The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-02-01

FOR minute JOnn looked AT her,
and he was so pale l was afraid he was
sick. Then be said "Then will bid
you good afternoon"
And Patty pulled ring off her 6n-
ger, handed it to him, and said, And
! will bid you good afternoon"
Hannah had come to shut the door
into the hall, and so heard what they
said, and as Patty came back into the
kitchen she said, "Oh, Patty, l am
afraid you will regret what you have
just done"
But Patty's eyes flashed as she an
swered, 81 don't think j will ever re-
greet that wouldn't be tyrannized over
by jealous man." Aud then she
walked out of the room and didn't
come down again, not even to supper,
and Hannah said she had bad head
ache.
After that il didn't seem so pleasant.
John didnt come any more, and Ham
nah looked troubled, and Patty didn't
seem bit like herself Aud how she
did work. Hannah used TO try not TO
have her spin so much. | thought she
must be afraid it was hurting her, she
was so pale and her eyes were so red so
much Of the time. Aud one afternoon
Ben came in and said: "Patty, did
you know John Harmon was going
west? He starts next week"
Patty held her head very high, and
said: 1t makes no difference TO me
where John Harmon goes, or when he
goes" though when l went to call her
to supper found her in her room cry
ing as hard as she could. But if Patty
didn't care about Johns going away,
knew did. The next day Hannah and
| went to the east woods for white oak
bark for coloring, and as / was going
down TO some chestnut trees by the
road to see if there were any cheslnuts
left, saw John Harmon going by. l
ran then as fast as / could and climbed
over the fence and called to him:
"Johnl Johnl don't go westl ! don't
want to have you 60 westp
As soon as he heard me he jumped
off his horse and took me up in his
arms and said, Then, Abby, there is
some one who will miss me after alp"
OF course l should miss him, told
him; there was nobody who gave me so
many things or told me such nice sto-
ries as he did, and l couldn't have him
go. Wouldn't Levi Jerome answer
Just as well? ~ he asked.
Levi Jerome | " | said. 81 can't
bear Levi jerome; he always calls me
sissy; besides, he don't come to our
house any more now cousin Patty Les
ter has gone home"
Patty Lester" he said, s." when was
she at your housed"
"Why, that time our Patty and Levi
jerome went after her, when she
sprained her ankle so and couldn't go
out at all. She was so lame she could
hardly walk" l added, but she could
60 TO the door every time Levi came,
which was almost every single day while
she stayed"
With that John said some things, as if
to himself, about what fool he'd been,
and he put me down and jumped on his
horse and rode away without another
word. l went back to Hannah and told
her about it, and she said must always
be careful what | said about people, but
she didn't say it as though she minded
much.
When we got back home there was
Johns horse standing at the gate, but
Hannah would spread out the white oak
bark in the woodhouse chamber first;
so by The time we went in he was gone,
and Patty's eyes were as bright and her
cheeks were as red as two roses. Han.
nah looked at Patty and laughed, and
Patty asked if l wouldn't take the little
tin pail and 60 to the spring for some
fresh water, and when 1 came back
they had both been crying, but they
didn't look sorry at all, so thought it
couldn't be for much.
After that Patty and Hannah quilted
more quilts, and Patty had fire in the
south chamber and sewed and sewed,
and John didn't go west or say any
thing more about going. And after
while cousin Patty Lester came over
again, and they baked and baked till the
stOrerc ON Closet was full of cake
frosted cake too. Toen one afternoon
Hannah told me l might stay home