Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1889-03-01

And oh for the winds Of March,
The crocus in the garden,
And the whorl upol the larch
THE BLUE DOOR.
at is little perplexing at times, "
said the Rev. Milo Miner. Five houses
exactly alike in five little gardens of pre-
cisely the same mensions, and five UNI
brelia- shaped apple-tree3 in front There
have assuredly been times when the SINH
litude has been somewhat embarrassing. "
"Yaas," said Deacon Philpott, "old
Squire Simpson, he built en-. Said he
didn't want to be accused of no partial
ty. | remember with a chuckle,
show John Vassar went into Number
Eve when he was accounting Lois
Spring that lived at Number Four, and
scared old Maam McMcken half onten
her wits, coming up behind her, when
She was a-makin' fritters, and kissin' her
with will. And Mr.. Belts grocer's bill
was left at Mrs. lIcdgcy's, and"
VERY natural misapprehenslons-very
natural indeed, said Mr., Miner. "We
are all liable TO make m stakes
"rhat's as true as gospel, said the
deacon. "Now you talk aboat mis-
takes, remember"
And ], !" precipitaiely interrupted
Mr.. Miner, who had wholesome hor-
ror of his deacon's interminablc stories,
"have been mercifully preserved from
any awkward misunderstanding by the
fact that the door of the domicilc where
| reside is providentially painted blue.
The other four doors are green"
"Blue's proper, pretty color" said
Deacon Philpott. Speaking about
blue, my daughter Arcthusa, down in
Floridy-"
"Pray excuse mel said the pastor.
glaneing at his turnip-shaped silver
watch but have barely time to keep
my appointment with Brother Klingcn-
burg. Really, had no idea how late ii
wasn
And he hurried away, leaving the
deacon standing in the middle Of the
road, staring after him.
Mr.. Miner boarded at No. 3 Simpson
Terrace. Crherc was no terrace there,
but the squire thought the name sounded
sonorous and pleasant, so he had christ
ened his five little cottages .Simpson
Terrace.')
He boarded with Mrs. Chipley and
her two daughters, Maud and Marian,
who felt it a great distinction to be Of
any service, however slight, to the pas
tor.
Maud herself gathered fresh flowers
for the study-tab.e; every day Marian
sat up late nights to iron and mend table
linen, so that the good man might have
clean napkin every day, sad to darn
his stockings so that you could not tel
mended places from the whole, and the
little widow herself exhausted every cul-
mary resource to humor his dyspepsia,
and to contrive dainty dishes out of the
least possible foundation.
To these three simple women the Rev.
Milo Mi ner was like an cmbodie saint.
"And now that Mr.. Miner is safely
gone for the day, said Mrs. Chiplcy,
"we'l clean the sitting room and white
wash the walls. Ran to Dixey's, Maud,
for lump of unslaked lime, and-oh,
by-thc-way, bring some cornmeal, dear.
Wen have hasty pudding for dinner,
and eat at the kitchen table. Hasty
pudding and milk will do for us wo-
men.
"of course it will, mamma,1 said
Maud.
u like hasty pudding and milk y
cried Marian, jumping gleefully up and
down, land, although Mr.. Miner is
such a dear, good man, yet it is a sor. of
relief to have him gone once in a while,
so that we can clean house, and eat hasty
pudding and milk.
"And, on, Maud!" she whispered, to
her aesthetic eder sister, as Mrs. Chiplev
hustled out to hang the big kettle over
the fire, give such an idea in my head
If you'll only get little grass, green
paint ready mixed, when you are at Dr.
eys, and medium-sized brushln
Green paint, Marianl What for?"
"Hushl don't let mamma hearl I'm
so tired of hearing this called the house
with the blue doorl"
Maud obeyed. Although the elder in
point of years, she had long been accus-
toned to be domineered over by pretty,
positive Marian.
"But it is the strangest thing, Mari
an!' she said, as fifteen or twenty min
utes later, she handed over mysterious
tin can and an oblong paper parcel to
her sister. '.Joe Dean is out naintine