A Country Doctor | Page 8

new one too could be dropped into the river for good and all.
They put the jug of cider between the andirons, and then, moved by a
common impulse, drew their chairs a little farther from the mounting
flames, before they quenched their thirst from the mugs.
"I call that pretty cider," said Martin; "'tis young yet, but it has got
some weight a'ready, and 'tis smooth. There's a sight o' difference
between good upland fruit and the sposhy apples that grows in wet
ground. An' I take it that the bar'l has an influence: some bar'ls kind of
wilt cider and some smarten it up, and keep it hearty. Lord! what stuff
some folks are willin' to set before ye! 'tain't wuth the name o' cider,
nor no better than the rensin's of a vinegar cask."
"And then there's weather too," agreed Mr. Jacob Dyer, "had ought to
be took into consideration. Git your apples just in the right time--not
too early to taste o' the tree, nor too late to taste o' the ground, and just
in the snap o' time as to ripeness', on a good sharp day with the sun
a-shining; have 'em into the press and what comes out is cider. I think
if we've had any fault in years past, 't was puttin' off makin' a little too
late. But I don't see as this could be beat. I don't know's you feel like a
pipe, but I believe I'll light up," and thereupon a good portion of
black-looking tobacco was cut and made fine in each of the hard left
hands, and presently the clay pipes were touched off with a live coal,
and great clouds of smoke might have been seen to disappear under the
edge of the fire-place, drawn quickly up the chimney by the draft of the
blazing fire.
Jacob pushed back his chair another foot or two, and Martin soon
followed, mentioning that it was getting hot, but it was well to keep out
the damp.

"What set the women out to go traipsin' up to Thacher's folks?"
inquired Jacob, holding his cider mug with one hand and drumming it
with the finger ends of the other.
"I had an idee that they wanted to find out if anything had been heard
about Ad'line's getting home for Thanksgiving," answered Martin,
turning to look shrewdly at his brother. "Women folks does suffer if
there's anything goin' on they can't find out about. 'Liza said she was
going to invite Mis' Thacher and John to eat a piece o' our big turkey,
but she didn't s'pose they'd want to leave. Curi's about Ad'line, ain't it? I
expected when her husband died she'd be right back here with what
she'd got; at any rate, till she'd raised the child to some size. There'd be
no expense here to what she'd have elsewhere, and here's her ma'am
beginnin' to age. She can't do what she used to, John was tellin' of me;
and I don't doubt 't 'as worn upon her more'n folks thinks."
"I don't lay no great belief that John'll get home from court," said Jacob
Dyer. "They say that court's goin' to set till Christmas maybe; there's an
awful string o' cases on the docket. Oh, 't was you told me, wa'n't it?
Most like they'll let up for a couple o' days for Thanksgivin', but John
mightn't think't was wuth his while to travel here and back again 'less
he had something to do before winter shets down. Perhaps they'll
prevail upon the old lady, I wish they would, I'm sure; but an only
daughter forsakin' her so, 'twas most too bad of Ad'line. She al'ays had
dreadful high notions when she wa'n't no more'n a baby; and, good
conscience, how she liked to rig up when she first used to come back
from Lowell! Better ha' put her money out to interest."
"I believe in young folks makin' all they can o' theirselves," announced
Martin, puffing hard at his pipe and drawing a little farther still from
the fireplace, because the scorching red coals had begun to drop
beneath the forestick. "I've give my child'n the best push forrard I could,
an' you've done the same. Ad'line had a dreadful cravin' to be somethin'
more'n common; but it don't look as if she was goin' to make out any
great. 'Twas unfortunate her losin' of her husband, but I s'pose you've
heard hints that they wa'n't none too equal-minded. She'd a done better
to have worked on a while to Lowell and got forehanded, and then

married some likely young fellow and settled down here, or to the
Corners if she didn't want to farm it. There was Jim Hall used to be
hanging round, and she'd been full as