Middletown transcript., 1891-07-16
LYDDY'S LITTL Z EPISODE.

/ NOULL have toask Brewster Ben
| nett to get you the East Ent
School, Lyddy. He's commit
teemau, and he used to come to Sc,
you considerable often, along back.
Farmer Slocomb raised bis lame Les
to more comfortable angle, and rub.
bed his spectacles meditatively, tht
|ifurrow deepening upon his shaggy
white eyebrows cts a pity you
didn't get married, Lyddy, afore these
times come upon US. There wa;
more'n him used to come, but they
kept kind O. droppin' off. There may
have been smarter7appearing ones
than Brewster Bennett, but | guess
none of them amt turned out $50 we'll.
Lemme see, was it last winter he left
off comin'?"
The old man tapped his forehead as
if TO summon memory. who from a
trusty familiar had become tricky.
elusive sprite.
: Five years ago last winter. faith
err" said Lyddy. firmly repressing the
lump in her throat that made utter
ance difficult, and standing behind
his chair, where he could not see the
fame-like color that leaped to her
forehead.
"3Ain't he been here sence that r.
/. /" Yes, once, to see you on business.
when he was nominated for Reprcsen-
tative." Lyddy was as concise as if
she were on the witness stand.
"Yes, yes, ] give him lift then,
poor N run down as / be. We elect
ed him, but twas a close shave.
Thought he was too smart, some did,
but that's apt to be the way when a
man gets ahead. An editor, too; he
cant help maxim enemies unless he's
good Lord n good devil /; even then
he's apt to run across a third party
that amt neither for one or t'other.
He made some smart speeches. | see
something quoted in a Boston paper,
the other day, that the Honorable
Brewster Bennett of Cherryfeld, had
been saying, that the Sentinel has got
to be considerable Of a paper sence he
took it. But l don't expect he'll
stick to it long; he'll be wantin' some
thing that's got more money in it. !
expect it wouldn't be no time at all
before he got to Congress if he had
money. lfyou'd a slicked up n
been smarter-appearin' I expect you
could a. got him, Lyddy. You're
good-lookin' enough. an | spent
enough on your edication-more'n e
could afford. The first time i ever
run into extravaganza was payin' for
your three years at that seminary, an
it seems as if Id been going down
hill ever sence, an you amt seemed
to make anything ofyourself after all.
Hanchett's three girls, that was salts
fed to go to the deestrick school, all
married well. Lizy's husband has
paid off the mortgage on Hanchett's
farm Seems to me as if knowing
how to git husband was better for a
girl than Latin an furrin' langwidges.
Hutchin's he's complainin' that he
laid out four hundred dollars on his
schoolin', an then she got
up an got married right away, an
thar was all that money wasted. But
| want never one that wanted my
daughter to keep school, an have a
parcel of young ones chasin' her, an
hollerin' as if everybody was deef. If
she'd a married well, | wouldn't have
They've all dropped off
now, hain't they? 'thout it's Joe
Maltby, He's got a middlin' good
farm, and considerable timber
don't know but what you'd better
have him than go to the poorhouse
long O. me. What's noses ?"
/" Don't talk about the poorhouse,
father, shall get the Wood End
School, and then We can pay the in
terest on the mortgage. Squire Har-
riman will wait little longer if he
knows we have way to get the
money and the crops are not likely
to be SO poor next year, and we'll get
Dan Price to manage the farm on
shares. And, besides, father, We got
a little money for the stories I've sent
to the papers. l hope to write novel
that will bring me enough to pay off
the mortgage"
Lyddy spoke hesitatingly, being
painfully divided between a fear of
raising false hopes and desire to
relieve her fathers dependency.
"Stories Well, ] vow | don't see