Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-12-01
NABBY'S HUSBAND.

A KNoCEat the Squire's door.
An eager @come. in " from the squire
to whom any outside diversion is an in
estimable boon, he having just reached
that uncomfortable stage of masculine
convalescence when life becomes bur-
den not only to he so-called "patient 3"
himself, but also to those unlucky femi-
nine relatives whose duty it is to of1iciate
as his "ministering angels"
Mary, the servant, came in. e
Please, Mr. Hosley, there's woman
down stdffs WloAsays She must see you
She's been here before since you was
sick, and now she won't take no for an
answer"
" Show her right up, Mary" said the
Squire, alertly Frightening up visibly,
like the war-hOrsSwho scents the battle
afar off Not all the cozy comforts of his
surroundings, the Sleepy HolloYness :"
of his easy chair, The pleasant pictures on
the wall, tile wood fire which, now that
the wintry twilight. was settling down
over the bit of gray sky left visible by
the curtains heavy folds, danced and
flashed all over the room in rosy shadows,
could reconcile the Squire to his enforced
seclusion. Secretly he pined for his dingy
old den of an office, and chafed at the
doctors restrictions, which as yet forbade
all thought of business. But now the
wife and daughter, being luckily off duty,
there was nothing to prevent this proba-
BILE client
Show her up, Mary" said the Squire,
cheerfully, STRENGTHENING himself and as
sumipg as much of legal dignity as dress
ing gown and slippers permitted.
Mary disappeared: Presently the door
opened again. why, Nabby," said the
Squire, ''fs'it you? How do you do?"
YES Squire, it's me-" said Nabby,
dropping down with heavy sigh into
chair; ''and | don't do very we'll"
Nabby was IA short, squarely built
woman of fifty, with considerable gray in
the coarse, black hair drawn stiffiy and
uncompromisingly back under bonnet
about five years out of date. She had
sharp black eyes, and resolute go-ahead
manner. Evidently Woodworking
woman; yet in looking at her you could
not help the conviction that something
more than hard work had plowed the deep
wrinkles which ran across her forehead,
and threatened to lift her eyebrows up to
her hair
Nabhy had lived with the Squire's
mother fifteen years-from the time when
Mrs. Hosley took her in, ten year old
orphan, who'was, rs 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 Joshua Gould, and set up
in the world for herself Old Mrs Hosley
had long since gone to her reward, 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 emergencies of
life.
Why, what's the matter now Nabby?"
said the Squire, good naturedly care
you sick.
Yes, l am said Nabby, emphatical-
ly with.a snap of her black eyes " Pm
sick to death of Josiah. | can't stan it
any longer and I've come to talk with
you about gittin' DIVORCE. You see he's
ben CROWN worse and worse now for
good while. I've KEEP it to myself pretty
much, because | was ashamed ont, and
then KEEP bopin he'd do better. I've
' talked and talked to him, and said and
done everything a woman could, but it
seemed 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 Wig
orous "talking to he had undoubtedly
received.
grew ulOIt anu illOTe Sill lcSS anu
good-for-nothin', continued Nabby, It'll,
finally, he didn't do much but set round
the kitchen fire, half boozy If there's
anything hate" bust out Nabby, " It's
man forever settin' round the house un-
derfOo. And there was a-takin' in wash
in, and a-slavin' early and late, to be kinder
decent and forehanded, and him no bet
tern dead man on my hands, so far as
helpin' any was concerned. And so !
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 wofkin' hard all day, help
in Miss Barber clean house, and it seemed
as if every bone in my body ached, | was
so tired j CAME along home, thinldn' how
good my cup of tead 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-as hogs" said Nabby,
slandering an innocent animal in her haste
for Il simile, ..i
They'd tracked the mud all over my
clean floors The cookin stove was jam
med full of wood, rOarin' like all possessed.
wonder they hadn't burned the house up
before l got there And they'd got my
best teapot out tC heat some water, and
the water'd all billed away, and the bottom
come out Bdtithe worst was to see my
husband a-consoftin' with such scum of the
earth as that miserable, low-liyed Hank
Slater.A telFyou Squire, 4 was mad. |
just flung that kitchen door wide open,
and sez /
"'Git out Of. this house. Josiah Gould,
and don't never letme see, your face in
side ont aginS, &,slA EH E
Sez he, meek as Moses, Where shall
go to, Nabby u EtE nrt
'Ses III don't care where you go TO,
so longs you don't come near me. I've al
ways'ben respectable woman, and don't
want nonsSf Hunk slaters friends round
EWel ?" queried the Squire, as Nabby's
narration came to pause
"Well, " said Nabby, in rather subdued
tone, "he went off. And he hasn't come
back. And want a divorce"
New Nabby,p demonstrated the old
Squire, you don't want divorce. /
know you better than that, You are not
the woman to give Josiah up, and let him
90 TO the ,b9df without struggle, You
feel a.HttleVexed With him now, and /
don't blame you. Ii is hard, very hard
But yeu know you took him for better or
worse9 Do'yOn think, yourself, il is quite
right 10 break your contract because il
proves the Worse for you-because you
are the strong one and he the weak one
of the twoy That don't strike me as good
Bible doctrine, Nabby, We that are
strong ought to bear the inhrmities Of the
weak, andmot "a please ourselves, you
knOW.l n tI9iseh 1uA