Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-08-06

MOI until the Chlcktn. the curneN -leef,
and the salt pork were safe in the iron pot
together, and the vegetables were prepared
TO join them and the pudding was under
| way, did she relax her hold on the helm.
| Nancy. meanwhile, was quakins In her
| shoes over another discovery of her own
| improvidence. There was not particle
| Of Indian meal for the pudding The store
! was miles away. Mrs. Barker was the
/ only near neighbor, AMI to borrow Of pro
/ Spective company was. to lay the least,
I humiiatiug.
4 There was nothing else to he done She
I dallicd about with spoon and bow, pretend
inG 70 put in this and that At lat Aunt
4 Felicia went to lie down for an hour be-
fore douning the best black gown aud the
/ car with lavender rhhons-regalia suitable
for high fta~ts Then, throwin. her apron
ovct her Head, Nancy sped ljke faHu
/ over the fields 10 the Barker place. She
/ came Hpon Jo in the back yard >plittn-
kindliugs- He was in hi- shift sleeves.
and would have h!ushcd ipr ,hcn, had not
1 Naucy'e hsrc arms and living hair put him
( 80 10 speak in costume
/ 'oh, Jo," she ga>ped, ',his i, one II The
lays What DO yon think I've started
my Pudden', and there sint mite of meal
/ in the house" "
/ Come right along in" replied 10.
I cheeriy wen fix that Mothers got
/ plenty. Shes gone over to Mis- Briggs
! Of an errand but know where she keeps
| it."
! lie led thr way to the pantry aud there
/ The two searched htgh and low. in bucket
and box. for the missing article Not
/ single golden grain rewarded them 10
scratched his head and proposed going
( over to Briggs after the mistress OF tie
I house.
/ No, don't" begged Nancy, .'I'd just a.
soon there didn't any more folk>'n j. nece~-
-sry know about 1t. Why. whats In this
/ bag: That's meal" And she held up
handful There isn't much moren what
/ want here"
| Take II right along" insisted Jo. mo
! need o'sayn' an'thing bout il"
/ I'm come over tomorrow and explain"
/ compromised Nancy. and ca.png the
/ brown paper bag, back she few across The
! helds 10 her pudding.
| Promptly al two O'Clock the four old
ladies sat down 10 their dinner Every
thing was done to perfection. The cream
Of tartar biscuits fulfilled the mission of
the batch under the olcander tnb. and
were miracle of sweetness and light
The billed dish brought tears of tender
retrhs specton to the eyes Of the aged par
ticipants. who declared they 'ha,iu't ta.t-
| ed anything that had tasted so good not in
years an years an year." The pudding
emerged from is bag plump and brown a.
healthy farmer, and Ike rim, 1t must hc
confessed. >omcw hat tungh aud wiry
But. smothercd in cream and powdered
with maple sugar, it went down TO the /
la: crumb The guests found nothing ln |
their voCablaries, ancient or modern 10 /
equal the occasion, and concluded lit was /
no use talkin'." Mrs. Barker IN particular,
With her motherly faniliarities brough: /
blush 10 the cheek of the girl cook. Nancy
was not hardened deceiyer. The olean- /
der tub lay heavy on her conscience. The |
meal so unhandsomtly obtained turned 10 /
ashes III The cup OF tlattery the old women !
poured for her. II was hours before thew
left years before she could do up the work 1
next day and hasten again to the Barker |
place TO do penance by frank aud unqualiii- 4
ed confession, This time sne walked /
demuiely by the road, and wore her best F.!
| bonnet.
She found Mrs. Barker whipping up a |
syllabub for the ministers wife who was !
ailng. Have some:" she said. proffering |
cupful '''Tain't nothin' but gasp AMI |
swaller"
But Nancy had no appetite. even for so
amiabe triile. Il told Jo not to say any
thing. she began, steadily; I'D tell you !
myself, came over yesterday when YOU /
were out 10 horrer some meal for that /
puddin. Twas awful careless o. me | |
didn't know were out till just as | was !
mxin' il. was ashamed to borrer OF
you. company so; but had 10 do some /
thin quick. I'll bring it over soons we
get some Nancy spoke hurriedly in her |
nervousness.
Mis-. Barker set down yhe bowl she was
washing. II hain't got any meal" she |
said, in a puzzled voice, Ben out for |
week, an KEEP a-telin' we'd have to 90 to |
town soon or send"
''Oh yes. you had" persisted the other /
1T was all had for the pudding. l found |
it in brown paper bag on the lower shelf |
in the pantry"
For the land sakes." Mrs Barker |
gave vent 70 shout to mate with that her |
son sent up on discovering the buried |
dough. And here there was no Aunt |
Felicia to terrorize her into silence. She |
rocked to and fro, her face growing purple |
with emotions for which her shrieks and |
her rocking furnished inadequate outlet
Nancy looked bewildered in turn What |
was there in the borrowed meal so agoniz- |
ingly funny? 1t was some time before |
Mrs. Barker could explain herself. and |
then she exploded. between fits and gusts
of laughter et-the-inside-o |
a-pin cushion-Id = had twenty five =
years. | empted- -it-in-t --bag-to |
-needles-an'-for : to |
throw-it-away." She stopped with |
moan, and held her sides, completely over
come by the storm W 1ch had passed over
her.
Nancy laughed, hystercal little giggle,
with more of distress than of merriment
in it. With it struggled feeling of dis
gust; she too had partaken of the pudding. |
But embarrassment soon yielded to graft |
| tude toward the merry soul who could |
laugh over such an experience. The blum
derer had fallen into kind hands.
You're awfully good" she said as she
stood up to go.
Don't say a word" replied Mrs Barker,
reassuringly. II won't tell soul less
it's 10. He'll be tickled almost to death"
| I'm afraid he'll tell" demurred Nancy
| ''Oh, no, he won't" said JOS mother
''He sets too much by you"
| And ne never did tell, not even when he
became Nancy's husband. He held her
eccentricities plain indications of genius
1t was Nancy herself who, learning to look
! with tolerance upon her blunders, told of
the remarkable day when she buried the
bread dough, and made pudding out Of
pin-cushion.
In the presidential campaign of 1860,
when Lincoln and Hamlin were elected,
there was a Republican rally at Faneuil
Hall Boston, in which Hannibal Hamlin