The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1899-12-13
ALMY'S SETTING OUT

The engagement was announced the
afternoon OF the sewing at Rachel
WrIghts. A dozen early arrivals were
having a perfectly deiectapie half hour
! discussing their various ailments when
Mrs. Wheeler entered almost breathless
and exclaimed: "Almy Timmins is en-
gagedl"
The interest In patent medicines and
pills at once died out. and the news
| bearer was beseiged with questions as
to who how, where and when.
Il don't know nothing about II. on
| ly Amy met me at he gate as l came
by and told me. and he's living some
where In the west" was the reply
Pears to me-" said Grandma
| Wright, that the sewing'll have to
work harder than IL did last year IL
that's so. There'n be something more
to do than Just to make things for the
fair"
How SOP" inquired Jane Cox.
Why" said grandma. I'VE promised
IL Almy got married we'd make her
aettin'-out, and l guess we amt goin
back on our word. Dear! dear! Don't l
remember II Well Must have been L.
years ago. Twas u leap year. and we
he'd the sewing down to Almy's Aunt
Maria's. Guess she'll remember well
enough. Almy was 2s or SO. and we run
ming her bout not being married I
could see she didn't like It, but she
wasn't spry-tongued enough to get in
her answers. 80 she KEEP still. Bimeby
we let her alone. and someone was say
in that IL was perfectly shameless the
way two or three of the girls was
THROWN themselves at the new minis
ter. Then Amy spoke up quick like:I
don't know why they shouldn't try for
him II they want him. Girls amt
treated fair They're laughed at when
they don't marry and laughed at when
they try to, Seems to me If they'd
ought to have husbands they ought 10
do all they kin to hurry and git en-
I'VE all lust roarcd. and said, Good
for you. Amy so and get yours--it's
leap year--and Wen make your setln-
out
And she said short and sharp-lilxe,
'Mcbhe | Will and / knew by the set
Of her lips and the lift of her chin she
meant TO try"
And try she did" said Mrs. Torrey;
mot young Teller around that hadn't
the refusal Of her"
Maybe she didn't" put In Jane Cox,
ehnritabIy.
Maybe not ;" shifted Mrs. Torrey, in
reply, :" I'D don't mt know ne We! 9nly 9e2At X
came to me and asked permission to
ask him first"
"Well, WELL" said Grandma Wright.
Kindly, "Almy's good girl and will
make n good, thrifty wife for any man.
even If she amt right wise In some
things Amt bad-looking. nuther."
Wonderful plain, l call her" put In
Mile Weaver. with toss of her own
pretty head,
81 Dunno" said Mrs. Torrey, thought
fuzzy; you'll low she's got style"
st r. replied Mile. soornfully.
yes. I'll low any one that's took the
fashion papers for years and practiced
the pictures before the glass is bound
to have some sort OF style"
well. she didn't have n mothers
brlnging-up and I'm glad she's got
him, and1l have home OF her own"
put in Grandma Wright again, but
wonder who he Is and how she got
him"
But the latter question wasn't an
Bwered even when Amy and Aunt Ma
ria Timmlns themselves appeared.
though there was not lacking those
who could put two and two together
when they heard that Joshua Curtain
had been thrashing up to Timminses
and had mentioned that n recent letter
from a cousin with whom he had been
brought up, but who had lived In the
west for over 20 years, had told his
trials MS Il widower with a young and
growing family. A month from that
day Amy had announced herself en-
gagged TO the western cousin.
The sewing society held nobly to Its
promiga of making the setting out. and
as II gave Its daintiest handiwork and
Amy was bound to spare no expense.
It was such one as had never before
been seen In that neighborhood. Even
Capt. Kings daughter who married
the young man in the grocery business
down in York, never dreamed of such
splendor In vain did the interested
friends assure her that on an out-of-
the-way farm she wouldn't have any
need of such clothing and when wash
day came round she would be glad OF
something plain. Almy replied that she
was going to get a good husband, and
she was going to him at her best She
was old enough to do as she liked and
she was spending Abe money "heired"
from n maternal grandfather. the
boarded savings of o lifetime.
Her clothing was the talk OF the
town and the fame of II spread even as
far ms the West Hills. and the folk from
there fell into the habit of dropping In
OF n Sunday to inspect the things. Not
that these pious people would have
dreamed Of deliberately planning 30
worldly q pleasure on the Sabbath, but
Timmins always had been a handy wa
tering place for the horses on the way
home from church and while the men
were employed with the "criters," II
was quite easy and natural for the
women folk to step into the front room
for a little visit and, with the clothing
spread out around the spare chamber
Just adjoining, II wasn't In human ma
turc to resist.
But the glory OF the entire outfit was
the black silk dress. Not even her brid,
al gray received the same attention. II
was the creation of a city tailor. made
In n style so recent that to the initiated
II appeared out OF fashion. The reason
for its existence was confided first to
Mile Weaver md leaked out one
morning when she and Mrs Torrey
met AT the corner store. Tile c'efR
counted out the eggs and weighed the
butter In the latter's basket.
Dollar ten, they come to, Mrs Tor
rey. What'll you have?"
| And as he filled out the grocery order
In exchange he chatted on.
THAT reminds me-Almy Timmins Is
saving creature. Came In an hour or
80 ago with an egg to post letter.
Told her I was sorry, but Uncle sam
didn't take eggs. She said 1t was good
fresh Leghorn and ought to be glad
TO get 1t. Sorry says. but Just had
advices from Washington that they
wasn't going to set any more hens this
year"
Then she go. hatfy, SO lent her