Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1857-11-05
DAVENPORT. NOVEMBER 8. 1857
lvrom the Atlantic Mon,hly.I
SALLY PARSONS DUTY.
(CCntinued.l

body, without they wiggle for them
selves pretty considerable well fnst.-
This ant the newest news to me; I've
been expectin' ont a long spell, an
Eve talked considerable with West
bury folks about it and there ant no.
body much, round about here, but
whatll stand out again the Britishel~,
sxceptin' fuckers folks they're desp'-
mt for Church an' King; they tell as C!
the Lord gin the king special license
to set up in big chair and rcwl crca-
ton /; an they think its particular sin
TO speak as though he could 90 skew
how. Now l believe the Lord lets
folks find out what he does o Scrip
tur !; and han't found nothln' yet TO
tell about kings pein' better than their
neighbors, and it don't look as ef this
king was so clever as common. Is'pose
you Liant heered what our Cony Con-
grcss is doin, hev yc, Snappsr
well, no, l han't. They was alay-
in to last / heerd, SOS to settle their
course; 'xpect they've hcavod up an
let 60 by this, but han't seen no sig.
nails RsA
Dear me- interrupted Sally, "a real
war coming and ant any thing but
a woman
Her cheeks and eyes glowed with
fcrvcnt feeling, as she said this; and
the old sailor turning round, surveyed
her with grin of honest admiration.
well said, gal but you're out O
your reckonin,' if you think women
ant nothin' in wartime. tell yea,
them is the craft that sails afore the
wind, and does the signallin' to all the
feet. When gals is full-riggcd an
tonguey, they're regular prcss-gangs to
twist young fellers round, an make 'em
sail under the right colors. Stick to
the ship, Miss Sally; give help at
the MINDLESS now'n then, an don't let
nary one o them fellers that comes a
buzzin' round you the hull time turn
his back on Yankee Doodle an you
won't never hankeIto be man, eff It's
wartime y
Sally's eyes burned bluer than be-
fore. Thank you kindly, Mister
Snaps. I'm obleegcd to you for put
ting the good thought into my head.
(If | don't poster George Tucker! the
plaguy Tory y
This parcnthesis was mental, and
Sally went off to bed with busy
brain but the sleep of youth and
health quoted it and if she dreamed
of George Tucker in regimentals,
am afraid they were of fragrant militia
scarlet the buff and blue were not dis
t.nctivc yet. How ever, for the next
week Sally heard enough revolutiona-
~ doctrine to revive her Sunday night
enthusiasm the flame of successful
rebellion had spread The country be-
gan to stir and hem ominously the
people assembled IN groups, on corn
crs, 10y church steps, around tavern
DOORS with faces full of portcnt and OK
pcctancc; ploughs stood idly in the
fields; and the raw boncd horses, that
should Of right have dragged the re-
lnctant share through heavy clay and
Astounding stones, now, bestriddcn by
GREATNESS couriers, secured the count
ry hither and you, with news, messages,
and orders from those who had taken
the right to order ont of the hands to
sleek and positive officials.
Nor were Wcstbury pco| lie the last
to wake up in the general reveilh-
Everybody in the pretty, tranquil Will
age, tranquil now no more, declared
themselves openly on one side or the
other Peter Tucker and his son
George for the king, of course ; and
this open avowal caused a sufficiently
pungent scene in Miss Sally Parsons
keeping room the very next Sunday
night, when the aforesaid George, in
company with several of his peers, Wis
tied the farmhouse for the laudablc
purpose OF 'sparkin' Miss Sally.
There were three other youths there,
besides George; all stout for the con-
tinental side of the question, and full
of eager but restrained zeal ready to
take up arms at a moments notice;
equally ready to wait for the ripened
time. OF such men were those armies
made up that endured with woman's
patience and fought with mans fury,
righting great wrong a. much by
moral as by physical strength, and 60
ing to death for the right, when death,
pitlless and inevitable, stared them in
the face.
Long Snaps had been in his own
phrase, 'wcather-bound, at Westbury,
and was there still, safe in the Chin
ney-corner, his shrewd face puckcred
with thought and care. his steady old
heart full Of resolute bravery, and long
ing for the time to come flint and
steel ready to strike fire on the slight
est collision. On the other side of the
hearth from Snaps sat Ezekiel in his
butternut-colored Sunday suit ; the four
young men ranged in grim row Of
highbacked wooden chairs; Sally,
blooming as the roses on her chintz
gown, occupying one end of the settle,
while Aunt Poll filed the rest of that
institution with her ample quilted pet
ticoat and paddsoy cloak, trying hard
to keep her hands still, in their unac-
customed idlencss,-nay, if it must be
told, surreptitiously keeping up knit
ting with the fingers, in lien Of the ac-
customed needles and yarn.
An awful silence reigned after the
preliminary bows and scrapes had been
L.