An Oldfashioned Boy Author:Martha Finley Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: and has married children. She wasn't happy with her husband—who has been dead for some years; she says he always grudged her her tea, and never let her have enou... more »gh. But here she comes." The subject of their remarks was a little woman, quite below the medium height, and arrayed in a manner that gave her a decidedly grotesque appearance; her dark calico dress was very scant and short, showing blue yarn stockings, and coarse leather shoes below it; she wore a broad-brimmed straw hat, and underneath it her grey hair fell in scanty ringlets about her sallow, wrinkled face and skinny neck. " Good day, girls," she said, as she came up. " Did you sec where Mr. Barlow went ?" " Why, Mrs. Middle, I thought I saw him com ing up the road along with you," said Mary Frost " So he did, Molly; but you sec I went into the house to get my cup o' tea, while he came on into the field. Oh, there he is over yonder, pickin' along with the Tiscopal minister; now I wanted him to jine with me. Well, well, I always was unlucky." And the look of delight at discovering his whereabouts, changed to one of disappointment and chagrin. " Never mind, I'm sure he likes you, and would rather be by your side than anywhere else; but probably the minister asked for his help, and he didn't like to refuse to give it" " Well now, Lizzie, like enough that was it Ib'lieve he does kind o' like me," she said, with a simper. " But ain't he a nice-looking chap ? handsome as a pictur'?" And the amorous glance she directed toward him was quite ludicrous in one of her years. The young girls tittered. " When is the wedding to come off, Mrs. Bid- die?" asked Mary Frost " Oh, I don't know. I can't say as it'll ever come to that" And the old crone shook her head and sighed dolorously. " Why, I thought you ...« less