The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1867-05-11
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MS Dase aoroitly, 1or, salo nc, scratching Ills
nose
II am not to blame; for we should have had a
good visit to your Aunt Dorothea, of which that
cstimable relative is now deprived, but for your
Obstinacy in making me stop at the wrong vii
lage"
Mosquitoes are everywhere, in the country"
"But they would not have intercepted us, be-
fore We had lost our countenances, if we had
kept on. Just observe, for one awful moment,
the aspect of my itching physiognomy! 1t looks
like cuIrant pudding This is your work, and
! fear, when it heals, people will suspect that l
have had the smallpox"
. THAT is because you scratched it so, you are
of such fighting nature 0 Job! if you could
only be brought to consider the folly of being SO
pugnacious, contradictory We might, only
for that, live like two lambs"
II might live like Sheep" retorted he, "were
l to submit to everything you say; but it could
scarcely be called Christian; for, though am,
as have told you, remarkably good-natured
man, have a high regard for the truth, which
forbids me to keep silent when facts are misrep-
resented. o, Jerushy! if you could only be
brought to sense of your moral condition, we
might indeed live SO pleasantly"
"My condition was well enough before mar
ried you-but declare, it is useless to talk with
you about it, for yon know, well enough, who's
to blame
81 rather think do" chuckled he and thus
ended the tempest for that hour. They stopped
talking and sat at separate windows, lookink into
the street. Among the pedestrians soon certain
well-dressed middle-aged person passed by, Mrs.
Racket stared, started, and casped her hands, ex-
claiming:
"There goes your brother timothy
"Where? That my brother Timothy Folly"
"Im sure it is, / watched him closely"
no a1,uaxy No NV ahn m
In the first place you never saw my brother"
II saw him twice, three years ago, at your
mothers house and should remember him if it
was three thousand, for I was much struck with
him. I've no doubt he is trying to find the house.
Do go out and call him in, and then you may dis
own him as long as you please
81 always try to please when there's q chance,
and will call him in," replied Job, and hurry
ing out, he stopped the man, and had a short talk
with him.
1t was not Timothy but determined opunish
his wife for her Obstinancy, Job represented the
case to him, and the stranger od-humordly
and keeping up the deception '.fer," said he, 81
once had . quarrelsome wife myself. will do
my best, but you must give me the cue what to
say, or may make mistakes"
"Little caution is needed" said Job, 'for she
knows almost IS little about my brother as she
does about you"
Job Racket arm.in.arm with the false Timothy,
now re-entered the house, covered with Smiles
as If at the pleasure Of meeting his long.absent
brother.
"You were right, for once ~ said he joyfully
"Timothy, my wife. You saw her twice, three
years ago, at my mothers: but perhaps you don't
recollect it, you've been travelling so much She
said she was much struck with you, and perhaps
if she had seen you oftener she would have been
your wife. Kiss her, Timothy. Jerusha don't
blush at kissing your brother. If it was your
sister I'd kiss her"
This done, the three became very funny to-
gether the rest of the day, and until late in the
evening--they at the continued delusion of the
positive wife, and she at her fancied triumph over
husband SO self-opinonated that he didn't know
his own brother. Timothy agreed with her that
Job had always been very contradictory, and de-
clared that he had been born aboard ship, with
head wind and tide. Mrs. Racket was charmed
listened attentively to his stories travelling and
to vex job, said that she wished she had seen
more Of him and less of his brother. But Job
was not to be vexed, under the circumstance
of course he couldn't be jealous of his brother and
when bedtime came both insisted that Timothy
should stay all night,-Job in joyous anticipation
of the fun he should have at the discovery in the
morning, when Timothy was to show who he real
ly was.
So Timothy consented, and went up to led,
they relinquishing for his service their own
chamber
Job usually had controversy with his wife,
by way of nightcap, before he went to sleep; but,
on this occasion he went away in peace, with
smile on his lips, inwardly murmuring, ut will
be such lesson-satch joke-completey crush
her-her!" And Jerusha likewise relapsed to
slumber, dreaming of the breakfast she was to
prepare for Timothy, the placid. .'ft
In the morning, husband and wife, two bells
having rung, awaited the descent of their guest.
But he came not. Waiting awhile, Job went up
and knocked. No answer. He entered the
chamber. In a few minutes he went down hasti.
ly, very pale.
"My Godp circulated Job Racket.
sis he sick, or dead" cried the alarmed wife.
mo- but he's gone! Gone with watches, jew
elry, clothes, and so FORTH worth over thousand
dollars"
Of course Jerusha contradicted, and he told
her to see herself. She did, and descended az
pale as he.
Il never thought that Of your brother"
"My brother! He was not my brother"
"Pshaw | can zee now, it is only joke to
brighten me-"
Job now explained why he had called the fel.
low In, and how together they had kept up the
delusion.
1T was only to make fool of YOU"
He did" replied she; "but don't think you
are much better off," tsJ|
Job was silenced, and instituted a search but
no trace could be found of the thief or plumber;
while Mrs. Racket still doubted, till letter was
received by the last steamer, from the real Tim.
othy Racket, dated on her day of sailing from
some European port.
Now" said Job to Jerusha, "when you are
dead you cont be- for you are no internal obstin.
ate, you'll insist, in your coffin, you are still
alive" y,