Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-12-24

como away and marry a poor minister.
i've noticed Ruth, you're not AFRAID
Of people" said her brother, because
they are either rich or proud or both.
\ to your credit. be II said and perhaps
there may be smart chnp among
I them for one of you girls, you'll need
~ man in tho house for protection II
go away" Protection two or three
/ exclaimed at once. wen have JAKE
and his wIfe TO protect us, and good
bolts and locks and wen not be 'in.
easy on that score, arid " we get
/ frightened or have any difficulty Wen
rent the farm and go and i've In
/ Utica"
ment YET said George, but the mother
| looked very serious and the suggestion
| dropped there. for II was easy 10 gee
that the mother was grieved over "
! Finally after come consultation the
bill Of goods from town was made mp
and some moro talk about the conn
pany expected. then the usual good
! NIGHTS were snid, and though l1ere
| was kind of restraint In their leei-
| lngs, the household routine was Inuch
| the same as at other chfistnuS ho'"e
! festivals.
The guests came in troops almost
| Rachel's cousins children from New
| burgh among The number. ana Tue
snow was so deep that the fences were,
moi Visible for days, but indoors all
u
which invariably adds to the cheerful
ness of winter days. Imagine II mousse
with six young women who knew now
to decorate even II II Is In the country,
and these fair maldens had been away
TO school in Utica and Albany. and
had seen n little outside of their own
town: and the vlsitprs had brought
elaborate presents of gay materials,
and the cooking was nearly finished
before the company came, al eNcept
the turkeys that were roasted before
the great freplaces (more us sort OF
pastme and curiosity and turned
round and round with skewers ANA
Drowned to perfection. All the pastry
and buildings and meats We're cooked
In the great brick oven In the immense
kitchen and Jake and his wife Mandy
helped tend to the baking. and every
thing was done to perfection, as even
the city guests admitted.
And while the feastlng and merri-
ment was going on there was also
love making sub rosa, for the pariors
We're only partially lighted, and there
were hooks and corners. and little
Mercy was being numerically leased
with admirers for whom she didn't
care a straw, while all the time she
pined for look or smile from one,
who stood apart and frowned, as quiet
men do when in love instead of max
ing hay while the sun Shines There
were beaux enough to go round
among the visitors but for their sisters
and cousins there was only George,
and the young fellows bantered him
about looking up some partners for
the odd girls, as there was to be some
dancing during the week. Your sis
ters and cousins wouldn't look ut the
country pumpkins about here" said
| George II don't like to try the ex-
pertinent of introducing the boys; they
won't see at what disadvantage they
4 -. 7 u III 1r.Vs
for me to stand the brunt of it,"
wen stand by you IL your try it,"
| they responded. George acquesced.
and selected among his companions
few of the most presentable and in
vited them to the house for the follow
| ing evening. so the acquaintance might
| begin before the night of the dancing.
The scheme worked well: the boys
were shy but the young ladies were
sensible enough to appreciate the re-
spect they showed in their manner,
and were willing to dance with them
and found them very agreeable part
ners. They had good music. too.
George had been very particular to
secure that, and nothing could have
| been more delightful than the party on
that Christmas night in the long ago
| in that large dining room profusely
decorated with evergreens and scarlet
| berries intertwined and winter flowers
| gathered weeks before and kept in n
| dark cellar. The mistletoe had been
brought from New York City by one
OF the young ladies, and was hung in
the center of the parlor.
| Music and dancing are destinations
| in themselves and often lead to love-
making unwittingly, and this party
was no exception to the rule. George
made love effusively before the night
was over to one of the young girls
from Newburgh and proud as she was
Z. f.l..nt ..x.1
though she was retlringly modest he
| succeeded in getting her under the
mistletoe, though she sarcastically re-
scented his maneuvering, and scolded
her cousin for smuggling the mistletoe
up there in her trunk
Mercy's would-be lover was not so
successful at that time. but Sarah
whom all the family thought doomed
| to single blessedness. was ardently
wooed that night by one OF the visitors
from Albany. William Van Luven;
afterwards love letters were inter-
changed, and the marriage followed in
the early spring.
George and Waalthy spared great
deal during the few days that re-
manned of the holiday weeks, but
her was tbst she So dn aSsrfui With
almost under protest however to cor
respond with him, If her parents were
willing on her return home. and to
consider the proposition Of going with
him to the far West sometime in the
future If he should return after a few
years. This was not very satisfactory
to George, who had given his whole
heart and affections unreservedly and
received no loving response, only cold
formality. For some days after the
company had left he was moody and
taciturn and made the home more
gloomy still by his very evident un-
satisfactory lovc-affair, with beauti-
full girl. who rather haughtlly ac-
cepted his prutestations
Mercy was as sweet and nmiable as
ever though she had not even known
whether this young Apollo. Paul Sy-
monds. cared for her MS she sometimes
had suspected. Sarah was so joyous
at the prospect OF her own marriage
that she needed little the affairs 60
ing on In the family around her.
Ruth I'm motherly way wcs delighted
that there was to be one wedding and
thought II n good omen for the rest
and had she been informed of Mercy +
little secret. she would have passed II
, over gaily. and told her there wRs
, plenty of time for youngsters of her
age.
Time passed and George. who had
: completed necessary arrangements, plit
was stlll very much in doubt about his
! sweetheart, started off to Newburgh
= determined TO face the situation as
g mail after mail brought him no letter
, Mrs. Fleming was anxious, the glrls
d | resented it, for their brother WAS good