The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-12-30
DAY, DECEMBER 80, 1868.

L
ed to stay, they'd druv him off afore Ion
g Jest asthsy always dew-for husband sal
they was beginnin' to growl at payin' the sa
ary. l tell We, 1 felt dretfui sorry when the
went away, and SO did yer uncle--we sot
: great deal by 'eu1. And then they had sue
a nice fanily o. children Susan, the oldes
is as nice gal as ever know'd. l took
. wonderful likin' tew her. Her mother use
/ toilet her come in often and set spell wit
4 me. was awful lonesome after Jefferso
1 went off to study to be doctor. Yer uncl
1 was IN the shop biggest part O. the day, and
used to be here all stark alone good deal c
the time and when Miss Scrantum foun,
out how lonesome was she used to send Su
san over sometimes to see me- She ID fetcl
her fse~in' or knittin' and stay an hour or tew
and sometimes she ID fetch book and rea.
tew me, and it used to chirk me up wonder
fully And Mr. Scrantum, he used to com,
| in once in awhile, and always had somethin
good to say ahH fa7s 77t
''You said he went away of his own ac
cord, aunt; how did it happen ?''
Well, Pll tell ye. When they gin him
call to settle here, they agreed to give hin
| four hundred dollars year, and a douatior
party every winter Well, he thought he
could live on that. -Four hundred dollars wa.
purity small, to be sure, but then they wa.
very equinomieal and ndustrious-dident
Keep no hired help-Miss Scrantum and Su-
sar done all the work themselves And they
thought the donation party would be quite. q
-belp-they never d had one-they wa III
customary where they come from. Well
they managed to git along through the sum-
mer and fall. (They come here in the spring
o. the year.) In December follerin', the con-
gregation gin 'em their first donation party
dident go never had ben to none; used
TO kind o. want to go sometimes-bnt yer
uncle want willin' to have me-he never
approved o. them givin' visits He thinks
that when the people want to make their
minister present, they ID ought to give it in
a private way, end not go and turn his house
upside down, to dewitt. So l dident go to
that one. But don't think the Scrantums
thought any the less of US for for they
knowsd we was as willim to dew well by ,em
as any o.. the congregation was, for yer uncle
always paid his pew rent promptly, and that's
more'n some that was richer done. And, be-
sides that, we often sent 'em presents. They
always looked upon us asthe best friends they
had here. a @ -,sT
+ GWell never heerd how the donation party
come out. Miss Scrantumnever said nothing
about it, and never axed her no questions
only know that through the rest o. the win
ter the minister's folks seemed to be more
pinched than ever. 1 was in there quite often,
and though they dident make no complaints,
/ could see plain enough that they had to
scrimp and save, and patch and turn every
way, to keep any how comfortable; for they
had house rent to pay, and six children to
support, and it takes considerable to feed so
many, to say nothin' o. clothin and eddicatin'
on 'em. They had good deal o company,
tew, and that costs something You see they
had to entertain all the stragglin' agents that
come along, for all sorts o. societies in crea-
ton. They d stop there to save payin' tav-
ern bills. It's the way they always dew,
ye know. Well, they contrived to live along
till the next winter The time come round
for another donation party; and says to yer
uncle, saysI-" Husband, want to go to that
givin' visit" o. shaw,'' says he, "what do
you want to go for?" ao,a says I, s'cause 1
think so much o. the minister's folks."-
"Well," says he, that's the principal reason
why should want to stag at0ay from the
givin' visit myself; as for you-of course you
can do as ye please.' Well, them" says I,
eff you hain't no objections, Phi go; and 1
wish you ID go7tew, Jest for once.'' "'T amt
no use to ak me to go,'' says he; "it IS aginst
my principles; / always mean to do all 1 am
able to support the Gospel and help the min
lister but as for them bees-I won't counten-
ance them by my presence-that's all and
LET me tell ye one thing, if you go, / II bet a
'cookey you IL wish you hadent went after
ward" swell, THAT'S my lockout, . says I.
If you IRE wil.in'-Pllgo. And what III
ye take?' says he, ''a stick o. tape, or pint
of emptins, or what ?'' "No, 1 won't" says
/, 81 III take something o. more yally than
that, "Tnen you'll be odd," says he.
So after considerin' spell, l concluded to
git, what Miss Scrantum needed about as much
as anything, and that was new bunnit. She
wore shabby, faded old thing, that looked as
if it came over in the ark. Well, thought
i could git a ginteeler one in Harristown, than
I could by havin'i on It made here. So | got
yer uncle to harness up the hoss for. me, enc
afternoon, and bein' as he was tew busy to
go with me himself went over and axed
Susan Scrantum to go 'long ; Thought she
could help me about pickin' on It out Shed
be likely to know what would suit her
mother. So goes over and calls for Susan.
She was delighted to go-she dident git a
chance to ride very often. Well, we druv to
Harristown, and went into the best loekin'
.miIlinerss ther was there. "Now, Susy," says
I, Pm gwine to git new bunnit, and l
want your advice about what to choose"-
Why, Miss Magwire,'' says she, II thought
you had quite nice one ready" "Well
it is middlin' nice" says I, 'but I've wore it
te&iwinters, and some ladies gifts new one
every winter, ye know So we examined
all the bunnits in the shop, and axed Susan
which she liked the best, 81 should think
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