The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1866-08-25

The deacon wanted me 10 pay the funeral
Of his last wife not but he was glad
to get rid Of her, bat he found her more ex-
pensiye after death than before / refused to
pay for such nOnsense-he found that / was
in earnest and let up. If he hadn' after all
I'd spent for Hexa in the way of time and
travel, I'd have gone for his knob, and he
knew It,
By and by the old deacon fell asleep and
went in to comfort Heza.
We had a nice time. She was a rapid
talker. / was mere man of mud in com
parison to her. She knew she was smart
She knew all other women were ignorant,
for she had been taught it; / didn't love her
for her love but for her hate She hated
everything beyond her eyeshot She hated
some parts of New England, not because
onions wouldn't grow there, but because in
some places there were great, ugly Demo
Gratis there, and they kept increasing. But
didn't want a woman to love me-Only one
who was intelligent, and so spanked her.
Our marriage day as fixed. Being an
ignorant, Western labOrer, / was forced TO
agree to remain a servant in that household
ten years, to get the hang of their notions
l had to learn to use sickle instead of
reaping mschine-to use psalms instead of
melodies-to work for others instead of my
self It was all right for a while. ButgI
couldn't love the deacOn's dusky wife Did
not like her color. And when | wanted to
hunt / had to shoot straight up into the air
or down into the well for fear of trespassing
And when l wanted to run and expand my
lungs, was plum against a stone fence in
less than a minute. If kissed Hexa on the
Sabbath / was fined for it. / was forced to
drink cider brandy or nothing. And l was
fed on onions till l sickened of them. Onions
arc good for two or three hundred meals, but
for a steady diet like them not l tried to
love Hexa, but soon as she found was be-
trOthed to her she put on airs. She made me
hew her wood, draw her water, find her in
food and pay extra for sewing on my shirt
buttons, making neck ties and all such little
jobs.
And I had to work hard all day carting
apples from other farms for Deacon Bright
water to grind up into apple cider to redden
his nose. And if l wanted drink of cider
had to pay for it from over work And I
had TO work to fix up the little garden patch
to repair the old mill that wasn't worth
repairs. AS the old deacon grows old he
grows mean. As Hexa thinks she has got a
fellow tight she just everlastingly goes for
/ him. ] am the best worker ever on the place
Il make the old farm-so called-valuable
and it is for Hexa's interest to keep me- But
she hates me-she is jealous of me-she
don't try to make it pleasant for me-she
! quarrells with me and says l am nothing but
| ugly brute-she scolds me till could al
most die-steals my trinkets, cuts up my
clothes for rag carpets and whenever she
goes to a tea party she tells folks what a
mean euss l am, and what a sweet intelligent
angel she is.
Some day I'll quit on Hexa-we'n 60
through that old cider brandy mill and leave
for the West where I can see daylight with
out being obliged to look straight up, and
where can find some one better natured, il
not so smart, TO sew on buttons and make
neck ties. Pllwork on--but keep Citing my
little buds in shape, and some day be off in
earnest, and let the deacon sing his psalms
and let Hexa weed her onions.
Thoughtfully thine,
Brick" PoMERoY.