Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-11-24
Mistellamepus.
NABBY'S HUSBAND.
A knock at the squire's door.


uncomfortable stage of masculine conva-
lescense when life becomes burden, not
only to the so-called patient himself, but
also to those unlicky feminine relatives
whose duty it is to officate as his "minis-
tering angels"
Mary, the servant, came in.
''Please, Mr.. Hosley, there's a woman
down stairs who says she must see you.
She's been here before since you were
sick, and now she won't take mo- for an
answer"
"Show her right up, Mary" said the
squire, alertly. frightening up visibly, like
the war horse who scents the battle afar
off. Not all the cozy comfort of his sur
rouudings, the SLEEPY Hollowness" of
his easy-chair, the pleasant pictures on the
waii. the wood fire which, now that the
wintry twilighc was settling down over
the Dit of gray sky left visible by the cur
tain's heavy folds, danced and flashed
over the room in rosy shadows, could rec
oncile the squire to his enforced seclusion.
Secretly he pined for his dingy old den of
an office, and chafed at the doctors re-
'strictions, which as yet forbade all thought
of business. But now the moral police
force. represented by his wife and daugh-
ter, being luckily off duty, there was
nothing to prevent his seeing this proba-
BILE client
"Show her up said the squire cheer
fully, Strengthening himself and assuming
as much of legal dignity as dressing-gown
and slippers permitted.
Mary disappeared. Presently the door
opened again. "Why Nabby," said the
squire, sis it you9 How do you dol"
"Yes, squire, it's me-" said Nabby,
dropping down with heavy sigh into
chair; "and | don't do very WE'LL"
Nahby was short, squarely built wom-
an of fifty, with considerable gray in the
coarse, black hair drawn stiffiy and un-
compromisingly back under bonnet
about five years out of date. She had
sharp. black eyes, and a resolute, 60
ahead manner. Evidently hard work
ing woman ; yet in looking at her you
could not help the conviction that some-
thing more than hard work had ploughed
the deep wrinkles which ran across her
forehead and threatened to lift her eye
brows up to her hair.
Nabby had lived with the squire's mother
fifteen years-from the time when Mrs.
Hosley took her in, a ten-years-old orphan,
who was, as the good old lady sometimes
expressed it, "more plague than profit"
until she grew into the steady and reliable
handmaiden, who finally, with every ones
good wishes, married young Josiah Gould,
and set up in the world for herself. Old
Mrs. Hosley had long since gone to her re-
ward, but the family still kept up a friendly
interest in Nabby and her fortunes, the
squire in particular being her ''guide,
philosopher, and friend" in all the emer-
gencies of life.
NV haf fho Mol, ,hxy2
said the squire, good-naturedly. 'Are
you sick ?"
"Yes, an,,' said Nabby, emphatically,
with snap of her black eyes. "I'm sick
to death of Josiah. II cant stan it any
longer, and I've come to talk with you
about gittin' divorce. You see he's ben
a-growin' worse now for good while
I've KEEP it to myself pretty much, be-
cause | was ashamed ont and then l KEEP
hopin' he'd do better. I've talked and
talked to him, and said and done every
thing woman could, but it seems as if
the more talked the worse he grew"
The squire looked at Nabbys rather
sharp, hard face, and perhaps was hardly
so surprised as Nabby expected that Josiah
had not been reformed by the vigorous
talking to- he had undoubtedly received
"He grows more and more shiiless and
good-for-nothin, continued Nabby, 'till.
finally, he didn't do much but set round
the kitchen fire, half boozy. If there's
anything hate" burst out Nabby. sits
Il man forever settin' round the house un-
derfoot. And there was atakin' washin'
and a-slavin' early and late, to be kinder
decent and forehanded, and him no better
than dead man on my hands, so far as
helpin' any was concerned. And SO l told
him, time and again. He worked just
about enough to keep himself in drink.
He knew he couldn't git any of my money
for that
But stood it all till about fortnight
ago. I'd been workin' hard all daylhelpin'
Miss Barber clean house, and it seemed as
if every bone in my body ached. l was so
tired. l came along home thinkin' how
good my cup of tea'd taste. The first
thing | see, when | opened the kitchen
door, was old Hank Slater settin' there in
my rockin'-chair. He and Josiah were
both drunk as--hogs," said Nabby, SLAM
dering an innocent animal in her haste for
simile
They'd tracked the mud all over my
clean floors. The cookin'-stove was
jammed full of wood, roarin' like all pos
l'sessed. | wonder they hadn't burned the
house up before got there. And they'd
got my best teapot out to heat some wa
ter d all billed away, and the bottom came
out. But the worst was to see my hus-
band a-consortin' with such scum of the
earth as that miserable, low-lved Hank
Slater. tell you, squire, was mad.
Just flung that kitchen door wide open,
and seq /,
''Git out of this house. Josiah Gould,
and don't never let me see your face inside
ont agin.'
"Sez he," meek as Moses, "Where shall
/ go to, Nabby9"
''Sez l, don't carewhere you 60 to,
so lone's you don't come near me. I've
always ben respectable woman, and l
don't want none Of Hank Slater's friends
round my house."
"Well?" queried the square, as Nabb'ys
narration came to pause.
We'll" said Nabby, in rather a sub
dued tone. "he went off. And he hain't
come back. And | want a divorce"