The Newtown bee., 1892-08-12

1t, for the journey had made him very hungry. Nelly poured the tea. It ap- peared she was housekeeper; and she sat there looking sweet enough to sweeten the cups without sugar. Tom saw, for the first time, what a dear little face she had and how honest and true her brown eyes were. Her teeth, too, were like pearls ;she showed them when she laugh ed, and that was pretty often, for Dittie seemed sulky and silent and she was anx- ious to make up for it and make Cousin Tom feel at home.
 Next morning, Dittie looked subdued and distracted, with none of the lively ways she had worn in New York. Tom found afterward that her head was full of the blue silk gown which she had set her heart on finishing for Thanksgiv- ing.
 Soon after breakfast, she went away to work upon it, leaving Tom in Nelly's hands, which was inconvenient, for Nell i ly had all sorts of things to do that day-apples to pare and pumpkins to stew and pies to bake, and I don't know i what all.
 However, there was no help for it. She made a bright fire in the keeping room and brought some books for Tom, and told him she must leave him for awhile, and if he got lonely he must come out in the kitchen, for there she must be. And, of course, Tom had no idea of sitting alone, so he soon came wandering after her, and spent almost the whole day there, helping and hinder ing; for, though he pared some apples and beat great many eggs, I'm afraid his long legs and his conversation were a good deal in the way.
 However, Nelly didn't let him know it if they were. And it was so pleasant to watch her at work that he would have been sorry enough to have been ordered off. She was the quickest, most skilful little creature in all her ways, and yet so orderly and systematic. Whether whisk- ing some dainty mixture with a big spoon, or welding the rolling pin or touching the oven door with white knuckle, to see if the heat was right, all she did seemed graceful and charming. An, can tell you, children, girl never looks half as well as when she is doing plain, useful work, in the incest and pret- tiest way. And when those pies came out of the oven,'' said grandpapa, smack ing his lips, ''you never saw the like. They resembled snowfiakes fried to 8 rich brown, only they were a great deal better"
 Mot better than grandma'sn broke in chorus of indignant voices.
 "Well,'' said grandpa, looking wicked ly about. ssgrandma's pies, as it happens, are the only ones ever saw which were exactly like Nelly's and just as good"
 The dear old lady blushed like a girl.
 s.Now, Thomas, she said, .'you musn't tald such nonsense to the children" ssOh, ''shrieked Jack, the irrepressible-- .sgrandpapa's name is Thomas ,ain't it? l guess-.'' But here somebody choked him of and grandpa went on very fast.
 ssSo all the pies were baked, the loaves of bread. the Thanksgiving cake and the plum pudding mixed and put over to half boil, for it was great thing in those days to get buildings boiled and, by that time, supper time was nearly come.
 Dittie came down very good natured and talkative. She had finished her dress and quite recovered her temper; and Nell ", who was tired, looked little pale and sat quietly most of the evening.
 But there was no danger of Cousin Toms making any further mistakes "A hours had done the work of a month, and he had made up his mind, once for all, that the pale, weary face in the corner was the sweetest face in the world.
 Wednesday was almost as busy as Tuesday. There were the last touches to be given to the cooking, and the house to be frightened up, and the red apples to wipe and arrange with Autumn leaves. Cousin Tom helped in everything; and, when the afternoon came and he found that great many of the pies were to be carried about the neighborhood as gifts to poor people, who depended upon this yearly remembrance, he insisted on go- ing to carry the basket and hold the um- brella, for it was showing 8 little. seed not inform you that Nelly was the pie