Looking Back: An AutobiographyRichardson, Merrick Abner
History
Looking Back: An Autobiography
Richardson, Merrick Abner
Richardson, Merrick Abner, 1841-
"Why, Jim, are you so simple as all that? You know that father expects
you to break his colts in the spring, besides he thinks he cannot get
along without your opinion on cabbages and turnips, then why would it
not worry me? Now, Jim, I'm going home, and I want you to limp over
tomorrow and see me, and stay all day, and we will have a good visit.
But, really, Jim, you must not talk serious to me; you must give up
that." Both were silent a moment and then she continued: "There, James
Hall, has that little lecture almost killed you? I see you have the
dumps. That will never do. Look up here, Mr. Hall, have you forgotten
that Miss Richardson is present?"
Jim looked up and endeavored to catch her eye, but no use. When she saw
how pitiful he looked she burst out laughing and walked away with her
chin way up high, then came back with a smile, bade him good-night, and
she was gone.
Jim was in trouble. Mrs. Felker was delirious with grief. Little Juda,
the sunshine of the home, was gone, and Winnie had told him plainly
he must abandon all serious thoughts. He lay awake way into the night
and formed his plans thus: "I will not go over to Richardsons in the
morning, nor the next day nor the next, and perhaps never. I will take
my axe and go up among the old hickory trees and work from sun to sun
and try to banish little Juda from my mind, and also try to forget what
a fool I am; fool--fool--of course I am, tossing around here all night
over a girl that does not care for me. The idea of my consulting with
her father over a cabbage patch. I think Jim Hall is not quite dead
gone yet--no, I will not show my face there again very soon, of course
not. Now I will turn over and go to sleep." But poor Jim, like many
others, would like to forget his Winnie, but could not. Winnie had won
his heart. She had come to stay.
Morning came and as the sun banished the dew from the grass, so
daylight had upset all of Jim's plans concerning the hickory logs. He
did not want to see Winnie in particular--no, but then he must not
treat Mr. Richardson shabbily because Winnie had misused him. "Oh, I'll
go over, of course I will, and visit the old folks, and if I see her I
will pass the time of day to her--that is all."
[Illustration: GOOD MORNING, MISS RICHARDSON!]
He found the old gent out feeding pigs and soon they were engaged in
a friendly conversation. When they turned into the house, Aunt Mary
came briskly forward to greet him and asked many questions concerning
his long hunt for Juda among the Indians, which he could have answered
more sensibly had he not been expecting Winnie. Of course, he was not
anxious to see her, but he wondered where she was.
"Jim," said Mr. Richardson, "you will find plenty of those early apples
down in the orchard if you care for them." So Mr. Hall started through
the orchard and came spat upon Winnie by the wild rose bush, on the
orchard wall.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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