Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1889-06-28

!
| lights had nearly all disappeared in the
houses far and near, and only night sounds
were astir. The way for long distance
! lay through deep woods, where the shadows
were so dense that one must drive care
fully and slowly to keep in the road; so it
was after 10 o'clock when he drove through
his own gate at Pride's Corner.
and here l be widower, and she 'aint t
been dead much more'n three months yit.
But NJ riar d be glad ofit-she'd be glad of
it" he still consoled himself by repeating
| over and over again.
He was careful to make as little noise
! as possible; but in the stiffness of the hour
| his every movement woke answering echoes
throughout the whole neighborhood. The
roosters futtered down from their perches
and began to crow Justify as he opened the
barn door, evidently in the belief that
morning had come. The wagon wheels
took wrong turn and bumped against the
wall and the barn door had never squeak
ed so unmercilessly before. Cynthy's head
was Immediately thrust from a chamber
window.
'Is that youf" she called. 'Tve been
real concerned. What's happened to keep
cident, have your
! "Well, it pears to be me, and l amt
met with no accident as l know of. I call
ed on some old frienns, ald we was havin'
such proper sociable time that time pass
ed little quieker'n L was aware Of" said
Hiram, trying to be facetious.
''That indeed" remarked Cynthy, from
her height, with great dignity. But |
thought this was a Christian communerty,
where folks don't do jest as they do over to
Plumfield." And she closed the window
with considerable energy.
Hiram crept up to bed with guilty feel
ing which he could not shake off in spite OF
Of indignant remonstrances with himself.
II 'aint done the leastest thing to be
ashamed of, so why should l care what
Cynthy and the folks round here say! But
l amt goin' to let on jest where l spent
the evenin', though Cynthy II try to find
| pllIbl lldlu. CAC hloolCA NioSS iiiSNN4
ed till she gifts ter askin' questions, then
you find out she has got a tongue and nc
mistake"
But Cynthy had found out before the
next afternoon, though he had been very
discreet under her cross-qu questioning. The
news had been brought by neighbor.
Cynthy's Indignation was too deep fol
words, but her looks were fairly overpow-
ering, stern, injured, contemptuous; and
poor Hiram, sitting opposite her at the
table, found it hard work to swallow his
food under such a weight of displeasure
and hurried out of doors as soon as possible.
At twilight she walled "Balerma" and
Federal Street with such unparalleled dis
Madness that the whippoorwills themselves
were silenced. and few away from their
accustomed perch on the old pump in the
orchard. But Hiram bore the music with
more fortitude this time. The memory OF
last nights cheer and the sure prospect OF
more such evenings in the future served to
uphold him. He should not be obliged tc
spend all his hours ofrelaxation to the tune
of Cynthy's melodeon.
The next week he drove over to Brimport
again, and spent more delightful season,
if possible, than before; and all through the
summer, even during haying-time, he
managed to go and have one rubber at least
as often as once fortnight. The games
had become quite thrilling now, and the
ladies were not whit less interested il
them than Hiram and Captain Bowers
They looked forward to Hiram's appear
ance, for there were few bright spots in
their lives.
~ don't see why you can't come over once
a week When theharvest is in, Mr. Leadbet
ter" Miss Lucy said to him one evening.
"Bless mel" said Captain Bowers, Il be
lieve 1 shall be obliged to pull up anchor
and be off to sea again if you can't come as
often as that This is confoundedly dull
place to stay ashore in"
"Oh, do come, Mr.. Leadbetter. Card
playing's kind O. lonesome for me, but any
thing to keep John contented at home,
the captains jolly little wife chimed in.
Then Miss Jane added her voice to the
general pleading '1t's real harrowin' tt
get so interested in games" she said, ''ant
then have to wait so long between EN-"
And he thought he could come once 9
week till winter set in; "twould be kinder
hard gittin over then" A great pang came
over him when he looked forward to that
time From the first of September to the
middle of October nothing occurred to him
der this happy arrangement. The weather
was beautiful; the roads continued good
the moon smiled upon his way. 1t is true
Cvnthy grew more solemn and severe, and
the whole village, from the squlre's family
down to the halfgypsy folk who inhabited
rat-ridden barn on the outskirts ol
Hiram's farm, were talking about him, fol
it was impossible for them to believe that q
man would drive so far as that, so often
and at such regular intervals, for any othel
object than courling, and that they all
agreed was shameful as his wife had only
been dead few months. But Hiram bore
it all with a good degree of composure, the
wailings of Cynthys melodeon being tho
only thing which he felt that he could not
endure.
But about the middle of October the fall
rains commenced-a dreary an dishearten-
ing drzzle which lasted weeks almost with
out intermission. The dark nights shut in
early, and there was no possibility of going
abroad. Then, after the rains were over,
the roads were almost impossible, and for
four whole weeks he was unable to go to
Brimport, and on that occasion it took him
so long to get there, there only time to
play two games of cards, much to the re-
gret of the whole party.
II tell you what, Leadbetter," said Cap
tain Bowers one day, in the absence OF the
ladies, "you must come over to Brimport
and live There's no other way as | can
see. What's the use in living over there to
Pride's Corner all alone when there's such
good company over here' A cheerful win
ter you'd have with nothing to 'liven up
your evenings but the presence OF that &w-
full glum- looking woman l saw over there
the other day! And here's Miss Lucy all
ready ter name the day, I've no doubt
good looking, genteel and about the best
card player l ever did see. A little lively
tempered, maybe, but that amt such a
terrible fault"