The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-01-03

row boards OF dalntliy-oIleu NeolS'0
nine. and was the pride Of Mrs. Pea
body's heart. The windows were
draped with snowy cotton, finished
with home manufacture ball fringe;
the chairs, of bird's-eye maple, had
been part of Mrs. Peabody's wed
ding outfit, twenty years ago; and the
great clock in the corner, with its pol
ished brass dial, and the landscape
painted on its door-in which q pre-
ternaturally pink-cheeked shep-
herdess had been tending three tuny
sheep of half century at least, with
ont growing a day older-con7eyed o
certain idea of thrift which is in
separable from New England farm
house.
And over the well-blacked stove q
hinge brass Kettle was boiling and
bubbling; for Mrs. John Peabody
had set apart this particular day
consecrated it, as it were-to the pre-
serving of grapes.
Mrs. Peabody had been up before
daylight to gather the empurpled
treasures, in superannuated clothes
basket; for Mrs. Peabody kept city
boarders, and her time was precious.
She had picked them carefully from
the stems, while her boarders had
been discussing broiled ham and eggs,
and delicious new bread; and, just as
the grapes were boiling into violent
maelstrom of sweetness, Mrs. Hlgbee's s
barefooted little boy had come patter-
ing in, with q face crimsoned by the
haste he had made, and every 'lndl-
vidual hair on his head standing up
in a different direction.
"Why, Moses, what's the matter?'
said Mrs. Peabody, stirring desper-
ately away at the grapes.
"Our baby's got fiji" said the
namesake of the Israelitish law-giver;
s'and marm wants you to come d'reck-
ly-r;ght away"
"But I can't" said Mrs. Peabody.
"Don't you see that I am preserving
grapes?"
"Our baby's got a ft," repeated
Moses, in exactly the same intona-
tion; "and marm, she says tell Mis-
Peabody to come d'reckly!"
"Those Higbees are really too try
ing!" said Mrs. Peabody, despair
ingly. "I doa't believe there's q
thing ails that baby, but I'll have to
n.s6 and see, 7 suppose. Clarence!"
Clarence Peabody, the farmers
syuunger brother, who was under-tutor
in st. Silvanus College. and popularly
supposed to DO possessed OF superhu-
man knowledge and education, came
| out of the back parlor, where he was
studying out the derivation of Greek
word-a tall, pleasant.faced:' young
man, with blue eyes, and decidedly
auburn-red hair.
well, Hepsey?" SAID Mr.. PeA'
= body. .
"Would you do lne q favor?" said
Mrs. Hepsey, in appealing accents.
"a "With all the pleasure il life" an
swered hel brothfr-in-iaw.
"Just keep these greres stirring
minute" pleaded Mrs. Peabody
."while run over to ziachariah Hig
bees, to sesif that everlasting baby
really has any thing the-natter with it. >
Givins over the huge wooden spoon
into ths hands of the tutor of st. Sill
she caught up her green ging
ham sun-bonnet and hurried away. a
Clarence Peabody looked over into
the boiling mass.
"What lovely color!" thought he.
"How delightful it smells! But it's
slightly warmish here over the fire,
with the thermometer at seventy odd.
I hope Hepsibah won'tbe long"
Z He stirred away more vigilantly
thai ever, still thinking Of that Greek
root.
"Five minutes" soliloquized Mr..
Peabody, glancing at the clock.
"Sevcn minutes-ten minutes. Come,
this is q little too much"
Jus. then, CHANGING to look in the
direction OF the parlor, Clarence Pea
body behcld half a dozen sheets O;
his manuscript whirlirS away through
the open window into the vegetable
garden beyond.
"Confus;on take it," continued NJ.
Clarence Peabody; and dropping tue
wooden spoon into the grapes be
rushed frantically to the rescue.
Page ono was easily found; page
iwo was impaled, SO to speak, on the
= prickly branches of o hourisminS
goosebcrry hodge; page thrco alight-
ed, unharmed, on the shores OF the
duck pond; but, alas! pago four was
nowhere to he found. And, after a
long and fruitless search, Clarence re-
turned dejcctcdly to the kitchen, only
to be greeted by IN overpcwering
smell Of scorchcd sweets.
''Great Apollo! the thing is burned
to crisp" said he, lifting his hands.
Just then Mas Middleton, the pret-
ticst and most ethereal Of all the city
boatders, put her goll.crimped head
into the kitchen. to beg for smooth
iIg.iron to press out some nowly-
gathered ferns. The tutor hailed her
as a guardian angel. Hc could not
hein knowing that, on the whole, she
was li::la inclined to be partial to
him.
"M!ss Middleton callel he, lyon
have appeared here inst in the nick
OF tilae. IIepsoy will never forgive
me for spelling her preserves. Can't
you set EN- right some way or other?:"
~ Miss Middleton opened her china.
blue eyes very wide.
"I?" she cried. "I haven't the
St idea how preserves arc made"
Paahndr reonrIlad her q littla