Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-11-27

I AM GOING TO BE MARRIED.
was rainin' down. Parson Jarvis is
comm all the way from Sloatesville to
preach tomorrow, and the quire'S
larned a BRAN new anthem just a-pur-
pose, about bein' thankful for harvest
and all that sort of thing. I'm sure
don't know what else you'd have"
Mrs. Nisbett only answered by
sigh.
II wonder If 'tain't possible Stephe
III be hum tonight" she said after a
pause.
HE writ not. He thought he'd drop
In arlY tomorrow mornin, il he caught
the train he expected. Only think, old
woman; it's five years since Stephe
was hum to Thanksgivin'v'
Old Nisbett rubbed his horny hands,
with a chuckle, adding:
"And l s'pose, If all accounts is true,
he's gettin' to be a great man out in
that western country. 1t was kind Of
a hard pull when he went off and left
us. but maybe the boy was in the
right"
EYES," said Mrs. Nisbett dolorously,
''but somehow can't get reconciled to
the idea of his marryin' strange gal
out there"
Joel scratched his head. This was a
phase of the subject that he scarcely
felt competent to discuss.
Maybe you'll like her. Stephen says
she's nice gal"
MON
head and ears in love wouldn't say
anything"
II wish he'd told us who she was"
Mrs. Nisbett groaned again. Joel
went out to the woodpile, the everyday
shrine whence he generally derived
what little of philosophic inspiration he
had.
"Afrs Nisbettr
1t was a soft little voice, and the old
lady's face relaxed instinctively as 1t
sounded on her ears.
"Why, Ida Tremaine-'tain'ty you!"
''It is. I've done everything that Aunt
Constance wanted, and now I've just
run over to see If you don't need bit
of help"
She stood in the doorway, fair little
apparition, all flushed and rosy with
the November wind, while her blue
eyes sparkled as if they were twin
sapphires hidden away under her long,
dark lashes. She was neither blond nor
brunette but fresh checked girl, with
nut brown hair, skin like the leaf of a
damask rose, a straight. refined nose
and lips as ripe as a red crabapple,
though by no means SO sour. Generally
she had demure sort of gravity lin
gering about her face, but when she
did laugh q dimple came out upon her
cheek and row of pearly teeth glim-
mered instantaneously.
In one hand she carried bunch of
late autumn flowers.
"Seeg she cried, holding them up.
for these. knew that big vase on the
mantel needed something, and, with a
branch or SO Of scarlet leaves, I'll have
a royal bouquet to help you keep
Thanksgiving"
Mrs. Nisbett took the fair oval face
between her two hands and kissed the
fresh little mouth.
''Set down, Lida," she said. 81 wasn't
a-calculatin' to have no sech fixin's up,
but you've sech a way. child, can't
never say no to you"
'But you're going to keep Thanks
giving" cried Ida, throwing off her
outer wrappings and dancing up to the
rIoe In Of ind
because you invited Aunt Constance
and me to dinner and because your son
is coming home"
"Yes, child, yes," said Mrs. Nisbett,
subsiding once more into the mournful
| key from which Lida's sudden appear
| ance had momentarily aroused her.
"Joel's got the turkey shut up in a
coop, and the bakin' g done, and I'm
just a-fixin' them apples, and"-
"Oh. OH" cried Ida, who had fiut-
tered to the window, what glorious
red leaves speckled over with little
drops of goldl May / make some
wreaths for the wall? Oh. please say
yesg"
Mrs. Nisbett said "yes"-it would
have been hard work to say mo- to
Lida-and the girl soon came In, her
apron full Of the sprigs of the old ma
pie tree, whose shadowy boughs kept
| the window yelled with cool shadows
through the glaring summer days and
showered fading gold upon the dead
grass when the autumn came.
Mrs. Nisbett looked with tenderness
upon the graceful little figure seated
on the hearth rug, when the shine Of
the high heaped logs lost itself in her
bright hair and made sparkles In her
eyes, as the wreaths and trails Of au-
tumn leaves grew rapidly beneath her
deft fingers.