The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-07-24

when the dishes was washed up but
set down by the lamp with her sewini
pretty eloseeo me, and talk.
She didn't talk much herself; but ge-
whillieansi bow she did make me talk
She looked 50 pleased over my coon
huntin' stories, that I told her about
demolishin' q few wild cats, when the
truth is I'd never so much as seen
wild cat in my life. It wasn't my
fault. I'd have liked to kill q whale
or an elephant, just then, for the pleas
ure of taliin' her about it.
tBut wasn't you frightened2" she
save, 50 innocent like. Presently she
looks around rather queer and bites
her lip. looks around too, and there
was nobody left In the Kitchen bat her
She showed her white teeth over
her lip q second, and looked mad, and
then she smiled the cunningest smile,
and says, .t'I owe you an apology,
RELY, Mr.. Clover for keeping you
awake 50 late, but your adventures
were so interesting. It must be near
ly nine O'Clock. / will bring light
so, no, not yet, !" says I, for she was
startin' up. "Jest q minute, :" says !,
agin. So she sets down agin, with
her two hands clasped together on the
table, and her eyes iookin' down at
her hands. "a , ,Hlnf -
"Jest a minute, says she. not help
in me a bit. % 81 4
sDon,t make fool of yourself, Jim
CIover,p sOmethin' seemed TO be say
in to me; t'she amt your sort.n
1She's old Johnny Atkinson's
daughter" says I, 10 myself, 'and Pm
as good as he is, and worth more
money, and Pm goin' TO have her II
| can get hsT" -
"Mrs. Grzy,n says /, for I'd heerd
that was her name.
t'Well, Mr.. Clover" says she.
tsYour hands don't look as IL they
could DO much hard york." ] says,
s'but you seem handy with the needle
and you can cook good supper. I'll
risk takin' you, il you'll risk takin'
me. What do you say ?"
She flashed upa-look at me so
quiek, and turned so RET, that | tholght
she was mad but she only turned
her bead away a little a second or
two, and then smiled just IS she had
all along. s.s .f ..J
'9Your experience with wild cats
has made you brave, Mr.. Ciover,n
she says. f'I am not brave, and I
would rather not run any risks. Be-
sides you are SO much brsver now
than you are aware of, that it might
not be generous to take advantage of
your rasnness.o
While was trying 10 think what
she meant, and what to say next, she
| lit a candle for me, and says, says
she AGO up stairs and take the room
to the left,a and she out and left
me. alu1. sn.= E.cl
I didn't know whether I'd got the
mitten or not, and Pm dashed if /
know yet. And Pm dashed II / know
what made me feel sneakin' and fool
ish, but / know somethini did.
There was fire. in another room
the next morning, and the table was
set there, and so was vel mean me
anu the old man and the boy. E
Jest as we finished breakfast, wo-
man comes in and the boy goes for
her, and sees that she was his moth
er. A round faced, red checked wo-
man she was, not bit like the 9TH
eT.
L felt streaked. you bet. Here I'd
been cOurtin' the wrong one, the man
hater, the sareastieal old maid, and
didn't know it. Twas lucky I'd fin
ished my breakfast, for / couldn't
have chawed down another mouth
full. t
The women went to clearini off the
table and carryin' things off to the
kitchen. went out doors and sot
down in the porch. One of 'em was
washing dishes on table close to the
dOeF- that was-a- -iittle-0pen, and the
other was talkin' with her, and talk
int about me, too. -r-Fa f-ar.
00Who is that greenhorn ?'i says the
widow, cross as you please.
"He's beau of yours" says the
other one. "He courted you last night
by proxy; 1 took your place. o.,
sis" and here she broke down and
laughed; 81 enjoyed the dear delight
of being a'good looking widow just
once. Don't you wish you had stayed
at home His proposal was perfect
ly original: You can't realize what
YOU missed"
''I'd have pulled all the hair out of
his head" said the widow. "The
great gawky-" !.
1 So . ACA 6AoSCA-
6No, it's you that's an evergreen"
I wouldn't have thought you capable
of fooling so. Mother has been tell
ing me; Georgey, too.
''I was merely fancying myself q
widow,n says the other one, as mild as
ever. "If I hadn't of course couldn't
have done it."
'How could you fancy such a
thing" says the widow, gettin' mad
der and madder.
"I couldn't alone he helped me-"
says the old maid, and laughed lit
tie low Iougb, that made me grit my
teeth. e.-.a.seg .sa.L
"You'd soon be widow" says her
sister, ''if you was married you'd fret
your husband to DEATH"
nO,p she says, sis that the way it is
done? Thank you"
1 sneaked off and got my horse, and
didn't say good bye.
One is an old maid and the other q
widow yet. g. a u..! .-s-
| Want to try your luck :? r