Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-06-11

jerk and ended with question which
she would repeat till answered, and as her
sentences were usually short, her questions
were frequent, and they were like those some
times asked by children, hard to answer from
their very simplicity, or confusing from their
bluntness nor would she be put off with
evasive answers-you had to give her entire
satisfaction. ~
John Foster by some sinexplicable means
contriged always to look, tolerably decent,
though he was never Known to buy an arti-
Gle of dress; wore hat-coat- boots, whose
age Qike his OWN no one knew to certain
ty, and pantaloons, the origin of which the
shrewdest observer could not even guess at
Among the latter were pair remarkable for
their exceeding ugliness; they were of snuff
colored cloth, plentifully sprinkled over with
moons and stars, and either on account of
their capacity for hiding dirt, and thus re-
ducing his washing bill, or from real af-
fection for them, he wore them more than
any others, and but for these pants, his ward
robe might have escaped the catechism of
Mrs. Twitter. As it was, ssshe had Gas she
said) always hankerin' to know how he
came by them"
"Well," the old lady would begin, (choo-
sing lunch-time because she knew that her
victim wouldn't escape her then.) ri don't
see how some people keep their clothes so
good-now there's my old man has wore out
half dozen coats since you've had that-it
must be mighty good cloth-what did you
give for it, if it's fair question ?"
"Forty dollars" was the short reply.
"Sakes alive d! it ought to be good-when
did you buy it?"
"Forty yearsago!" when the wearer might
have been FIVE, and could not have been more
than ten years old.
"Great frost 1t has done good service
who in the world did you buy it from?
"Don't know the mans name-never ask
ed-didn't care-wouldn't have listened if
told," and having swallowed the last mouth
full, the tortured man made his escape for
that time. But the next day the indefati-
gable old lady began another page of her
catechism, and this time few preliminary
remarks brought her to the grand object of
her curiosity, the pants with the moons and
stars.
"Mr. Foster, if it's fair question, where
did you get them pantaloons? They look
like they come out of the ark. I don't be-
lieve there's any thing like them on the face
of the earth"
"Perhaps there is above the earth, mad
am" was the really angry, but pretended
facetious reply.
"No, nor in the skies neither" pursued
Mrs. Twitter; ''to be sure there's moon
and stars, but they aint on dirty looking
ground work of snuf-color If that cloth
had been blue now, there might have
been some sense in it. When dd you buy
them ?"
"Samc time I bought the coat"
"Dearest me! and they aint bit alike
neither. Why who did you buy them from?"
"Don't know-never ask any body's name
think it's none of my business
want to know it."
"You don't say so! Well, if it's fair
question, Mr.. Foster, what did you give for
them moon and star pants?"
But just about here the patience and ap-
petite of John Foster having been both Sc
verely tested, suddenly failed; and for once
in his life his real feelings were exposed,
as he exclaimed,
It's not fair question, madam; NONE
Of your abominable questions are. You're G.
nough to drive man mad" and seizing his
hat, he left the room in prudent haste.
"Im enough to drive man mad, am | 2"
Screamed the old lady after HIM "but you
take plaguy good care not to be driven mad
till you eat up all that nice chicken salad,
and that whole duck, and that ham, and
tongue, and pound-cake Why didn't you
run mad sooner, and let somebody make
something by it?" But as John Foster was
by this time at least fifty yards off, she got
no answer to that important question, so the
conclusion of her remarks was uttered in
lower tone. 81 do believe that he comes
here for nothing else in the world, but to
stuff. I aint forgot his trick about them
gater boots yet-then to think that Dorcas
is such fool as to stick out that he did'nt
do it purpose. Well I only hope that he'll
spile the others for her, I'd be willing to pay
for FIVE pair of green CATERS just to see John
Foster spile them for Dorcas, and believe
he'll contrive to do it too."
Surely the spirit ofprophecy possessed the
old lady
The next day was Sunday, and though
clear and bright, so bitterly cold that Miss
Dorcas had tolerable excuse for absenting
herself from church during the forenoon,
promising to attend in the warmer part of
the day.
Seated in luxurious rocking chair, before
a comfortable fire, in her uncle's handsome
parlour, she awaited the usual visit of Mr..
Foster, and really, as she sat there, she made
a very pretty picture. She was arrayed in an
elegant green silk dress, which fitted her
rather robust figure to perfection, and which
was quite short enough to allow liberal dis
play of the much-loved green CATERS. Her
little feet rcposed on the low fender, and her
elbow rested on the arm of the chair, while
her white hand supported her head, and the
brilliant rings with which every finger was