Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-03-17

dy's chair and 9 wearing Lyqys thing
"Dear me. Captain Lundy, Z couldn'
think of it. Paul's folks expect me to stay
with them while the boarder- season lasts
and I've as good as promised jacobs wife
I'll spend the winter with her."
"Ain't that hard life you are laying
out for yourself! And then bum by you
will get old or sick ma be, and who Il
going to want you around then? Every
woman needs q husband of her own Il
take care OF her."
am able to take care OF myself a.
vet, thanks to goodness! And am NOT
afraid nv brothers will see me suffer
in case of Sickness" returned Miss
DoolttIe, her cheeks flaming up like a
sumach in October
but hadn't you better take a little
time to think It over! Ma he it come
sudden to YOU" pleaded Captain Ben.
"No, / thank you. Some thir gs don't
need thinking over" answered Miss Doc
little, pluckinga at the barberries more dill
gently than ever.
81 wish Lyddy was here. She would
convince you you are standing in your
own light" returned Lyddy's widower, in
q pcrpiexed tone.
IL don't need one to come from the
dead to show me my own mind" retorted
Miss Doolittle, firmly. :.
"WelI, like enough you are right" said
Captain Ben. mildly, puttins few stems
of barberries in her pail; ina bet
wouldn't be best. don't want to be rash"
| And with that he moved of, on the
whole congratulating himself he had not
decided to marry Miss Doolittle.
II thought, after she commenced her
miserable gift Of the CAB, that Lyddy used
to be free to admit she had fiery tongue,
for all they were such friends. And Pm
ell for peace myself l guess, on the
whole, ma be she amt the one for me
perhaps, and 1t is as well to look further
Why! what in the world! Well, there
what have / been thinking Of? There /.
Mrs. Davids, as neat az new cent, and
the master hand to save. She is always
taking on and she will be glad enough to
have somebody to look out for her, why,
sure enough! And there / was right at
her house this very day, and never once
thought Of her! What an old duncey"
But, fortunately, this not being sin of
commission, it could. easily be rectifed !;
and directly Captain Ben had turned about
and was trotting again toward the red
mousse on the Dedcn.
"Pound for pound Of the best white
sugar" he heard Miss Tame say as he
neared the door.
"White sugar" repeated Mrs. Da.
vids, her usual sigh drawn out into
little groan. +" White sugar for eram.
berriesl Who ever heard Of such
thingg I've always considered / did well
when had plenty Of brown"
"Poor creeter" thought Captain Ben.
"How she will enjoy getting into my
pantry. Lyddy never complained that
she didn't have enough of everything to
do qcitA"
And in the full ardor of his intended
benevolencc, he went right in and opened
the subject at once But to his astonish-
ment, Mrs. Davids refused him. She
sighed, but she refused him.
ave seen trouble enough already, with
out my rushing into more with my eyes
wide Open" sighed she.
"Troubleg Why, that is just what I
bewIldered widower. "Pump right in
the house, and stove e'enainost new.
And Lyddy never knew what it was to
want for a spoonful Of sugar or q p,und
Of flour. And such hazsdy buttery and
sink Lyddy used tn say she felt the
worst about leaving her buttery Of any
thing"
"Should thought she would" answered
Mrs. Davids, forgetting to sigh. How
ever, can't say that feel any hankering
after marrying a buttery. I've got but
terry room enough here, without the
trouble of getting set up in new place"
"Just as you say" returned the re-
jccted. Il amt sure you'd be exactly the
one. soas a thinking Of looking for
somebody little younger"
Swell, here is Persis Tame. Why,
don't you bespeak herg She is younger,
and she is in need of good home. can
recommend her, too, as q first rate cook"
remarked Mrs. Dayids, benevolently.
Miss Tame had been sitting little
apart by the open window, smiling to
herself.
But now she turned about at once.
HINT" said she with contempt. 81
should rather live under an umbrella tied
to stake, than marry for a hpm"
50 Captain Ben went home without en-
gaging either wife or housekeeper.
And the first thing he saw was Captain
Jacob Doolittle's old one-eyed horse
eating the apples Loizah Mullers had
strung and festooned from nails against
the house, to dry.
The next thing he saw was, that, hay
ing left window open the hens had flown
in and gone to housekeeping on their
own account. But they were not, like
Mrs Davids, as neat as new cent, and
not also, such master hands to save
"Shoo shoe Get out. Go long there
with you y cried Captain Ben, waving
the dish-cloth and the poker ~ declare
fort most had Mt ought TO have left
that bread out on the table. They've made
a pretty mess of it, and it is every spec
there is in the house, too. Well I must
make do Of potatoes for supper, with a
bit Of pie and q mouthful of cake"
Accordingly he went to work building
fire that wouldn't burn. Then, forget.
ting the simple matter of hampers, the po-
tatOes wouldn't bake. The tea kettle
boiled over and cracked the stove, and
after that boiled dry and cracked itself
Finally the potatoes fell to baking with
SO much ardor they overdid 1t and burnt
up. And, last of all the cake,jar and pie
cupboard proved to be entirely empty.
LOizah had left on the eve of baking day.
"The old catl Well, I'd Just a. soon
live on slapjacks q SPELL" said Captain
| Ben, when he made this discovery.