The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-11-26

then, and LAeouldn't keep tho boys
straight somehow; and the girls didn't
care about samplers, for! the sewing:
machine had ridden right over every.
thing. Then Jessie fell III o. the fever,
and with all the fuming and fretting
and nursing Of his mother, and with
all my watching day and night, some
how he slipped off between US. And
found myself a widow, with the ill.
i Jared, wasted farm on my hands, and
Mother Plumber drizzling and maun-
tdcring after Jess 10 way to break
, my heart. u !. r,"f en- =. l,.... 81.
But kept my spirit up yet, and I
advertised half the place for sale at
the courthouse; for if I could sell it
we should skin through somehow on
an acre or two, | thought.
We'll, who do you suppose came
E over one sunny afternoon as I was
standing in the kitchen? Who, to be
sure, but John Stringer, large as life
"a little gray mayhap, and little
moro angular, but keen and strong as
ever. He'd o. use for q bit of land, it
seemed: and had, had his eye on it
along back. always was wanting
what wasn't his" Mother Plumber
said. She owed him o grudge for
being more forehanded than Jess. :.
It took a deal Of looking; after and
|lawyeriug and surveying and the
IIord knows what to settle It; and l
used totsee John Stringer's stopping
shoulders land brohd felt hat down
1 Just beyond the, rise Of the meadow
Etimeahd again. ButIhe scarce ever
.Ecame near. the door, till one day--I
can't toll howit was7-when the set.
Elements were to- be made, ! just took
baby up Stairs and had a good sscry !;
for. that bit O. land had been Jessie's
favorhe piece, and Mother Plumber
lad been harryingj me all day about
"Thc ways O. Providence are 50
strangel" said Mother Plumber, lay
| ing her specs dow n atop o. the big
Bible and pntting on that awfullypa-
tient air which4sMas wearing me to
skip and > ,bone-ss'past finding out,
Now if Jess had married Sophie
Mills that was, and youTa",l ~ ;!
I But I did not wait to hear any
more. AS | ely, I Just caught up
|Ibaby and went off to the garret..
kAnd while I sat by the cobwebbed
window Mrs. Barret-Sophie Mills
that was-:went riding by in their
new spring wagon she and her half
dozen children; round and rosy as a
barrel Of apples. Sophie nodded and
smiled to some one coming up the
road and looking along, I saw John
Stringer walking, thoughtful like
right.upltolour gate, justa he used to
come in .courting days-for John new
er had any foolish ways about him.
| I saw Sophie look back at him as she
and the children, with their futtering
ribbons and gay gjnghams, disaP-
1peared at the turn O the road, ThenI
I smoothed my hair and washed up
my face and went >down:. The tin 10
of settlement had come, / knew ,
"Mary Ann" said John, gsavely,
"the lawyer will be here. presently !;
but 1 reckon we can make ali clcar in
our own minds without his help" And
Twelve settled it, in fact, ithat,thereI
are certain conditions on which: Ipl
take tho land-if you agree"
q" Then I flew into a passion. "You'vc
been long enough making up your
mind,""., says l. ~ don't throw my
land at any body's feet, and I haven't
asked any favors of you, leastways,
John Stringer. .Ii.."1-'.,f D".i I
!: Softly, there, softlyl' says John,
putting out his hand. Don't be in a
furry, little woman
"John Stripger," says I, all in a
heat, ..you're just the same man you
was years ago when you thought /
was always firing up every time you
got out O temper yourself"
sand weren you, little woman z
said, John, quite gravely. "Don't
women folks always like their own
way better than anything else ?"
"You don't know anything about
women" Icried, !'ahy moro than you
did them You thought I wanted silks
and furbclows more than-than-"
"Than you did me" said John "and
right enough you was, too, if you
could ha' got 'cm. always said 80,
Mary Ann .I-.~..I r-... /.
i l. "Any man with half an eye would
have known better" says |, holly.
allow 2" said John. His great hui k
ing figure lifted itself. up, and he look
! ed at me with those sharp brown
eyes that used to give mo start in
the old tines "How?" he repeated,
softly. ,"Do.you mean to say was
mistaken years ago2% His big hand
was all of o. trernble as he held it out
TO me. "Little woman, little woman"
said he, ''lels ha' donc with ii, all
now, and let it all be as if 1t never
was.". ...'''..:'i ...'....''' --.- '.'
Presently Mother Plumber put her
head in the door. ."Pears to me that
lawyers making a long spell Of it,"
saws she. "Ben't you a most tired O.
waitin' for him, Mr.. Stringer ?" ".'.
81 guess we've settled it pretty
much without tho lawyer" says John,
rising "and that is tho condition l
had to propose, Mary Ann-to take
you and the meadow land together!"
And he did. .. ...'.-,
"Thirty-two cents |" echoed a wo-
man Yesterday, when her grocer