FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106  
107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   >>   >|  
at me, with a feeble appeal for sympathy in his expression. Oftentimes he sighed deeply, and related anecdotes redolent of "red salmon" and "deer flesh," "strawberries as big as teacups" and "peaches as big as pint bowls," in places where he had sailed. Once, he ventured to remark, apologetically, referring to the beans and pumpkins, that "bein' sich a mild winter, somehow he didn't hanker arter sech bracin' food, and he guessed he'd go over to Ware'am, and git some pork." "Wall, thar' now, pa!" said Grandma; "seems to me we'd ought ter consider all the fruits o' God's bounty as good and relishin' in their season." "I call that punkin out of season," said Grandpa, recklessly. "Strikes me so." "I was talkin' about fruits. I wasn't talkin' about punkins," said Grandma, with derisive conclusiveness. "Wall," said Grandpa, very much aroused, "if you call them tarnal white beans the fruits of God, I don't!" "Don't you consider that God made beans, pa?" "No, I don't!" "Who, then--" continued Grandma, in an awful tone--"do you consider made beans, pa?" Grandpa's eyes, as he glared at the dish, were large and round, and significant of unspeakable things. "Bijonah Keeler!" Grandma hastened to say; "my ears have heard enough!" As for Grandma, neither her appetite, nor her spirits, flagged. In spite of her confirmed habit of tantalizing Grandpa--and this was from no malevolence of motive, but simply as the conscientious fulfilment of a sacred religious and domestic duty--she was the most delightful soul I ever knew. At supper, it was a habit for her to sit at the table long after we had finished our meal, and to continue eating and talking in her slow, automatic, sublimely philosophical manner, until not a vestige of anything eatable remained, and then as she rose, she would remark, simply, with a glance at the denuded board:-- "It beats all, how near you guessed the vittles to-night, daughter!" Then Grandma resorted to an occasional pastime, harmless and playful enough in itself, yet intended as a special means of discipline for Grandpa, and certainly, a source of great torment and anxiety to that poor old man. Between the hours of eight and nine P.M., Grandma would deftly glide out of the family circle, and be seen no more that night. At bedtime, Grandpa would begin the search, while Madeline and I ungenerously retired. In the privacy of my own chamber, I could hear the old Captain tramping de
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106  
107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Grandma
 

Grandpa

 

fruits

 

guessed

 

simply

 
talkin
 
season
 

remark

 
ungenerously
 

finished


Madeline

 

continue

 
sublimely
 

philosophical

 
manner
 

automatic

 
eating
 
talking
 

search

 

supper


retired

 

conscientious

 

fulfilment

 

motive

 

malevolence

 

tramping

 

Captain

 

chamber

 

sacred

 

delightful


privacy

 
religious
 

domestic

 

eatable

 

resorted

 
occasional
 

pastime

 
harmless
 

daughter

 
Between

playful
 

discipline

 
source
 
torment
 

special

 

intended

 
anxiety
 

vittles

 
glance
 

circle