Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 May 1875 — Hannah’s Lost Stocking. [ARTICLE]

Hannah’s Lost Stocking.

BY MRS. HATTIE F. BELL.

“ Have you seen my stocking This was the momentous question the usually’ quiet household one busy Monday morning. It was asked down in the kitchen, where little, brisk Patty was patiently turning the griddle-cakes; but Patty, only laughed and said, “ How do you s’pose I know ? I guess ’tain’t likely’ to be in the buckwheat batter!” It wgsasked in the dining-room, where Aunt Rachel was bustling about anjl clattering the china and jingling the silver; but Aunt Rachel only meekly responded, “I’m sure I do not know, Hannah, hasn’t thee got it on thy foot?” It was repeated to the hiredman Zaccheus, who, though like his ancestor of old short, in stature, was, in his own estimation, as big as any two ordinary’ men, and when poor Hannah, still intent on lier fruitless search, ran plump into his arms in the woodshed and, all out of breath, asked,‘so piteously,. “ Oh, Zack, have you seen my Stocking anywhere ?” that, personage was u p on the stilts of his dignity in a twinkling. “Zack, indeed! Who do you think you are talking to? My name ain’t Zack, I’d inform you; and you ought to be ashamed, nicknaming a Bible name; but if it’s-the stocking that’s got a big hole in the heel and a piece of string tied roimd the end to keep your toes, in, I’ll just remark I haven’t seen it since it ■hung on the clothes-line last week, and Ben Elderkin was milkin’ fun of it.” This was the last drop in poor Hannah’s cup of grief, for that was the “ identical one,” as she gasped to. herself, and to think that Ren, her heart’s beau-ideal of goodness and truth and manhood and uprightness and everything else in the vocabulary of virtues—to think that Ben, of ail others, should have seen that stocking and laughed at it! Oh! it was too bad, and Hannah sobbed outright at the thought; “ And perhaps even now he's got it,” she sighed. “ I bet Zaccheus has stole it and given it to Ben, just to spite me for settin’ on his new’hat the other day.” She seemed to settle down upon this idea as a fixed sact — though how Zaccheus could possibly, by any means or ar,t or sleight-of-hand performance, have obtained possession of Hannah’s stocking was a problem that would have puzzled a pretty sharp lawyer, as she was sure she took it off and laid it bv the side of her bed the night before, and her door was every night locked w ith a key, I hen buttoned, then her bedstead pulled up against it, and her one window’ was nailed down with two nails each side, and she slept up in the second story at that. But in her indignation she never thought of all these things, but took it as a settled truth that Zack had stolen her unfortunate stocking to set Ben against her, and so she went about all day, with one stocking off and one stocking on, and ’tis no wonder she felt rather ohe-sided, especially when Zack came around. But she never gave him a word or a glance, so great was her mortification to think that anyone should have seen the failings of her stocking that, for want of the “ stitch in time,” had now’ even got past the nine or twice nine to make it worthy the name. “ That’s why she. flumed .’round so to find .it, I guess, ” said little Patty, hitting the truth exactly, “cause she was ’shamed to have anyone else pick it up.” Poor Hannah! But the day sped on, and she carried it*through:

For Hannah found plenty of work to do; Her heart was alternately heavy and gay, ’Twixt fearing, and hoping, anil wishing all day; But of all the dear wishes that strengthened her then, The dearest was this —that she might have Ben. And so she went abpfit getting supper, resolving very wisely as she went from pantry to dining-room and back into the pantry again not to let this little thing spoil her appetite. But, alas for Hannah! The butter was down cellar, of course, anil she started, plate and knife in hand, to get some; but at the top of the stairs a wee little mouse, frightened half out of -his-senses that he was Seen so far away from home, ran with all his might to get back before somebody should catch him, anil away went his little cold feet, scampering in their hurry right across Hannah's stockingless ankle. She screamed, dropped the butter plate and finally dropped herself down—down, clear down to the bottom she went, and then laid still waiting for somebody to come. Somebody did at last. She screamed so they couldn’t help it, and she was helped along up the stairs and put upon the couch in the din-ing-room: and good Aunt - Racliffi was there in a moment to pacify anil prescribe. “Where is thee hurt, Hannah?’’ “ Oh. my foot, my foot!” groaned Hannah, kicking the couch alternately with one and then the other. Aunt Rachel pulled off her shoe. “Nothing the matter with thee.here,” said she. Then off came the other one; then the little, wrinkled hands tugged away at the stocking, that poor, mateless stocking. “I’m afraid thy foot is swollen, Hannah,” said she; “thy stocking seems so full.” But with another tug, aided by Patty’s fat hands, off’ it came with a jerk. “ And oh! auntie, auntie!’’ said Patty, “ just, look!” And auntie did look where the chubby finger pointed and burst into a gcry un-Quaker-like laugh. “I s’pose you’d laugh if I was dyin’.” groaned Hannah, “t)ear, dear; this ain’t Friday, but it’s the onluckiest day I ever had in my life.”" Aunt Rachel had calmed by this time, save a sly twinkle in the soft gray eyes, and she gently replied to the uncourteous speech of Hannah: “Child, thee has found thv stocking.” “What—has he brought it back ?” said Hannah, who, with closed eyes, bad not seen the object of the laugh. “Thee has brought it back thyself, Hannah. here on thv wounded foot. Thee mav be thankful’ that thee put them both on ’ one foot, for it has saved thee a bad bruise. Now if thee will let me put some of this arnica lipiment on this little scratch, thee will in a few minutes be able to rise and put your stockings on aright—though, if I were thee, I would mend them first,” and Aunt Rachel went for the liniment, while Patty went for the kitcheh and Hannah heard her tell Zaccheus: “ That stocking is found. It has just talked home, and I guess ’tis hungry by the way it holds ita mouth open.” Zack’s “Ha! ha! hh!”

grated upon Hannah’s ear: but while She inwardly resolved she never would jump into bed with one stocking on again if she was ever so sleepy she held her peace; for though she felt somewhat humiliated, yet this was endurable as she comforted herself with the thought that Ben hadn’t had her stocking, after all. JJowever, the little affair gave hen such a serious fright that she never again tied up the holes in the toes of her stockings with a string, but mended them, in accordance with Aunt Rachel’s timely’ suggestion; and though she doesn’t keep house for the practical little Quakeress any longer, but has been keeping house and making stockings for Ben for a couple of years, yet among her choicest treasures she hoards a bottle of arnica liniment—a present from Aunt Rachel when she went to housekeeping—and whenever they talk over the nast Ben always laughs heartily while telling where Hannah found her stocking.— Rural New Yorker.