6 Is t6SLlDS
the Leaf of her oven.
oh hi, ID. for all YOU seem to hav,
nothing on your mind but the response
billy for all those pumpkin pies ant
cranOe ny tarts, we wouldn't venture
very large wager that you are not think
Ing about cousin James under il all a
this very minute and that all this prett,
lou Ting hou-ewfel ness owes its spc,
and favor 10 the thought that James l.
coming TO the Thanksgiving dinner.
To be sure If any one had told Di so
she would ha 9 touted the very idea
Besides, she had riyately informed Al
Alnira Sisson, her special particular con
iidan e, that she knew Jim would come
home from college full Of concelt ant
think ng that everybody must bow dow
20 him. and for her part she meant 4
make him know his place Il course jim
and she were good friends ,Sr.. &c.
- Oh Di, III you silly ma yiy girl wa
~ for this that you stood 80 ng ut y"u
looklng-glass last nigh arranging how
Oh would do your hair for the Thanks
giving night darcss Those KILLING bow