The Argosy — page 385: what you’re looking at

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

362 The House of Halliwell. had found her. It would be the very thing for Lucy! I declare, if he were within reasonable distance, I’d send my card, and ask him to tea. I know I should get him for you, Lucy.” “Really, Aunt Copp, you are growing old and ridiculous,” re- sponded Lucy, uncertain whether to laugh or be angry. “Old, am I! ridiculous, am I!” bridled Aunt Copp, in a fury ; ‘everybody doesn’t think so. Why, he wanted to try it on with me, I could see he did, a handsome man like him, and not a day more than five or six-and-thirty. He did, Miss Lucy, and you need not begin grinning there. We had the mail to ourselves, or as good, for the fat farmer who took up the opposite seat nearly from side to side was snoring all night. Very polite indeed he was, and very respectful, quite the gentleman in his manners, and would keep on kissing my hand. But I volunteered to tell him I had been married once, which I had found quite enough, and I did not purpose taking another, preferring to remain my own mistress, besides having a dear son, who was chief officer of a splendid two-decker, now becalmed in the Pacific (unless the wind should have got up since), and that I had no love to spare from my boy for the best second husband that could offer. Whereupon my gentleman turned sulky and gathered himself up in his corner. Old, am I? Forty-five’s old, is it? Just put that window up, Mary. I’m hot.” So they had to endure Aunt Copp’s company, and make the best of it. But even before Mary’s wedding morning arrived, and her handsome young husband came and took her away, she had tried their patience severely. CE AcPs ad). Ey Rea QoTGk CAPTAIN KERLETON. Very dull they felt the day after the wedding, Friday. Aunt Copp was setting things to rights in the house and worrying Phoeby in the kitchen, while Hester and Lucy seemed scarcely to know what to do with themselves. Their brother had left them early in the morn- ing, wishing to get home before Saturday. After dinner, Lucy proposed a walk, and Aunt Copp acquiesced. “Let us go and look at the haymaking,” she said. ‘‘ The smell of it, coming in here at the windows, puts me in mind of my young days, when I tumbled over the haycocks with the best of them.” Accordingly, they went into the hayfield, one rented by Mr. Wilhams, the Rector. He was there with his wife and little boys, at work in his shirt-sleeves. ‘‘That’s right, young ladies,” he called out, when he saw them, ‘“‘come and scatter the hay about: the more it’s open to the sun, the better, this hot afternoon. A _ pleasant, rural scene this, ma’am”’—to Aunt Copp. ‘Yes, sir. I was telling the girls that the smell made me believe Gomicbooks.co