The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1892-02-27
SERENA'S VISIT.
How She Accepted the Invitation
from Her Nephew.

from Her Nephew.
Mrs. Serena Fry sat idly in the cal
ico-cushioned chair in the kitchen.
This fact, innocent at distant acquain-
tance, becomes startling to anyone
knowing well Mrs. Fry. A robust, in.
dustrious farmers wife, her years,
growing fast to be numerous, sat light
ly upon her, and did not turn her for a
moment from her daily work, always
chccrily and faithfully and increasingly
performed. So long (ah! only the old
kitchen, with its yellow almanac hang
ing behind the stove and it's fading,
dull yellow floor knew how long, had
she on every afternoon gone about
the same round of duties, from the
time when Joshua left the dinner
table to the hour when he re-
turned from the field, that it vas much
more easy to go on with them than it
could have been to pause. Yet there
she sat idly in the old rocker, the stove
half polished and the brush on the
hearth, while the sun was giving his
last wink above the red barn on the
hill, Besides, her usually CHEEKY face
was clouded-not with anger or sor-
row, but with deep perpleXity
"Serana," she said of sudden, rising
With her accustomed brisEness, you
'aght to be clean ashamed of yourself.
If ever Satan got into anybody, it's
you. The idea of your sittin' idle. with
ile work only half done, thinlIin'
i5out goia' to New York! 1t would be
bad enough eff everything was done up
Holidays amt for lazy folks, that's
certain" And even as she spoke, the
stove began to smile out in it's usual
polished manner.
When the last bit of work had been
accomplished, and the old Bible, with
Joshuas spectacles on it, was awaiting
evening prayers from the.lamp stand,
Mrs Fry sat down, and said:
Il had letter to-day, Joshua"
You don't say said he, stopping in
the act of putting on his spectacles.
From Johu?"
NO" said his wife: from Nephew
Joshua, in New York
You don't say" said Joshua again.
do you want to read it aloud,
Srena?"
II would, butt burnt it up There
want nothin' secret in it, and knew
right afterwards what a thing it was to
do before you'd seen it: but someway
it didn't seem as if twas right to keep
it"
Not right, S'rena? Has Joshua been
doin anythin'?"
No, indeed" said his wife, hastily
Twas a real nice letter. / noticed
particular that he signed his name
Joshua S. Fry, as if to kind o remint
himself that he Was named after you
1t amt worth speakin' of, but it was
printed y. Sylvester on the enrelope.
Il amt mite surprised" sait
Joshua. with kindly smile. 'Its ;
sight handsomer name. But what die
he say?"
He wanted me to come to New
York" SAID Mrs, Frye; and for her life
she could not have said word more.
Her husband waited a moment il
silence, and then he spoke again: ~,
stay, S'rena?"
Joshua Fry, how you talk! II,
amt quite n fool. To make visit.
Serena let these short sentences shoe
out from her lips as though they were
loaded. 'lle said he an Susie hat
been Wantin' me for a long time, an
he thought | could be spared from the
farm now as well as any time, seein
he remembered the hayin' must b,
over; an seein' I'd never been to New
York he did hope I'd come. AN n
sent me a railroad pass,
Did you burn that up, too?" asle,
Il l,o
for the first time lying by the Bible
and he leaned forward to read it. One
and again did he examine the innocen
document, and still turned it over il
his hand when his eyes were looking
as it were, far away.
For fve-and-twenty years Q saiC
only the old kitchen knew how long
but brIbed it to tell mel had Joshui
and Serena Fry lived together ant
worked together without separation o
holiday Their welded love was o
the old fashioned sort. and dwelt no
in many words, as it began not with
wedding tour but thrived in faithful
common toll. They were not only un
complaining, but happy.
As Joshua sat thinking these things
the sudden invitation of his brother
boy, who had before this shown hi
kindly remembrance of the old farm
house where he used to come for sum
mer frolics, brought no pang with it
half-told tale of the difference betweel
life in Green's Corners and life in tn
hurrying city. The meadow paths
with their winged or creeping citizens
were Farmer Fry's happy estate, ant
the yellow-ho kitchen his inne
hearts home. IL is for this reason tina
most want his swift appreciation o
his wifes feeling to be felt and praised
Had the coming Of Nephew Joshua
letter been toretold TO him, he woul'
have expected Serena TO read it cheer