Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-10-08

Gales and Sketehes.
"MIS' ELDERKIN'S PITCHER
One Of Mrs. stoves Firesidc Stories.

| [CoNCLuDEp FROM YESTERDAYS PAPER.
oval, old Black Hoss he want none
too polite to Miry's heaux in general, but
when Elderkin used to come to see her
he WAS snarlier than II saw; he hadn't a
good word for him noways; and he'd rake
up the fire right before his face and eyes,
and rattle about fastening up the windows,
and tramp up to bed, and call down the
chamber-stai to Mry to 60 to bed, and
was sort O. aggavatin' every way.
oval, ei folks wants to get a gal set on
havin' Il man, that ares the way to 60 to
work. Miry had considable stiff will of
her own, and eff she didn't care for Tom
Beacon before, she hated him now and if
she liked Bill Elderkn before, she was
clean gone over to him now; and so she
took to gon' to the Wednesday evening
lecture, and the Friday evening prayer
meetin, and the singing school, jest as
regular as clock, and SO did he; and af-
tcrwards they alters walked home the
longest way. Fathers may jest as well
let their gals be courted in the house,
peaceable, cause if they can't be courted
there, they'll find places where they can
be; it's jest human natur'
oval, come fall, Elderkin he went to
college up to Brunswick and then used
to see the letters as regular up to the store
every week, comm in from Brunswick,
and old Black Hoss John he see 'em too,
and got a way of droppin' on em in his
coat-pocket when he come up to the store,
and folks used to say that the letters that
went into his coat-pocket didn't get to
Miry. Anyhow, Miry she says to me
one day, says she. Sam, you're up round
the post-ot1ice good deal, says she, i
wish if you see any letters for me. you'd
Jest bring 'em along see right into 1t,
and told her to be sure would; and 50
| used to have the carrin' of great thick
letters every week: Wal, was waitin'
on Hepsey along about them times, and so
| Miry and kind Of sympathised. Hepsy
was pretty gal, and thought it was all
best as twas, any way knew | couldn't
get Miry, and could get IIepsy, and that
made all the difference in the world.
"Wal, that next winter old Black Hoss
WAS took down with rheumatism, and l
tell you if Nlry didn't have a time ont.
He want noways swect-tempered when
he was we'll but come to be crooked up
with the rheumatis and KEEP awake nights,
it seemed as if he was determined there
shouldn't nobody have no peace so long as
he couldn't
He'd get Miry up and down with him
night after night a maxim her heat tlannels
and vinegar, and then he'd jaw and scold so
that she was eenymost beat out He would
MT have nobody set up with him, though
| there was offers made. No, he said Mlry
was his daughter, and twas her bisness to
| take car on him.
Miry was clear worked down folks kind
4 ~. d. 81 L, ,trA hItt
| there's things that wears out the strongest.
The worst ont was it hung on so. Old
Black Hoss had had most amazin' sight
O constitution. He'd go all down to deaths
door, and seem hardly to have the breath
| O. life in him, and then up he'd come ag'in
These ere old folks that nobody wants TO
have live alters have such sight o. wear
in 'em, they Jest last and last and it really
did seem as if he'd wear Miry out and get
her into the grave ftlst, for she got a cough
with bein up so much in the cold, and grew
thin as a shadder. Member one time
went up there to offer to watch Jest in the
spring o. the year, when the laylocks was
Jest buddn' out, and Nlry she come and
| talked with me over the fence, and the
poor gal she fairly broke down and sobbed
as if her heart would break tellin' me
her trouble.
oval, it reely affected me more to have
Miry give up so than most gals, cause
she'd alters held her head up, and had such
sight o. grit and resolution but she told
me all about it.
1T seems old Black IIoss he want con-
tent with worryin on her, and gettin' on
her up nights, but he KEEP hectorin' her
about Bill Elderkin, and wantin' on her to
promise that she wouldn't hev Bill when
he was dead and gone, and Miry she
wouldn't promise, and then the old man
said She shouldn't have Il cent from him If
she didn't, and SO they had it back and
forth. Everybody in town was sayin' what
a shame twas that he should sarve her so :;
for though he had other children, they was
married and gone, and there want none
of them to do for him but just Mary.
oval, he hung on till jest as the phys
in the front yard was beginnin' to blow out,
and then he began to teel he was a gon',
and he sent for Parson Lothrop to know
what was to be done about his soul.
'Wal," says Parson Lothrop, you must
settle up all your worldly affairs you must
be in peace and love with all mankind,
and if you've wronged anybody you must
make it good to EN-"
Old Black IIoss, he bounced right over
in his bed with his back to the minister.
The devil !" says he, twill take all Eve
got" And he never spoke another word,
though Parson Lothrop prayed with him
and did what he could for him.
Wal, that night l sot up with him, and
he went off tween two and three in the
mornin', and laid him out regular. OF
all the racks o bone | ever see | never
see human crittur so poor as he was,
'Twant nothn' but his awful will KEEP his
soul in his body so long as it was.
We had the funeral in the meetin' house
a Sunday, and Parson Lothrop he preach
ed sarmon on contentment, on the text,
1--WE broug't nothin' into the world, and
it's sartin we can carry nothin' out, and
having food and raiment let us be there
with content" Parson Lothrop he got
round the subject about as handsome as
he could; he didn't say what a skinflint
old Black Hoss was, but he talked in a
gineral way about the vanity o worryin