Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1897-07-15
ASSISTED In COURTSHIP.

kiah Burnett was counting Maria lilly.
In fact, the report had grown to be al
most a legend, since many of the gos-
lips had passed to the further side and
others had turned gray in the 20 years
that had elapsed since Hezekiah and
Maria had first begun keeping com
pany" and the news of it started to
circulate around the neighborhood.
In those days Hezekiah had been a
lean, lank, loose-jointed, bare-legged,
trecl1le-faeed lad driving his fathers
log wagon, and Maria had been slim
slip Of a girl milking her mothers cows
and helping her brother with the cotton
dropping in the spring, "choppng'
in the summer and "picking" in the
fall.
Yes. no doubt Hezekiah's 'lildng" for
Maria had begun at that period of~his
,allow youth, and in the soft spring
days Of early dropping time. Per
haps the fact that the way from the
deep wine woods 10 his fathers riekety
lumber mill lay past the little lilly
farm had something to do with this
crude awakening of the tender passion
in Hezelkiah's tender heart in just that
particular direction. At all events, il
transpired that during that season
uezelliah managed to make more trips
in a day than ever before and that some
how or other the heavy ruts Of his big
wagon wheels ran suspieiously close TO
The struggling. tumble-down Tilly
fence.
1t was one early morning, rs Heze-
liah was making his first trip for the
Gay, that be had seen Maria with a blue
sun bonnet on her head and a narrow,
short skirted blue and white checked
frock. treadng slowly up and down The
crumbly, brown rows. dropping cotton
seed. So, sliding down from bis pre-
carious seat on the long wagon pole.
Hezclliah had cracked his long whip at
the lazy oxen to urge them up the lane
ulone. leaned his lank elbows, in their
blue-striped sleeves, on the top of the
rickety rail fence for a moment, and
said as the girl came up close 10 him:
Better femme drap a row fur you,
Ria"
Don't keer e I do, 'Kiah," she had
answered. Tipping one gray, Unity seed
from her handful up into his grinning
frecliled face.
Then 'Kiah had put his two big,
frecl<led hands on the top rail Of the
fence and swung himself clear Of the
tangle OF vines and weeds in the cor
ner down beside the girl as she stood
ankle deep in the mellow earth, and
side by side they had marched TO the
end of the rows in silence.
Look like them oxen's goin' power
;ul fas', amt they. Ria ." ne had said,
when they reached the other side of the
tield at last
Don't know but what they is, 'Kiah,"
the girl had answered, peering through
the fence cracks at the receding wagon
as the oxen swung slowly on up the
hill.
She was still peering when 'Kiah over
took the team by and by, but when he
cracked his whip and turned back TO
look down the lane 'Riah ducked her
AfNAu dAAAbAil AAiN hAIAAa anu N0ANAA AAtt
the wagon was out of sight.
BY the time the cotton was up and had
begun TO show its little thick. round.
fleshy leaves in green, straggly lines
along the crest of the brown rows Ria
had grown to look for 'Kiah's wagon as
it crept slowly up the lane in the carly
morning and to count upon his ''lift"
with her chopping. and hoeing time
brought him still with increasing regu-
larity.
But after awhile. when the long sum
mer days stretched and hardened the
tender green plant into the hardy stalk
and the cotton was laid by to wait
the blossom time and the swelling and
the bursting of the balls, 'Kiah looked
in vain for 'Ria's blue sun-bonneted
head among the tangle of dewy morn
ing glories in the field. The first week
ragged away heavily, and his fathers
scolding Mt the mill over the scant pile
of logs that told his task made it seem
all the heavier. But Sunday afternoon
zane at length ard found 'Kiah, at
tired in a freshly-washed shirt much
too large and blue cottonade trousers
much too short, sitting on the steps Of
the Tillys' rickety back gallery eating
peaches with the boys, 'Ria's brothers,
key and Nose and Pete. As for 'Ria's
self, she sat beside her mother on lit
tie narrow. sagging bench under the
water shelf feeling shy without her sun
bonnet and her hoe. Between frequent
lippings aud frequent spittings that
rut the summer air with keen resonance
n her effort TO steer clear of the little
chicken trough that sprawled in q
>oggy pool in the yard below, Mrs. Tilly
Sept conversation going, asking 'Kiah
now his ma was. IL she had put oil many
hickens and did the minl,s and hawks
Jester much up his way. Once during
he afternoon 'Kinh ventured to peel n
pcach that seemed bigger and better
shan the rest and handed it, dripping
md juicy, on the broad blade of his
snife. 10 Ria.
Don't you want this here one. 'Ria?"
he asked. blushing all over his broad,
freckled face.
.sDnn't kear IF I do. 'Eiah" the Girl