Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-10-22

the world as 1t Is and q bit Of girl
with her life to shape with such load
Of biddings and forbiddlngs upon her.
who expects her to rise to fair dealing
with free and sovereign man? Ger
tainly Lucinda did not expect 1t Of her
self. She never dreamed Of such a
thing. She vaguely intended to marry
Ethan some time lf-maybe-but- In
the meantime she had no notion Of per-
mitting him to discover that there was
any other woman in the world, not
while she had eyes and such long
lashes as we'll and was really very fond
Of the good Ethan. Pity him? What
affectation! He was the most enter
tained man In seven counties. More
over. he won the game. But this IL
anticipating.
The travellers went 25 miles the first
day and then. all unannounced, de-
scended upon a "neighbor" for the
night. Returned prodigals could not
have been more heartily welcomed.
Much squawking and futtering among
the chickens roosting In the apple trees
in the back yard followed their arrival
and testified eloquently as to the sup
per that they were to enjoy. But our
business lies now at the end Of the
journey.
Truly. Mrs. Simms had expressed
herself with her customary insight and
exactness when she called Milly Anson
a pasty faced, addle pated fy-up-tbe-
creek. o..
On all sides II was felt as IN especial
evidence Of providential consideration
that MiIly had got husband-or the
promise Of one. Here. again. l see
strange evidence Of the absence of just
consideration for the masculine part Of
the race. No one could regard It as
good fortune for man to have Milly
Anson as a wife, but his immediate
female relatives alone were occupied
with his fate.
Milly was now swimming In all the
importance of the occasion-an i'm
portance which too often unduly elates
the most pleasing woman and which
affected Milly in way and degree
we'll fitted to madden any observer.
especially If she were an unmarried
woman.
The most famous caketnaker Of the
county, who had been lordlng 1t In the
kitchen for q week, was by no means
unmarried. and she had the liberation
born of q large experience Of brides
elect, yet even she found Milly un.
endurable.
81 have been asked to bake the cake
at eleben weddin's sence l married my
fust husband" said she afterward. mot
only for my own kin. but among the
Gileses and Simmonses and down to
Strathboro and over the Ridge. and
I've seen a heap of fool gyirls, but I'll
gin up that Milly Anson that week was
a notch beyond any on 'em. stood her
Jest as long as l could, and at last l
broke out on her. 1t was jest the day
before the thing was to come off. and
she KEEP teeterin and titterin In and
out, a.jarrin the floor and maxim my
heart come In my mouth for fear my
last big pound cake in the oven would
fall, and I'd told her more'n a dozen
times that very day to stay In the
house; but, no. sir. she would keep COM
in to say how strange her feelin's was
and that she knew she never could rarn
Tummas' ways and she never would
a. done 1t II Tummas hadn't pestered
her into It. Tom Simmons-bless you!
And lastly she bounced In on to me.
catchin hold Of me, and me with my
hands all In the -four. and says she:
oh, Cousin Liz. I'm sa skeered! I'm
gettin so skeeredp says she. Now, It's
my conviction that she'd made up her
mind then as to what she was goin to
do and was sure enough gettin little
fidgety. but In course never had no
such reflection then. and I'd had all !
could stomach. 'Milly Anson,' says l,
there's no need Of your bein any big.
ger eeJet than the Lord made you.
STOP a-clutchin on to me! I'm wore out
with your pertenses. If Tom SIM
mons'll marry you, more fool he, but
you better have q thankful heart, and
reckon you have. AS for bein skeered,
wish you was skeered enough to
break your appetite and stop you from
eatin them snowballs fast as git the
frostin on 'em. You're livin example
Of the truth Of the Bible and the wis
dom of King Solomon says l, for he
tells how the yearth Is disQuieted for
three things-yea, four-which 1t can
not bear says l, for seen that quotin
the Bible ag'in her was strikin her
more'n anything else-'a servant when
he reigneth,' went on, a fool when
he's filled with meat, an handmaiden
that's heir to her mistress and an
ojeous woman when she's married or
thinks she's goin to be. It's the same
thing. And now, II you think l made
that up outen my own head, you go
and read your Bible long enough and
you'll Farm better. At any rate, git
back to the house, and don't you step
your foot into this kitchen ag'in,' says
l, for says 1. hollerin after her-she'd
done started, tryin to keep hughin'
like twas joke-'if you dOes,' says l.
nary q table will set for you. Pm
tellin you the truth, and you know
what things Is likely to be withouten
me- says l."
The famous cakemaker had relieved
herself, but truth and Scripture still
failed to make new Milly, as little
time was to show. 1t was the after
noon of the wedding day when Lucinda
arrived. The ceremony was to be per-
formed that evening. The house was
already full Of guests and was like
hive Of swarming bees. such a buzzing
and hurrying and scurrying were there,
for toilets were In the making, and
many a white dress, brought. like Lu'
cinda's own. In saddlebags. must now
be ironed out, be the kitchen quarters
filed with never so much anxiety anu
turmoil of their own.
The men. more or less unhappy and
stranded, tried to keep out Of the way
and staid chiefly out Of doors. Despite
intermittent. decorous efforts to save
himself for the great moment. the
bridegroom was painfully conspicuous
among them. being marked and soil
tary man by reason OF bis store
clOthos