Year: 1870




"Look at that" cried my grand
mother, striking an attitude worthy of
Lady Macbeth, when she addressed the
fatal spot on her hand; this time, how
ever, it was only her scissors which, in
falling, stood upright in the floor.


81 see. It's nothing uncommon, is
it?"


"Did you ever know it to happen
that stranger didn't come before the
day was out?"


81 never noticed; somebody was al
ways coming, for the matter of that"


81 tell you that sign don't faiP'--
(my grandmother always used double
negatives when she meant to be en-
phatic, )-"most others will, but that's
true as book. And another thing,
there was stranger in my tea tonight,
long one--that shows tits man
that's comm. Some folks set a great
deal by that sign; but it amt to be
mentioned the same day with the scis-
sors standing up in the floor"


81 hope he will come soon, or the
storm will be here before him." and
with the words the wind went wailing
around the house, and the first big
drops beat against the window pane.


Threescore years and ten had not
taken the first bloom from the romance
of my grandmother's character; il was
fresh and green as in her girlhood
Beggars heard of her afar off, and ran
to fall on the neck of her charity.


She followed the advice of Lamb
without ever having read it. When a
poor creature came before her she stay
ed not to inquire whether the "seYen
small children" in whose name he i'm
plored her assistance, had veritable
existence, bat cast her bread upon the
waters and lived in faith.


In fact, she had cast so much bread
upon the waters in the course of her
long life, and so small proportion had
come back. to her, that she had nothing
left for herself except the old farm and
the gambrel-roofed house.


Within its walls my father had first
seen the light, and lived till he went
out to fight the world. He fell early in
the strife, and my mother soon followed
him; but not until she had marked out
my way in life, and so fixed me in the
groove of her ideas that 1 had no
choice left. l went to village acad-
emy till I was old enough to enter the
"Normal School," for my destiny was
TO be teacher. My little income had
to be eked out in some way; and of all
work to which woman may turn her
hand, a school, perhaps, divides the
burden most equally between body and
mind.


When 1 graduated, my grandmother
left the old gambrel-roof to see me do
it, and carried me home with her for a
breathing SPELL" las she said, be-
fore getting a place to teach.


AS to my future l was neither happy
nor unhappy, but rather between. At
twenty life runs on with very little fric-
ton; there is excitement enough in
mere youth to make living pleasure.


The evening drew on with ever-in-
creasing gusts of wind, and the old
house shook to its foundations, but ii
clung gallantly to the great central
chimney, which, being nearly as broad
as it was high, could afford to be in
different when wind and weather came
together and made night oft.


Il hope you don't mean to sit up for
that somebody who is coming. All
signs fail in wet weather."


The words were scarcely spoken
when we heard the tread of horss
running at full speed down the steeI
hill above the house, then crash ol
the fence and all was still.


We held our breath and listened
Soon mans step sounded low and
heavy on the walk and my grand
mother rushed TO open the door.


"Don't be scarf" said familiar
voice of one of our neighbors, and be
stumbled in carrying man in his
arms.


"Lay him right on the lounge-get
the camphor bottle-here's somebody
sure enough--don't tell me again thai
signs ever fail. Who is it, Job?"


81 dunno his name; city fellow,
reckon. Said he'd pay me most any
price to get him to Meriden tonight
The mare did well enough till we got
to that ere hill, then flash scared her
and she never stopped till she brought
up agin' our fence. If he hadn't beer
a fool and jumped out he might a. beer
as spry as 1 am; but some folks dom
know nothing"


"That's SO, that the rest can get
livin' out of 'em," said my grand
mother. Meantime she was vigorous
ly chaGng his hands and feet, while
dashed camph,r in his face, and bathee
the broad, wide forehead, which GER
tainly promised well for the brain be
hind it.


"He must be dead" said 1. "H'
don't come to at ALL"


"No, be amt. Folks can't be killed
so easy. He'll give you trouble enougl
before you're done with him. Now
i'm go after the doctor; tain't nowsy