Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1870-03-24

you can gCt hOHseheepeT W keel
y, her long" said she dismally.
"Abel Grimes tells me it Is
a enough sight easier getting wivei
: than housekeepers, and I'm somt
, tof a. mind to try that tack" re-
/, piled Captain Ben, smiling grimly
Mrs. Dayids put up her hand to
feel of her back hair, and smoothed
! down ner apron; while Miss Per
Sis Time blished ike a withered
rose, and turned her eyes modest
ly out Of the window.
, 81 am so. But the difficulty is,
who will it be2 There are so ma
ny to select from it is fairly, both
ersome," continued Captain Ben,
winking fast and looking as though
he was made Of dry corncobs and
hay. sas.a. H
Miss Persis Tame turned about
abruptly. "The land alive" she
calculated with such sudden empha-
isis that the dishes shook on their
shelves and Captain Ben in his
chair. at makes me mad as a
March hare to hear men go on as
though all they'd got to do was to
throw down their handkerchers 10
a woman, and, no matter who, she'd
spring and run to pick it up. 1t
is always 'Who will l marry?' and
not Who will marry me P" ANA
"Why, there is twice the number
of widders that there is of widder-
ers here at the Pint. That was
what was in my mind" said Cap
tain Ben, in tone of meek apollo
gy. "There is the Widow Keens,
she that was Azubah Muchmore. |
don't know but what she would do !;
Lyddy used to think everything Of
her, and she is a first-rate ofa house
keeper"
perhaps so" assented Mrs. Da-
vids, obviously. "But she is troub-
led a sight with che head complaint,
l suppose you know she is. That
is against her."
eyes, I" assented Miss Tame. "The
Muchmores all have weak heads.
And, too, the Widow Keens, she's
had fall lately. She was up in a
chair cleaning her top buttery shelf,
and somehow one Of the chair legs
give way,-it was loose or some,
thing, l expect, t,-and down she
went her whole heft. She keeps
about, but she goes with two
staves.P
81 want to know if that is So"
said Captain Ben, his honest soul,
warming with sudden sympathy.
"The widder has seen q sight Of
trouble"
"Yes, she has lived through a
good deal, that woman has. ]
could MT live through so much,
pears to me; but we don't know
what we can live through" rejoin-
ed Miss Tames.
Captain Ben did not reply, but
his ready feet began to move to and
fro restlessiy; for his heart, more
ready yet, had already gone out to-
ward the unfortunate widow. 4
at is so bad for woman to bel
alone" said he to himself, sharnb-
ling along the shingly beach mo
ment after. "Nobody to mend her
chairs or split up her kindlings or
do a chore for her; and she lame
into the bargain! It's too bad
"He has steered straight for the
Widder Keens's, as shure as A is
apple dumpling," remarked Miss
Persis, peering after him from the
window.
"Well, I must admit / wouldn't
have thought of Captain Bens be-
ing enamored after such d sickly |
piece of business. But men never
know what they want. Won't you
Just hand me that gum-camphyr
bottle, now you are up? 1t is on
that chest of drawers behind you"
"No moro they don't" returned
Miss Tame, with a plaintive ca
dence, taking a sniff from the cam
phor-bottle on the way. "Howev-
er, / don't begrutch him to heE-I
don't know as | do. 1t will make
her a good hum, though, if she con
cludes to make arrangements. "
Meantime, Captain Ben Lnndy's
head was well nigh at Mrs, Keen's
door, for 1t was situated only around
the first sand hill. She lived in a
little bit of house that looked as
though it had been knocked to-
gether for q crockery.crate in the
frst place, with two windows and
a rude door thrown in as after
thoughts. In the rear of this house
was another tiny building, some
thing like grown-up hencoop;and
this was where Mrs. Keens carried
on the business bequeathed to her
BY her deceased husband, along
with five small children, and one
not SO small. But, worse than that,
one who was "not altogether
there" as the English say,
She was about this business now,
dressed in a primitive sort of
bloomer, with a wash tub and
cloths-ringer before her, and an
army of bathing suits of every kind
and color tapping wildly in tile
fresh sea air at one side.
From a little further on, ming
ling with the sound of theabeating
surf. came the merry voices Of bath