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

"Well, dunno" said Nabby, twisting
the corner of her shawl obviously. 81
hadn't thought ont in that light, I must
say. It's so aggravatin' to have such a
man for husband Besides, l dunno's
he'd come back now if | wanted him to-"
Hasn't he been back at allg"
"Why, yes, he come back once, for a
pair of pantaloons. But didn't take no
notice of him."
Now, Nabby, you may depend upon
it, it wasn't the pantaloons he was after
He wanted to see if you wouldn't relent.
If he comes again, be a little pleasant to
him, and I'll warrant he will stay. Give
him another chance, Nabby. Josiah isn't
the worst fellow In the world, by any
means. He has his redeeming traits, after
all. l believe he will do better, If you
will try to help him, You know Josiah
is one that bears encouragement, Nabby."
"Well, Squire, I'll think it over. Any.
how, I'm obleeged to you. You talk so
sorter comfortin' to a body. Your mothers
own SON just the same good heart.
Would you be able to eat some of my
cheese, Squire"
TRY me, and see, Nabby,' said the
Squire, smilingly, not impcrvtous TO Nab
by's compliments. Nabby made her exit
just as Mrs. Hosley rushed in, full of
wifely indignation that the Squire had
been allowed to see a "client."
I Nabby's home was over at the Cor
ners," three miles from the village. She
walked rapidly along in the fast thicken-
ing darkness, with the steady, strong gait
becoming the self reliant woman that she
was. Yet even her unimaginative nature
was not proof against the depressing in
fluence of the chilly, raw November
evening The wind whistled through the
bare tree branches which croaked and
groaned mournfully, and waved wildly
up and down in the dim light overhead.
The wind seemed to cherish a special spite
against Nabby. 1t blew her bonnet off
and her hair into her eyes, struggled madly
with her for her shawl, took her breath
away and firmly resisted her every step.
Finally, it began to send spiteful dashes of
cold rain-drops in her face-rain that
seemed almost to freeze as it fell.
Josiah used to come after me with an
umbrella when | was caught out in the
rain,n thought Nabby. He was always
real kind and good to me, after all. l
dunnos he ever gave me cross word in
his life even when he'd ben drinkin'"
Here the driving, sleety rain and pierre
ing wind pounced down upon Nabby with
renewed tierceness, hustling her madly
around in fiendish glee
IAN awful night to be homeless, Nab
by" something seemed to say
:" | don't care said Nabby to herself,
beginning to feel cross again and general
ly i'll used as she grew wetter and colder.
- 1t serves him right. He's made his bed,
and he can lie in it."
AT "the Corners" the light streaming
, ph Oatf into hn i,rht Ntl
homes made Nabby's little house look par
ticularly gloomy and uninviting. Nabby
I fumbed under the mat for the door key,
fumbled with stitiened fingers for the key
r hole and finally succeeded in unlocking
the door, felt her way in through the little
entry
There is always something uncanny"
about going alone at night into dark and
shut up house. Even people of the best
regulated minds experience a vague suspi-
j ciOn of something behind them, sense
of possible ghostly hands about to clutch
them in the darkness. Nabby was wo-
man. like Mrs. Edmund Sparkler, with
mo nonsense about her;" but neverthe
/ less a cheerful tale she had read only yes
terday in the Chronicle, about q burglar
and a lone woman, kept coming into her
head, and she carefully avoided the thick
blackness of the corners and the pantry
door as she CROPPED around the kitchen
for a candle. Of course the fire had gone
out
1.-TWO heads are better than one, if one
is sleeps head" Nabby might have
been heard muttering out in the wood
house as she stopped painfully down pick
ing up chips by which oTacular utterance
/ suspect she was thinking what good
/ supply of kindlings Josiah always kept on
hand for her, and how much more COM
( Portable it was in the old times coming
home to a house bright with light and
warmth and Josiahs welcome.
/ For Josiah cherished the most profound
admiration for Nabby-an admiration not
unmingled with awe He thought her
most wonderful woman. She was just as
/ beautiful to him now as in the old court
ing days, before the brightness and quick
ness of the black eyes had degenerated
into sharpness before the smiling mouth
had acquired It's hard, firmly set express
sion, before there were any wrinkles in
the smooth forehead. People thought
Nabby had done well in marrying Josiah
Gould-a pleasant, goOd-natured young
fellow that every one liked young
mechanic, not very rich yet, it is very
true but, with good trade and such
wife as Nabby, there seemed nothing to
/ prevent his figuring as Zone of our first
citizens"
Any body can be somebody in this
country if they are only determined. But
( that was exactly the difficulty with Josiah.
/ He never was determined about anything.
/ He fell into the habit of drinking because
he lacked sufficient strength of will to
avoid it, Then Nabby's sharp words, and
his own miserable sense of meanness and
self-contempt, of utter discouragement
/ and despair, drove him lower and lower,
I and he sank down supinely into the
Slough of Despond without effort or
! hope
/ By a beautiful dispensation of Provi-
dence, whenever a poor, shiftless, good
fOr-nothing man is sent into our world,
some active, gO-ahead little woman is in
variably fastened to him to tow him along
/ through, and keep his head above water,
It's for the best, of course. What would
become of the poor fellow without her
At the same time, she sometimes finds it
"a little hard.
/ Nabby was ambitious and proud-spir
tied, willing to work hard, to save, to do
her part-anXious to get on in the world
and stand well among the neighbors. The
fact, gradually realized, that in her hus-
/ band she had no help, no support, only a
/ drag and burden, and finally disgrace,
had been disappointment embittering
her whole nature. To have husband that
no one respected, that even the boys
around town called Isl Could" was
dreadful to Nabby Perhaps it was hardly
strange that she grew hard and bit
| ter.
Meantime Nabby had succeeded in
starting the fire, and having changed her
dress, sat down to dry her feet until the
tea kettle boiled. But even the ruddy light
and warmth with which the kitchen now
glowed could not fend off the dreariness
4 Of the night. The rain tapped with
ga0sy and nger a MDd UPON FP%%sd the s0G TRaHS sd
! nrnnnd tho hnnrn liLn The sniriia nf the