The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-01-27

and such-and make up some posy-
beds. I've got lots of seed and you
can have some of 'em-hollybocks, and
china asters, and marigolds, and double
poppies, and sweet-williams and four
o'clocks, and morning glories. They'll
want to go by the window, and you'll
have to move the pig trough. Then
your spare room would be more like
something if it had a carpet, and sofa,
and picture or two, and a centre-table
and, above all, curtains for the win.
dows.
"You haven't got many dishes, l
s'pose, but I'll bring host. I've got
two whole sets blue stoneware, all
except the slop- bowls, besides the best
part of gilt china set. You've seen
'em, / guess. The house wants paint
ing, too; never saw so brown house
for white one. Then we'll want an
extension table so when Betsy and her
children visit us they can sit down.
Don't be offended, dear Ebenezer; I
shouldn't have said all this for the
world but you know you asked me"
Ebenezer didn't know whether he
ought to be offended or not. He was
aattered and yet mortified.
Polly put her hand in her pocket and
brought out her handkerchief, and
with it came her tatting shuttle and
her thread. The sight of these brought
ber mind back to the sober realities OF
life. 1t was stitch, stitch, stitch, with
poor Polly from morning to night, with
no one to love her or care for her as
she merited. So she sat down with her
back to the bushes, and when Ebene-
ger knew by her low sobs that reached
him that she was crying he let go the
bushes carefully, so as not to disturb
her, and walked off home.
| He lay awake till long after midnight
that night. His thumb panied him a
little, but his sleeplessness was not
caused wholly by that.
He was thinking of the time, many
years back, when Polly Wiggins; then
rosy girl of eighteen, was very dear to
him. He remembered how she had
gone to Dame Chadwick's "apple-cut
one night with Jim Winters, and that
she firted with him all the evening.
He remembered, too, how angry and
jealous he was about it, and that he
treated her coldly and never sought to
WOO her after that.
He made resolve OF last, and then
he closed his eyes and went to sleep
to dream of tables of all kinds, with
sofas and pictures, and blue dishes,
and rolls of carpeting, and poppy and
marigold seed by the bushel being piled
promiscuously in his front yard, and
that he was giving to the house coat
of white paint.
Then he was stretching and taoking
down carpet in the garret, and
He awoke with q groan. He must
have been hammering away at his sore
thumb, for it was throbbing and aching
terribly. Sleep was out of the question
now, SO Ebenezer got up and lighted o
candle and walked the bare floor till
daylight, wondering why he had never
felt so lonely before, and thinking as
he never thought before, that bache-
lor's life was wretched one.
A few days after her walk on the
beach Polly sat knitting in her sisters
best room, when that lady came in from
the store, whittier she had gone for
:oll of butter.
"Sakes alive, Polly, you will never
believe it Ebenezer Stickney is turn.
ing everything inside out and upside
down at his house. They're painting
the house outside, and papering and
whitewashing inside, and he's got Jim
Black there clearing out the yard, ]
didn't think much about all that, for
the Lord knows the place needed it,
but just as I left the store what should
stop in front of the miller's gate but
two loads of brand.new furniture. Then
said 10 myself. that means something.
I spoke to Sally Brown about it, and
we both say there's wedding ahead. "
Mrs. Betsy Carver was so excited
over this piece of news that she did not
notice how pale Polly had grown, nor
her hand tremble so that she dropped
half the stitches off her knitting needle,
She ratified away:
Il reckon 1 know who he'll marry.
That brazep faced Murray girl that sits
right in front of him every time he goes
to Victoria to church. She's had heI
cap set for him these two years, Sally
says, and at last she's trapped him.
Polly's face was flushed to crimson
now. She made no reply, but bent
over her work, nervously taking up the
stitches she had dropped.
If she loved Ebenezer Stickney her
sister did not suspect it. Just then
Katy Rice, Ebenezer's little niece, came
in.
please, Miss Polly, Uncle Eben sent
me down after the seeds you said he
could have.
Let me seq, said Polly, musingly.
Oh, yes. He wanted us to save him
some cucumber seed"
Its flower seed he wants, ever 50
many kinds, interposed Katy,
II never promised him any that ]
know of; didn't suppose he cared for
such things" said Polly, little spite
fully, as she thought of Lucy Murray
in connection with Ebepezers flower
garden. Then she added, meekly:
Your uncle is welcome to what ]
have left"
The little girl received the seeds and
bounded away. saying:
"The beds are all ready and I'm to
show Uncle Eben how to s, W them"
Then back she came again.
Il forgot l was tn ask you which are
the morning glory seed. He says you
told him they must go by the win.