The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1855-04-13
MRS. BELCHER on GOING TO KANSAS.

We seek foreign strand.
land of promise to the brave,
Whose hearts are firm and true;
And quail not, though familiar things
Are passing from their view"
He then proceeds TO inform the astonisheC
Mrs. Belcher that they must be ready to q
in fortnight
Nr. Belcher, will you have the goodnes,
to inform me whether you are crazy or not
II not you've certainly been taking some
thing strong. Fie upon you, Belcher, for t,
churct-member, ana teetotalIet MS you pre-
tend to be. Pretty dongs, these. What dc
you suppose Deacon Smith will say, when he
learns how you have been led astray!
Deacon Smith go To
Don't swear, Becher.
Who's going to swear! say again Dea.
con Smith may go TO grass for all me.
haven't been drinking any more than you
have, nor half 50 much.
Mr. BeIcher, do you dare to insnuate that
|, the wife OF your bosom, am guilty OF
drinking? .
Just wait till | get through. said hadn't
drunk so much MS you, and rs havnt had
anything to drink sinre dinner, suppose it 5
true enough. But, us was saying, we shall
have to be as busy us bees to get ready for
Kansas in fortnight.
Are you in earnest, Belcher!
| Never more 50.
And you have fully decided to 60?
Certainly.
Aud TO take me-and the children.
| Or course.
Very well-uery ,oelI, Alr. Belchcr. Allow me
To inform you that not Il step do either | or
The children bulge, and ii you take US at all,
You take us by main force.
Pooh, that's all nonsense. Don't you know
that when We once get there We can male
our fortune in no time. Everybody says
that it's land flowing with milk and hon
ey.
Milk and honey, forsootI! You might
as well say that it's II land flowing with milk,
rattesnakes and anacondas, and hit nearer the
truth.
All travellers in that region unite ia assert
ing
beg you won't interrupt me, Belcher. 1t
doesn't make any difference to me what they
assert. Then besides, If we should happen
To escape the rattlesnakes and anacondas,
which isn't very probable, there's the savage
Indians that'l be breaking in upon us, aud
shooting US down dead with their bows and
arrows, and may be scalp us with their toma-
hawks How should you like to come home
some night, and find the children weIterng in
their gore, with their scaIps hanging TO some
Indians war belt don't say anything oi
myself, for Heaven knows, Becher, it doesn't
make much difference 10 you what becomes
OF me.
thought you knew that Indians didn't
trouble us in that way now.
TO be sure not when we stay where we
belong. But if we take it into our heads to
go to such II savage place, it would only serve
us right. should like to know, Mr.. .Bclchcr,
what possible inducement you can have to
go there.
1t ought to be sufficient that we shall there
be able to do our part towards rescuing that
beautiful region from the blight of sla-
L;J lI,.t;,l,.t I ,I,y,,s thruubt
you was fool, Belcher, and now know it.
What made you marry me then!
1t was a sheer pity, BeIcher, and not love.
You needn't flater yourself.
Youmight add that when n woman is twen-
ty.nine, she isn't very particular.
BeIcher! You are brute! You know per-
fectly well that was only twenty four when
you married me. Whstling, are you? should
like to know what you mean by that.
Only to ask how many years you had been
twenty four, and how it happened that your
next youngest brother had at that time been
voter for six years.
That has nothing to do with what we
were talking about, Belcher. 1t seems that
you think more Of the nggers than you do
Of your own children. What advantages do
you think they could have out there! And
what kind of style do you think we could
support in the woods. And If wanted to go
shopping some day, should like to know
how I'm going to do it! And my poor dear
mother! How do you suppose she can get
along without me!
Perhaps it would be better for you to stay
here with her, and let me take the children.
Yes, that's remarkably fine plan, isn't it,
Becher! A mighty fine plan for getting rid of
me, upon my woid. No, Becher, you needn't
llatter yourself Ill do any such thing. Won
der how long you'd be in finding n new moth
er TO the children. Poor things! it's well
they've got one parent with heart enough to
care for them.
Very well. The children and 90 in n
fortnight. Ifyou choose to 60, Ishould like
to have you. But ifyon would rather stay at
home, there's Miss Jennison, think, would DO
willing to go and take care of them.
This, by the way, only thrown in for the
purpose OF influencing Mrs. Becher, who, rs
her husband anticipated, declared with much
emphasis that before shed leave her children
in charge OF such mink, she'd see 'em in
their graves. So Mr.. Belcher gained his point,