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Show 198 UNCLE TOM'S CABIN: on, 11 how is thee, Ruth 1" she said, heartily taking both her hands. "Nicely," said Ruth, taking off her little drab bonnet, and dusting it with her handkerchief, dif;playing, as she did so, a round little head; on which tho Quaker cap sat with a sort of jaunty air, despite all tho stroking and patting of tho small fat hands, which were busily npplicd to arranging it. Certain stray looks of decidedly curly hair, too, lmd escaped here and there, and had to be coaxed and cajoled into their place again; and then the new comer, who might have been five-nodtwenty, turned from the small looking-glass, before which she had boon making these arrangements, and looked well pleased,- as most people who looked at her might have been, -for she was decidedly a wholesome, whole-hearted, chirruping little woman, as ever gladdened man's heart withaL "Ruth, this friend is Eliza Harris; and this is tho little boy I told thee of." " I am glad to see thco, Eliza.,- very," said Ruth, shaking bands, as if Eliza were an old friend she had long been expect-ing; "and this is thy dear boy,- I brought a cake for him," she said, holding out a little heart to the boy, who came up, gozing through his curls, and accepted it shyly. "Where 's thy baby, Ruth?" said Rachel. "0, he 's coming; but thy Mary caught him as I oamo in, aml rnn off with him to tho barn, to show him to the chihlren.'' At this moment, tho door opened, and Mary, an honest, rosy-looking girl, with large brown eyes, like her mother's, o:une in with the baby. "Ah! ha!" said Rachel, coming up, and taking the great, white, fat fellow in her arms; "how good ho looks, and how he da~s grow ! '' LIFE A:\IONG HIE J .. OWLY. 109 "To be sme, he docs/' said little bustling Ruth, as she took the child, and began taking off a little blue silk hood, antl various layers and wrappers of outer garments; and h:wing gircn a twitch here, and a pull there, and variously adjusted and arranged him, and kissed him hc~Lrtily, she set him on the floor to collect his thoughts. Baby seemed quite used to this mode of proceeding, for he put his thumb in his mouth (as if it were quite a thing of course), and seemed soon absorbed in his own reflections, while the mother seated herself, :md taking out a long stocking of mixed blue :md white yarn, began to knit with briskness. " Mary, thee ·u better fill tho kettle, hadn't thee?" gently suggested the mother. ~hry took the kettle to the well, and soon reappearing, placed it orer the store, where it was soon purring and stea.ming, a. sort of censer of hospi tality and good cheer. The peaches, moreover, in obedience to a few gentle whispers from Rachel, were soon deposited, by the s..'lme hand, in a. stew-pan over the fire. Rachel now took down a snowy moulding-board, and, tying on an apron, proceeded quietly to making up some biscuits, first saying to Mary,-" Mary, had n't thee better toll John to get a chicken ready?" nnd :Mary disappeared accordingly. " And how is Abigail Peters ? " said Rachel, as she went on with her biscuits. 11 0 , she 's better," said Ruth i " I was in, this morning; made tho bed, tidied up the house. Leah Hills went in, this afternoon, and baked broad and pies enough to last some days; and I engaged to go back to get her u.p, this ercning." 11 I will go in to-morrow, and do any cleaning there may be, and look over the mending," &'lid l'tacheL "Ah! that is well," said Huth. "I'rc heard,'' she n'lded, |