Rensselaer Union, Volume 11, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 August 1879 — GRANDMA’S FIRST BEAU. [ARTICLE]

GRANDMA’S FIRST BEAU.

“Grandma, old Mrs. Lennox sayS you were real pretty when you were young,” said Lena Lawrence, as.she sat by the side of the still comely old lady. “ Much eideeged to Miss Lennox,” said grandma, with a pleasant laugh, for she was a happy, genial old lady. “I b’lieve I was considered pretty good-lookin’ some fifty years ago.” “ And she said you had lots of beaux. Did you?” “Well, I had my share, child. I reckon,” ancLthe faint red in her old cheek grew brighter, “a many and a many before I ever-saw your grandpa. My first beau —O dear me, how well I remember!” And grandma burst into a hearty laugh that almost brought the tears to her eyes. *.* Please tell us all about it?” demanded three or four young voices. “ Well, I s’pose I can if I try. There was a pretty, fair boy lived in the next farm-house to ours, ’bout a mile away. His name was Jedediah. He was ’ bout seventeen when he first aspired to the honor of my company. “ I wasn’t much above sixteen myself, jest out of long aprons, and like girls now-a-days, I s’pose, thought lots more about the beauy than I’d ought to. “One awfully cold night in January, all the family was settin’ in the treat kitchen, paring apples, when a nock came to the door. Father got up and opened it, when in came Jedediah, all bundled up, with the exception of his nose, which was a peaked one. Father invited him in, an’ he soon perched himself on a high chair, and began unwindin’ his comforter. That comforter must ’a’ been yards long. I thought he never would stop. Then he set there ten minutes without speakin’ a word, till by-and-by he burst out with: ‘“I say, Hanner, Elk Waters is goin’ to hev a little party to-night, and he wanted me to ax you.’. “ * I’d like ter go,’says I, looking sideways over to mother, for the little boys was giggling— ‘ if mother says so.’ You see, girls and boys in them days didn’t go off without asking. “‘IPs awful cold,’ says mother, * ain’t it, Jedediah?’ “ ‘ Well, not so very, goin’ through the woods.’ “ * Bear seen in them woods,’ said father, his blue eye twinklin', ‘ and not so long ago, neither.’ “‘Let’em come!’ said Jeddy; we called him ‘Jeddy’ for short. ‘1 wasn’t born in the backwoods to be scared of a bear.’ “‘Well,’ said father, quite soberlike, ‘ if you do meet one, don’t let it run off with my Hanner.’ “ ‘ And mind you bring her home ’fore ’leven,’ said mother. *1 don’t ’prove of girls of sixteen staying out all night to frolics. Now, Hanner, wrap up proper warm, it’s a desp’rit cold wind.’ “Well, I -put on my new caliker, with a black silk apron, worked In herrin’rbone with pink silk, slicked my hair, and was down stairs in quick time. I never felt so grand in my life as I did a-hangin’ on Jeday’s arm. it makes me laugh to think of it, and how I asked him if his ma was well in such a patronizing way. Of course there was fences to git over, and he let me fall at the very fust one. “Dear me! how frightened the fellow was! Why, he stood there like a spook, and let me pick myself up, and then said; over and over, ‘Oh, ain’t you hurt? Arc you hurt bad? Take nold of my arm closer;’ and I snuggled up to his jacket again, trying hard not to limp, for I did lame my ankle a little. But when I got to the old farmhouse I forgot all about it All the girls and boys were there for miles about, and the first thing I heard was—- “ ‘ Oh, Hanner’s got a beau!” and I frfltkindcr provoked, and kinder glad. Well, we played ‘ The Weevily Wheat,” and “ ‘ Here elands a younc couple. J’ined heart and hand,' an’ ‘Hunt .the Slipper,’ and lots o’ Simes that youngsters, don’t think of ese times. We weren’t dressed to kill, with sashes a yard wide under our armpits, could run, and jump, and laugh/ Why, I’ve seen a young feller who had maybe been ordered to redeem a pawn after a game of • button,' chase a girl all over au’ out, and round a house half a-dozeu times, afore he'd gft ft kiss. You’d say now-a-days,.. sich doin’s were undignified, an’ all that, but I know that girls in my day weren’t half as forward an’ knowin’ as they are now. "Wtajl, ’bout ’leven, we started for

