Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1900-03-28

IA and Mrs. Stone drove out OF
their farmyard and took the
road northward. The crisp snow OF
the highway, packed and polished by
weeks of good sleighing, creaked
under the runners of their 'cutter, "
and the sun was shining gloriously
over the wooded hills to the east
ward.
The Stones were going to spend
Sunday with ''Cousin Maria, Stones
second cousin, and the object of Mrs.
Stones admiration and envy. She
declared that there was no house like
Cousin Maria's, and no domestic con-
yeniences and advantages like those
she enjoyed; that nobody wore such
beautiful cloth >s, or had such good
things to eat, or commanded such re-
sources to "do with" as Cousin Maria.
In short, Mrs. Amasa Stone, who had
not been great while married. and
who had one of the incest little farm
houses in the country, as we'll as one
of the best and most devoted hus bands
in the world, was somehow victim of
that most disagreeable and, distress
ing malady envious discomfort; and
the immediate occasion of. it was
Cousin Maria If she could only ex-
change places (perhaps not husbands,
but everything else) with Cousin
Maria, how happy she would be!
Curiously enough-by that strange
irony of fate which we often see crop
ping out in human life-Cousin Maria
felt the same way toward Mrs. Stone.
She secretely, but sincerely, envied
the little woman with the big devoted,
loyerlike husband and the model farm
house overlooking one of the most
beautiful and productive valley farms
in New England. eff I could only
keep house like Cousin Ella" she
would sometimes say to her husband;
and then she would add to herself,
,.tPerhaps I might if I had as nice a
house and the things to do with that
she has"
Sincere and cordial envy does not
make people dislike each other, by
! any n cans; andit was natural enough
that Mrs. Stone and her cousin, Mrs.
Holmes, should enjoy visiting each
other and thereby adding fresh fuel
to their mutual admiration. They
travelled back and forth on these social
exchanges good deal, and their hus-
bands, who liked each other land each
others fare, by the wayl, were never
averse to "driying over" for days
outing. The two farms lay some 20
+ miles apart, in different townships,
and about midway between them was
yiilage, where the Stones and the
Holmeses each had special friend.
with whom it was convenient and
pleasant to stop for dinner while
going a-visiting.
The sleigh bells rang cheerily and
the miles rapidly fell away behind the
Stones cutter this February morning,
rs they drove along toward Hydeville,
the half way village. 81 hope nothing
will happen to the stock or the hens,
over Sunday" said Mr.. Stone.
"Oh, don't worry about that!' ex-
claimed his wife. 'tYou spoke te
Leonard, as usual, didn't you?"
stYes, I asked him to fodder once 6
day and attend to the milking. But
he lives quite little piece away, and
if it should come on to storm"-
Z. t'Storml Look at the sky" ex
claimed Mrs. Stone, with scornfu
laugh. ''I declare, if you aren't the
greatest man to worry over nothing.
It was still gloriously pleasant
when they reached Hydeville, at II
o'clock, and they stopped there two
full hours. As they again took the
road, at / CLOCK, they noticed that the
sky had become slightly filmy, but a'
it frequently does cloud over thus to
ward the close OF a fine winter da,
they were neither surprised nor dis
turbel. At 8 o'clock, however the
wind began to rise, the sky grew more
overcast, and before long was splitting
sharply out of the northeast.
"What do you think about storm
now?" asked Mr.. Stone.
s.Drive along and get there as quicl
as you can, ,''was his w;fe's only reply
as she gathered the buffalo robe NOR,
tightly about her.
When they reached the Holmes
farm, ct about o'clock, the wind wa
bowling and the snow driving acros
the landscape in sheets. Mre. Ston
got out at the side entrance ant
plunged shiveringly against the door
but turned at once to her HUSBAND
with look of surprise and consterna
tion. The door was locked! So wer
the front door and the kitchen door
as they speedily discovered.
They're away from home," an
uounced Mr.. Stone.
''They've gone visiting" groane
his wife. ''Oh dear! do you suppose
it's possible they've gone to visit us?
Shouldn't wonder bit" reptile
Mr.. Stone. 'Come to think of it,
heard man 8 laugh when went owe
to the store in Hydeville that sounde
like John Holiness. But I couldn
tell where it came from, and couldn
see anybody that looked like him, 8
gave itups" "...s
"Goosees cried Mrs. Stone. ga
was probably over at Jason Soper'l
where they always stop out in tn
barn, likeSas not. If you'd only me,
toned itf Well, we must just mak
the best of a bad job. I know whel
Mario puts the kitchen key when she
away, and we might as well go in an
take possessior-as they will have
do at our house, I reckon"
The key was found on nail und'
the stop, and Mrs Stone proceede
to take possession, while her husban
stabbed his horse. When Mr.. Stor
came in.he found the lamps sill lighte
and his wife in q high state of excite