Alice Wilde: The Raftsman's Daughter — page 44: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AQ) ALICE WILDE. could to make things pleasant. Laws! ef dat nigger ob mine wasn’t sech a fool he could make a fiddle, and play suthin’ for us, times when we was low-sperited.” Pallas’ tongue did not go any faster than her hands and feet. It was the first day in the new house, and Alice and herself had planned to decorate the principal apartment, and have an extra nice supper. Ever since her father left for the mill, in the middle of the day, after the furniture was moved in, while Pallas put things “to rights,” she had woven wreaths of ever- greens, with scarlet dogberries and brilliant autumn-leaves interspersed, which she had festooned about the windows and doors; and now she was busy decorating the table, while the old colored woman passed in and out, adding various well- prepared dishes to the feast. Pallas had been a famous cook in her day, and she still made the best of the materials at her command. A large cake, nicely frosted, and surrounded with a wreath, was one of the triumphs of her skill. A plentiful supply of preserved strawberries and wild-plum marmalade, grape-jelly, and black- berry-jam adorned the board. A venison-pie was baking in the oven, and a salmon, that would have roused the envy of Delmonico’s, was boiling in the pot, while she prepared a sauce for it, for which, in times gone by, she had received many a compliment. Philip had been taken into the secret of the feast, as Alice was obliged to depend upon him for assistance in getting ever- ereens. He was now out after a fresh supply, and Alice was beginning to wish he. would make more haste, lest her father should return before the preparations were complete. Again and again she went to the door to look out for hina ; and at last, six o’clock being come and past, she said with a pretty little frown of vexation: “ 'There’s father coming, and Mr. Moore not back !” The feast waited until seven—eight—and yet Philip had not returned. Several of the men who had becn busy about the house during the day were invited into supper; and at eight o'clock they sat down to it, in something of silence and apprehension, for every one by this time had come to the conclusion that Philip was lost in the woods. Poor Alice could not force cComicbooks.com