home, and we’d got so well acquainted that we talked lots more than when wo came. “ ‘Aint it dark?’ said I, as we entered the thick woods. ‘Nothin’ would tempt me to go through here alone. Do you s’pose there’s been any bears here lately?” “ • Course not,’ says Jedediah. ‘lf there were, you needn’t be 'fraid ’long o’ me,’ and' he held my arm so close that all my fears vanished. What was there to alarm one under the protection of such a great strong, manly, fearless fellow? How I did look up to him! “ • I aint afraid of nothin,’ he went on. • None o’ the boys ever could scare me. No matter what comes—any kind Gt If drtttef--Fd" pYdtect<sU,“lianfief dear. I jest wish there tt>as a bear here! Jes, a real live black bear! I’d show you owl could defend you!’ “ This was getting romantic, wasn’t it, now ? I felt so grateful that I tried to think of something to say to express my gratitude, when ho gave a start and a cry: “ • What’s that?’

“I pulled the wrappings from-my face, and there, moving from the trees to the left, was a great black somethin’, coming straight toward uS,' “Oh, Jedediah, I’m afraid,’ said I, my teeth beginning to chatter, there is a bear! Oh, dear! what shall 1 do?” “ ‘Jest hurry up,’ ses he, and I felt his arm tremble. ‘We’ll hev to be gittin out of this mighty quick,’ and I found he meant it, for I couldn’t hardly begin to keep up with him. The way ne run was something Wonderful for so brave a youth, but the quicker we went, the quicker came that dreadful bear. At last my valiant protector cried out: “ ‘ Let go, Hanner, let go!’ — tTT dh, Jedediah,’ I gasped, ‘don’t run away from me;’ and I just hung on tighter, * while he ran, draggin’ me along. Pretty soon he pushed me, but I wouldn’t let go. “ ‘ Let go of my arm, 1 say! There’s no need of both of us being devoured; let go, 1 say!’ and with that he gave a savage pull at my arm, and away he went, leaving me all alone. “ Well, dear, I couldn’t begin to tell you what I suffered. I can almost realize it this minnit, for all I could think of was howling wolves and horrid bears and everything that was terrible. I knew that black thing, whatever it was, was close upon me, for I could hear it breathe. Of course I had not stopped running when my brave prelector left me, but my strength kind’r give out; faint like, and thought there wasn’tmuch light, the atmosphere turned blacker. Closer and closer the thing came.

“ There was a great clump of trees on one side; if I could make that, and steal behind it, the ‘ bear’ might pass on. I did gain it, and waited, sick with fear. I wonder my hair didn’t turn white, as Lord Byron’s did, poor young feller.” “It wasn’t Lord Byron’s, grandma; it was the “Prisoner of Chilion’s;” Lord Byron only wrote about it.” “O, did he? well, it’s all right whichever way. I clung hold of the trees, trembling all over, and the thing did go past. Gals, 1 did hope it would ketch Jedediah, and eat him all up, I was so angry and mortified and frightened. Well, pretty soon I stole out. The ‘bear’ had gone deeper into the woods, but I knew where I was, on the open road leading to the house, which was only about half a mile away. I suppose the sound of my feet attracted the critter, for I soon found out that it was after me agen, and then there was a race.

“ Screaming at the top of my voice, ‘Father! help! murder!’ I flew on, and on flew the critter behind me. Pretty soon, I saw the light of the house. The front door was open, and father and mother were coming out, and I screamed louder and ran faster, my voice growing more and more hysterical, till at last I fell into father’s arms, gasping: “ ‘ The bear! the bear!’ “I guess I didn’t really sense anything till daylight. They were all frightened half to death, and old fat Doctor Bailey was standin’ over me, and mother rubbin’ my hands and cryin’, and father walkin’ the floor, and, O dear! but it was dreadful/ “ ‘ Where is it—the bear?’ I asked; weakly. ‘ Did it hurt father? did he shoot it?’ “ ‘ The bear, dear, was only Pet, your black pony,’ said my mother, soothingly. 1 turned my face to the wall: Had 1 undergone all that anguish for poor innocent Pet? I felt as if I never wanted to see anybody again. I remembered now that Jedediah had left the bars down where the pasture communicated with the woods, because his hands were so cold, the coward! and our pet pony, who would follow any of the family, had been straying round there, and got over; then she recognized me. “Father was very angry with Jedediah, and, in fact, when the story got round, folks laughed at him sq that he had to leave the place, for, no matter where ho went, somebody was sure to ask hjm: “ ‘Seen any boars lately, Jedediah?’ “And that was my first experience with beaux and bears.”— Youth's Companion. |