Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1892-12-30
Deacon Brackets Proposal.

IN great haste down the lane one
bright spring NOR .ng.
"Whoal Good morning. said Will.
pulling up the deacon's old horse
Steady at the gate. "Much obliged to
you, I'm sure, for coming down here
10 see me-" as lie waited.
''Don't tease, Will; | had reason
for coming, of course. Is Deacon
Bracket at home todayr'
eyes, and likely to be for awhile.
He cut his foot yesterday, chopping
mp in the birch pasture"
''Is 1t bal cut, Will?"
''Eo-that is, only a flesh wound,
but it will confinc him to the house
for week or two,' l suppose. Are
you coming over to see him?"
'.No, of course not; but Aunt Se-
rena wanted me to ask"
s'Ohl then she's comiugl" unwit-
tlngly hitting on the truth. "What
can she be coming to see the deacon
for?"
"Well," replied Dolly, al suppose
she wouldn't want anything said about
it, but we heard the deacon wanted TO
sell the ten-acre field, aud Aunt Sc
rena will pay him as much for it as
any one else can afford to. 1t joins
her lot you know, and she always said
1t ought to belong to the farm"
$50 that's it," said Will; "didn'i
'now, seeing it's leap-ycar, but she
might have some idea"--
"Nonsensel l wish she had. though.
She said only this morning. jokingly,
she'd good mind to propose to the
first single man she met, for hired
helps worse than no help, and it will
take all the crops she can raise 10 pay
for raising them."
ssThars about the case at homc,"
exclaimed Will. "Mary James
mothers taken sick and sent for hor
this morning; I've Just carried her 70
the depot, and the deacon's lame, and
that leaves him with no housekecpcr. !"
Dor-o-thyl" called her Aunt Serena
from the door. ..The clo'cs are bilin'
an the butter has come"
"And Pm comingl Good-by,
WHIP
.Good-by, Dolly; l guess, Miss
Dame can buy the field"
Dolly ran into the house, and while
her aunt stamped the golden balls of
butter she deftiy rinsed, wrung aud
lung the snowy clothes on the line.
"Aunt Serena" asked Dolly at
dinner. just as her aunt poured out the
second cup of tea, having noticed this
was her most communicative time.
"Deacon Brackett is nice man, isn't
he?p
claw sakcs, child, there amt
better nowhere about. Sapiu is a
food calkilator; where you find one
man his equal, you'll find ninety mine
wns ones"
$50 thought" observed her niece.
s'I wonder why he never married?D
81 can't tell. ye that, Pm sure.
Prap's the deacon's little too particu-
lar. 'Taint every woman could suit
him, brought up as he was"
"No. l don't know of but one, and
that's you, Aunt Serena
.'Don't be foolish, Dorothy" said
Miss Dame, sharply. And Dolly, sat
isfied that her aunt would say nothing
further on the subject, maintained
sagacious silence.
In the meantime Will had hurried
home, where he found the deacon ly-
ing on the lounge, groaning dismally
with the pain in his foot and the gem
eral condition of affairs.
Ibid you get the linimcnt, VIII
Iiam?" quericd he, anxiously.
"Yes, sir; here it is. Shall bathe
your foot now"
= ''No. You may loosen the bandagc
a bit, though, Of yer mind tew. How
on airih we're goin' tew git along till
Mary Jane comes back is .more'n
snow."
"Well," answered Will, after an in
,pection of the larder, ''tscre's plenty
IF cold ham and three loaves of bread,
and can boil eggs and roast potatoes,
10 we sha'n't starve for awhile |
guess"
''Mebbe we might git Brother
Johns widder awhile"
Cant" said win. promptly; "shc
sn't at home."
"lhen It's no use going for her, .
yroaned the deacon.
'.Not the least" replied viii. sBy
he way, when | came by the DANES
place, Dolly came down 10 the gate
and said her Aunt Serena was coming
over here this afternoon
"Conin' here this artcrnoon?7
echoed the deacon. sits about that
fcncin', s'pose.'
NO." said Win, II guess not--I
think-l-ihat is" then desperately,
"it's leap year, you know"
| llAnh ,uhnI nf Il lii ~ nnarinl lin