Middletown transcript., 1893-02-04

along the walk. 1t begins, as i cOul0
not well help seeing, My dearest
Patty and is signed Your ever loy-
ing Levi" If you can explain what
it means, and why Levi jerome was
here four evenings last week, shall
be glad to have you, and think have
a right to ask it.r
With that Patty drew herself up.
"John Harmon" she said. ''you have
no right to speak to me like that; and
have no explanation to make to one
who has shown so little confidence in
me as you have.''
John put out his hands and asked,
Patty, is that all you have to say9"
'That is all, !" she said.
For minute John looked at her.
and he was so pale was afraid he was
sick. Then he said: s'Then will bid
you good afternoon.
And Patty pulled a ring off her
finger, handed it to him. and said,
"And / will bid you good afternoon. "
Hannah had come to shut the door
into the hall, and so had heard what
they said, and as Patty came back into
the kitchen she said, ''Oh, Patty, | am
afraid you will regret what you have
just done.''
But Patty's eyes flashed as she
answered, II don't think I will ever
regret that I wouldn't be tyranized
over by jealous man." And 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 didn't come any more, and
Hannah looked troubled, and Patty
didn't seem bit like herself. And
how she did workl Hannah used to try
not to have her spin so much. |
thought she must be afraid it was
hurting her, she was 50 pale and her
eyes were red SO much of the time.
And one afternoon Ben came in and
said, "Pa;ty, do you known John Har-
mon was going West? He starts next
week.
Patty held her head very high and
said, ut makes no difference to MT
where John Harmon goes, or when b
goes," though when went to call heI
to supper found her in her room crying
as hard as she could. But if Patty
didn't care about Johns going away
I knew did. The next day Hannah
and I went to the east woods for
white oak bark for coIoring, and as |
was going down to some chestnut
trees by the road to see il there were
any chestnuts left, saw John Har-
mon going by. ran then as fast as
/ could and climbed over the fence
and called to him: John! John! don't
go West! / don't want to have you go
Westr'
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 would miss me after
all9''
OF course I should miss him, told
him; there was nobody who gave me
so many things or told me such nice
stories as he did, and couldn't have
him go. Wouldn't Levi Jerome an
swer just as well?" he asked.
Levi Jerome!'' I said. II 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, "when was she
at your house?"
"Why, that time our Patty and Levi
Jerome went after her, when she sprained
her ankle 50 and couldn't 60 out at all
She was SO lame she could hardly walk"
| added, 'sbut 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 a fool he'd been,
and he put me down and jumped upon his
horse and road away without another word.
/ went back to Hannah and told her about
it. and she said must always be careful
what said about people, but she didn't
saw 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. Hannah looked at Patty
and laughed, and Patty asked if |
wouldn't take the little tin pail and 60
to the spring for some fresh water,
and when came back they had both
been crying, but they didn't look
sorry at all, so I thought it couldn't
be for much.
After that Patty and Hannah quilt
ed more quilts, and Patty had a fire
in the south chamber and sewed and
sewed, and John didn't go west or say
ANYTHING more about going. And
after awhile cousin Patty Lester came
over again, and they baked and baked
till the storeroom closet was full of
,ake-frosted cake, too. Then one af-
ternoon Hannah told me / might stay
home from school and put on my new
red dress. I was more tnan surprised
al that. for Hannah never would let
me stay home from school, and to put
an nv new dress of a week day was Of
itself an event.
Rv the time was dressed and Hannah
had combed and curled my hair, Uncle
Horace Lester, cousin Patty's father,
drove into the yeard with all his folks,
and pretty soon Aunt Susan Bean came,
~, TT,,cIa Almon Potter | thought