Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1873-04-11

vsnest1st things Know OF for weakly folKs.
Ia she nervous about sleepina"
4Yes, she il, rather
: There's nothin' SO good for narvous-
ness as hop tea. Give her some every
night, the last thing before she goes to
bed, and make her pillow. / guess if
sou follow her up thoroughly you'll bring
= her out all right There's nothin' like be-
I'M thorough" said Aunt Debbie, with the
emphatic air of long experience.
: 81 After much further advice, Mrs. Whlta-
her set out for home, burning with zeal to
follow up Susan with all Aunt Debbie's
subscriptions. What the consequence
would have been to poor Susan, one shud-
ders to think. Fortunately fate kindly in
. tsrpcsed In her behalf.
~ Il seems clear case OF one born IN
the woods to be scared at an OWL" that
the old Whitaker horse should take 1t into
his ancient head to be frightened at a
moving machine. But such was actually
the fact. As he was slowly jogging along,
head down. apparently lost in memories
Of his far, away youth, he came suddenly
upon Deacon Foskett's rafting, clatter-
ing moving machine. Up went his head,
one snort. one jump sideways, and away
he plunged down the hill, twitching the
reins from Mrs. Whitaker's hands by the
suddenness OF his unexpected start. \
big rut at the foot of the hill-oyer goes
the wagon on top Of Mrs. Whitaker-and
Deacon Foskett and his hired man ran
down the hill to find Mrs. Whitaker with
one leg broken, q sprained shoulder, and
any amount Of bruises and wrenchings.
What was to become of the Whtakers,
now that the main spoke in the domestic
wheel was uselesso They hire 4 girl. of
course, suggests the intelligent reader.
But hiring girl in Tully was no such
trifling matter A small factory in the
village absorbed all the American girls of
the vicinity, who would otherwise have
worked in families, and there being no
Catholic church within ten miles, the Irish
girl who could be induced to live on 8
farm was 7ara avis indeed,
Whitaker devoted week to driving
over the hills in different directions in pur-
suit of various myths of possible girls that
vanished into thin air on closer inspection.
Now Mr. Haskell had heard OF very
nice girl over in Benham, Franklin Les
ter's wife's sister, who was anxious to Sc
cure place. By the time Whitaker had
reached Bcnham the nice girl had engag
ed to teach district school. Arriving a
home he found Mrs. Goodman had SUM-
to Susan the praises of certain "widow
woman" on Stony Hill. Mr. Whitake
HES him to Stony Hill to find the widow
gone to keep house for her brother.
II declare said Mr. Whitaker to Susa
rs he returned, girlless and dispirited
from his long drive, ~ believe if want
ed wife could get six easier than ca
one girl"
rs Don't try any more. father, sal
Susan. Eve can get along somehow
Ned and / can do the work.
That's so,r said Ned Well make
bully team"
"Don't be so low, Ned, said Susan
who had undertaken the somewhat dis
couraging task of "elevating" Ned. Boy
resent "elevating," especially b. thei
own sisters, and accordingly Ned rather
exerted himself to be slangv in Susan !
presence.
But now feeble wall was heard from
the bedroom where poor Mrs. Whitaker
: lay fevered and helpless, on her restles;
couch.
lyon must get girl she farther re-
monstrated. ''Susan can't do the work
II will kill her. She isn't strong enough
and besides she don't know how. OIL
dear, If could get up and help myself
| can't be reconciled to be lying her
when there's SO much to do.
TO soothe his wife, Mr.. Whitaker prom
ised to try once more, and finally on
night drove into the yard in triumph, seat
ed on a small hair trunk, the owner Of tn
trunk, an actual girl" in propria pc,
sonv, handbook in hand, sting in state o
the seat behind
The new girls name was Luna, "pal
Luna" Ned called her. She was tall ant
bony, wore her hair cut short in the neck
and rejoiced in a bass voice that was
perfect surprise to the family. Luna 500
developed ways, that, it not clark, wer
p decidedly uncomfortable. Ned Away
declined pie, after he once saw Luna, a
she cut each piece, drawing the knife
blade through her mouth, to "cleanse'' il
No matter what she had previously bee
doing she stirred Mrs. Whitaker's bee
tea with her finger without going throug
the ceremony of washing her hands, an
tasted it freely with the same spoon sh
offered to the invalid. She told Susan sh
,''liked to make bread, it takes the grim
off your hands SO nice" Under her nc
minstration, the appetites Of the Whit;
kers .dwindled alarmingly. Susan, VIII
q saw the most of Luna's cookery. lived er
81 iirely on crackers.