Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1892-01-01

Sometimes a tear would drop on
Toms sleek coat, but that was not
often; only when she was silly, she told
herself.
Now there was, about three-quarters
of mile to the right of the widows
shanty modest little shock. half COW
cred with luxuriant vines; over the
front door was a roughly-made lattice,
and this, too, was covered with the
vines, and the whole cottage was a
picturesque little affair and the envy OF
the schoolma ANS, who loved flowers,
but whose vines always died and whose
ornamental gardening was confined to
a bed of siclzly-looking four o'clocks
which grew by their door.
The owner of the vine-draped shanty
was a bachelor OF middle age who
spoke with queer foreign accent. lie
was an extremely bashful man and he
scarcely dared look at the ladies as
they passed him, with the good-natured
''Howdy'' that was the customary
greeting of the country.
The widow had watched him often
from the window as he plowed upon
his claim, and she admired his fine
manly bearing, and she did wish in
her heart that he'd be bit neighborly,
and she told Tom SO; but Tom only
purred and stretched himself in the
sun.
Now, as / said, the schoolma' ans
were passionately fond of flowers and
were discouraged and chagrined that
nothing would grow in their door yard.
So one day when they saw the owner
of Vine cottage, as they called it, set
ting out for town, they equipped them
selves with basket and trowel and,
stopping for the widow, they went on a
tour of pillage.
They all entered into the fun of the
thing and in an hour or more droop-
ing, dejected-loolxing vine was clinging
to a string beside the door of each cot
tage.
And the odd thing was, that while
the vine of the schoolma' ans faded
and died, that of the widow grew
and throve marvelously. So wonderful
was its growth that soon it began to
spread over the walls and roof until her
shanty rivaled the vine cottage in the
way of verdure. And the two old
maids jolzed the widow and caused her
to blush furiously at the undignHied
prank she had played in getting the
vine.
In time, the shy man grew little
neighborly and sometimes a brace of
prairie chickens would be hung, with
put word on the widows door. Or
again it would be lot of rare pebbles,
quartz and agate or trout or pickerel
from the lake, near by. And at each
offering the widow would nod her pret-
by head wisely and smile to herself
Nature was kind to the pioneers that
year. There had been no severe storms,
no terrible heat or drought, and in No
yember it was still mild and warm,
without sign of frost Everyone said
that it was remarkable season, just
as though the remark were quite new
and original.
The widow.was saying to herself one
afternoon that after all it had been very
pleasant to be pioneer woman. There
had been no great discomforts and de-
privations, and now that there were but
two months more to stay. she was half
sorry.
She had been putting away some OF
her summer clothes, and white Mother
Hubbard wrapper, favorite garment
of the widows, hung upon clothesline
beside the house 1t was u dainty
thing, white cambric, with lace-edged
ruffles and with pink ribbon bow with
long ends at the neck. Indeed, TO have
seen the widow in it would have recon-
ciled the most prejudiced person to the
much-maligned Mother Hubbard.
There had been little fitful gusts of
wind all day and late in the afternoon it
became quite gale. The tumble weeds
hurried from spot to spot as the wind
veered about, and the dainty Mother
Hubbard tapped furiously in the breeze,
but the widow was reading very in
teresting book and never looked up until
crash came u flying board against the
side of the house and the shanty began
TO sway and rock like cradle.
II was short-livcd storm and there
was no damage done, and in half an
hour the sky was again clear; but
when Mrs. Drake went out to look for
her gown it was gone. OF course the
wind had torn ii TO tatters. There was
no use TO look for it; it was gone for
ever, and with sigh the little woman
went into the house.
The next two months flew very
swiftly. The bachelor had grown
bolder and had come to call, but the
lively widow did the most Of tho talk
ing and he replied in broken monosyl-.
tables.
The weather was still bright and
pleasant, and there had been no biz
yards, no snow That was remark
able" too, for it was nearly holiday
time. e
Then came Xmas, such a queer, quiet
day with not even n letter from Priscil-
la. But even then there was genuine
rcrret in her heart when Mrs. Drake
began TO pack her belongings prepara-
tory TO going back TO the states She
was in better health and spirits than
ever before, and she had quarter sec
tion OF land of her own and she had
made some pleasant friends. On the
whole it had paid we'll
II was New Years eve and she was
TO leave the next morning. She put on
an extra lump of coal and set the
lighted lamp in the window. She
thought it might cheer somc one, you
know, and it did; it shone way out on
the path and lit the way for the bach
elor as he came hurrying across the
fields.
As he came into the little room, bare
Of all the pretty little articles which
had made it so cheerful and homelike,
his heart gave thump to think that it
would so SION be empty and deserted,
and he resolved to say what was on his
mind at once.
But the words would not come; he
could only open the parcel which he
had brought and take out-guess what!