Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1871-06-14
"DON'T TELL BETsPY JiNEw

Janeiu - ~ - -. '''eJ
Mr.. Nicodemus Harding, having uttered
tnls caution III low, earnest tone of voice
ailghted from Concord wagon i'm front OF
his own farmhouse door, and stood there
lew minutes i'm brown study, Watching
the figure of his brother-in-lhw and the
lawyer, as he drove back towards the vii
iage oil w, whence the tive men had
Just come. ' . ~" - - -
Don't tell Betsey Jane ~ a1 s..IHa-
Now, Betsey Jane was Mr. INCIDENTS
Harding's wife, stirring, notable sonl
who made more butter and cheese, and
took more eggs and fowls to marletin
! the course or Il season than any other wo-
an for miles around. Strong, healthy and
hearty, she made the house work iiy, to
use her own energetic expression and if
-Nlcodemus Harding owned his farm TINT
day, and was well-to-do, intact o rich man
TO boot, IT was owing in no small measure
| 10 the skill and energy and general po-a
headativeness of his Betsy Jane. NVhat
was it, then, that the ungrateful man was
not about to tell her r.r st Is.f.I-- = -
II would never do, neverw thought
Nicodemus to himself, shaking his head
'She'd he wanting q new CARPET. or n new
SILK gown, or the house all painted over. or
some such nonsense No, the. woman is
the weaker vessel, IL won't do to trust one
TOO FAR Their heads WON'T bear it.u i.al'-
80 Nlr. ,Nicodemus passed through the
house. and out toward the barn with the
pre-occupied air of hen who has an ego
TO lay, and don't know whereshe can hide
1t from the eyes of mankind to the best
advantage. The kitchen was empty and
silent as he went through it, But oh lif
he could have seen the buxom good look
ing female who stole silently out of the
pantry, and as silently followed him on
his way toward the barn. .i'' lo glfl-I i0u
Hardin on M haf =,
minutes ors so, with face red from sun-
pressed laughter. nlI 4. lETstf -itn lITrS n
Don't tell Betsey Jane,p she said, gig
Cling into her gingham apron "Yo,l are
q very smart man, Nicodemus and nv
brother, Tim Noyes, is nother, anda law
yer In the bargain. DON'T tell Betsey Jane. |
indeed! Two wretches, you deserve all |
you'll get, pretty soon ~ IHHHe'f - III
BetSey Jane said no more but bidcd her
tlme. \ week passed away, and thet !
brother Tins wagon drove up again to the |
door, and Nicodemus stepped into it, and
was OH 10 the village once more. Betsey
Jane had asked i'm vain to 90
Nicodemus was bound on business
business which q woman could not un-
derstand,o he loftily exclaimed. He. lord |
and master, well out of sight Betsey Jane |
went about that business woman could |
not understand, with merry twinkle in |
her bright black eyes
again, looking quite as important as be-
fore. He tiptoed along through the kit |
chcu, Betscy Jane watching him from the
corner of her eye all the while. He nassed
out into the shed. A fragrant smell of
smoke came forward to greet him-an odor
OF burning corn cobs gradually curing
ham. NicOdcmus turned deadly pale. and
ran frantically forward to large fire
Smoldering in the ash-house, and Il large
ham or two covered over by blankets.
hanging placdly there. The yell he gave
brought Betscy Jane from the house in
stanter to find Nicodcmus grovellng be-
fore the ash-house door, weeping and vail
ing and tearing his hair, and utterng veil
after yell ofdespair.
"Why, bless me! what's the matter /?
Are you in fit: Let me run for the CAM
phor," shrielled Betsey Jane.
"Camphor! Bring arsenic Bring poi
son OF some kind-poison ~ yelled Nico-
iemus, frantically.
woman, you've ruined me! Twelve
thousand dollars in government bonds did
put in the ash-hOle for safety Just week |
lgO, and now you've gone and burned
hem to cook that cussed bacon. Pisonl
pison! Pison And let me get out of the
lreary world.n
"Oh-so that was what you were not 90
ng to tell Betsey Jane Arn't you asham-
ID of yourself, Nicodemus Harding?r ?r
Nicodemus could not answer He laid
)rostrate in the ashes and hOwled. l
"Get up and don't be fool % said Bet
ey Jane, amiably. "E heard you and I
,rother Tim cOnsPring at the door that e
lay, and watchedyou go to the ash-hole, v
md soon found out what you had hid away J
here. Woman is the weaker vessel no !
loubt, but she don't put twelve thousand Il
Ollars where the first match that comes $
landy can burn itup! Here are the bonds, 5
Iicodemus, for ten thousand I've Kept 8
wo for my honestly iaa7GsI 90 af'
Poor Nicodemus! He gathered himself ?
p out Of the ashes, and took his bonds {
'hat was left of them. He rather thinks
pays best, ON the whole now, to tell u
Setsey Jane.
ANOTHER Coon ONE-A funny story is
Did of an Oregon pioneer, great hunter ,
nd a man of much influence in that State. | =
me day, i'm conversation with an English | =
raveler, the John Bull finally asked: | II
Why, sir, you must have lived here | u
)ng time?" TO this, Meek replied :7"I y
ave, sir; you may well say that.h Point I
lg to Mount Hood, said he to the Eng ,
"Do you see that mountain 0
,ell, sir, when / first came to this country T
nat mountain was hole in the ground.b o
- EpOyiC2Q pyT9S