The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-10-01
Mrs. Blake's Visit.

took one too. / dunno but I've as good q
right to as any other in divldual. don't
owe nobody nothing, except Jim Hanson,
the tin pedlar, for strainer; and I've got
morne'n rags enuff to settle with him-or
shall have when cut up Caleb's cotton
flannel shirts; and then I owe Tim Gorch's
wife three cents for getting me pound of
salleratus and not making the change
could pay her now just as well as not if
she'd only take siled postage-stamp; but
she don t take stamps for fear the post-ofice
will bust up. Mrs Gorch is the most eau
tionest woman that you ever see.
I've had hard summers work of it no
mistake 1t makes my back ache to think
of it. Feed has been so poor on account
of the dry weather, that the COWS have
worked themselves clean into skillitons q
keeping from starving, and haint give no
milk worth menshuning.
Butter has been SO skeerce and high,
that I've felt jest as if it was sin to use
it common and aint allowed our folks
none since last July. To be shure, alias
have butter on the table--a plateful ON it;
but if anybody goes for to tech of it,
just tread on their toes, and give EN-
look that stops proceedings at once.
One plateful has lasted us al summer. l
believe it is getting little strong now; but
it'll have to do this month out, guess.
Along, in June, sometime, Samuel White
he went up to the White Mountains; and
when he got back he had more to tell than
anybody that had been to the North Pole
Need to have had. All that he hadn't
seed wouldn't have paid for looking at it,
He sot me into tilt to go to see for my
self.
spoke to Betsey Jane, my oldest, about
it, but she turned up her nose, and said I'd
better stay at home. Betsey is an awful
hand to gad about herself, but she's never
willing for me to go outside of the thresh-
old. She's afeard she shall have to wash
the dishes. I never seed anybody quite so
afeared of sling their hands as she is. She
takes sight of pains with em, and does
'em up in tattered rags every night of her
life to keep 'em smooth.
But as it happens, haint under Betsey
James government yet, so made all my
preparations just as if she was tickled to
death with the idea of my going.
The first of August l sold ten cheeses,
that come to a leetle rising seventy-fve
dollars. f
I went to Dover rite off, and bought me
a scarlet merino gownd-a yaller satin
bonnit, trimmed with blue and lalock-col-
ored roses and the slickest green and blue
shawl that ever you set eyes on to.
got me some new false hair-.just be-
tween ycu and me, mine is SO thin that
can't do much of anything with it; and
then 1 got rat to roll it over so as to
make me look like girl. ~
After I'd got determined OH going, /
went over and asked aunt Peggy Miles to
go with me. She said she'd like to 90,
only she dassent go in the railroad, for she
would cartainly expect it to blow up and
carry every man, woman, and child with it
And as for a steamboat, it would be sinful
TO tempt Providence by Citing into one of
them contrivances of Satan Aunt Peggy is
leetle pecooliar in her ideas, but a nice
woman for all that.
So told he- to fix herself to start in
two days, and we'd go with the old mare.
She's nigh onto seventeen years old--that
mare is-and haint had nothin but one
straw to eat all summer; and she's as
spunky as colt, if you jist teach her with
the whip,
got some new shafts put in to the wag-
gon-the old ones has been tied up with
shoe-strings this two years, and we dassent
step onto 'em; and took my green fannil
quilted petticoat and cushioned the seat,
and put braided rug into the bottom for
our feet to set on, and my red and blue
calico comfortable to take up in front Of us
ON cool mornings
We had considerable of baggage; but
it takes good deal for females who
pretend to be ladies. had trunk
three bandboxes a capbox, a carpet-bag
full of gingerbread, an ambriller, parasol
peck-measure to feed the hoss with, a
spare shawl, bottle of lineament in case
/ should be took with the newrallogy, and
clothes-line, to tie the old mare with.
Aunt Peggy, she had two bandboxes, a
vallees, satchel Of turnovers, a sugar-box,
of doughnuts, six-quart pail full of pick
les, two baskets full of apples, and Bounce,
her dog.
objected to her kerrying the dog but
she sed she wouldn't be separated from him