Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-28

bark Ticker, was surprised to find his
domicile shut up and apparently neg
| lected.
Still more surprised was he upon
being informed by a sympathizing
neighbor, who delivered to him the
door-key, that his sister Nancy, who
had been since his mothers death his
sole housekeeper, had formed sudden
attachment for a travelling tinman of a
neighboring town, who had ON the pre-
vious day walked off, or rather ridden
1 off, with the same in his wagon.
Nancy had left her love and a good
piece of roast beefready for her brother,
together with the message that she
chopped he would think better of it, and
come and see her and Joseph, which
nothing would please them more"
burned if / do" said Capt. Seth
Tiller, wrathfully. "Let her be salts
fed with her Joseph, since she was fool
enough to leave comfortable home for
the sake of gettin' married. Jest like
women the whole world over. A mans
only got to say, viii yer?' and they
jump at it like dog at bone that's
flung to him. Well, let her go. l don't
keer. A woman amt worth much,
anyhow, and I guess l kin get along
without 'er."
This was said aloud, partly as relief
to his own feelings and partly for the
benefit of his next door neighbor, Miss
Hesper Billings, who sat at her WIN
dow in visible enjoyment of his chagrin.
And then, to show his independence of
women, Captain Seth straightway set
about preparing his evening meal.
Amy fool can make bread" he said
to himself; and, putting a quantity of
-four in a pan, he went to the hydrant
in the ck-yard and let ON it stream
Of water-working the whole into soft,
sticky paste, which, with great diff
Guilty, he finally got from his hands into
cold bake-pan, which he then put
into the stove.
Such trihes as salt and yeast, or.
shortening never occurred to him.
Then he put about a cupful of
ground coffee to two cups ofcold water,
and set it on the stove to boil; after
which he looked after the cold beef, but
the rats had been there before him, and
Capt. Seth, with a few expressive ad-
jectives, flung the meat out the kitchen
window to his dog Pickle.
"I'll hev billed fowl, l guess" said
he, as his eyes fell upon Nancy's couple
of rather ancient outlets" stalking
forlornly about the premises, and, after
prolonged and exciting chase, in
which Pickle rendered effective and
noisy service, one of the unfortunate
fowls was run down, decapicated,
plucked on the spot, and summarily
plunged into pot for boiling.
1t is due to the captain to say that
the idea Of cleansing the inside of the
fowl had never occurred to him, else,
doubtless, that little matter would have
been attended to.
Poor Capt. Tiller! He never sus-
pected anything wrong until he at
tempted to take the putty-like mass of
dough from the oven, and to cut into
the boiledfowl And then both bread
and fowl followed the beef, and Pickle
toasted, to his own fancy, royalty that
day. And if anything could have added
to Capt. Seth's bitterness of feeling, it
was hearing the derisive laugh of Miss
Hesper Billings, who had witnessed
the whole of his proceedings in the
back yard, and also beheld the exit of
the savory viands through the kitchen
window.
Not that Miss Billings or Capt. Til
Ter were maliciously inclined by nature.
Their mutual enmity had originated in
the feud between Capt. Seth's terrier,
the aforementioned Pickle, and Miss
| Z I'LL O,,,l- DI,oly
was partial to her MONDAY siesta on
the top Of the paling separating the
two lots, which proceeding Pickle re-
garded as an intrusion upon his per-
sonal lights. and resented accordingly.
The lady took part with her cat, and
the captain espoused the cause of his
dog. Capt. Seth called Miss Hester a
spiteful cat, and she retorted by inform
inc him that she and that other dog"
were.thepest of the neighborhood. Hence
the present bitterness of feeling be-
tween the two.
The captain went out and got an ex-
pensive, unsatisfactory and badly cook
ed supper, at the only public house in
the little seafaring town wherein he re-
sided. He came home cold and miser-
able; and, unable to find the matches,
CROPPED his way to bed IN darkn ess
The morning br ought him no comfort
There were things to be "set to rights
''chores" to do, pots and pans to be
secured, his clothes to be mended and
,, washed; and Capt. Seth looked around
, with Il sort of despair. For the first
time in his life there dawned upon his
mind perception of the usefulness of
, woman.
! For day or two the captain led this
, miserable mode of existence, and, as
! the time approached for embarking on
his next voyage, he looked upon that
and his prospective return with a spe'
J cies of forelorn horror.
"Somebody'n break into the house
4, and rob IT," thought he; cor the things L
get musty and mouldy, with being shut
+ up without any fire; and--look at then
: duds o mine"
: He frowned wrathfully at heap Of
; sailors clothes lying in the corner Of
the room, all of which wanted washing
1 and some of which stood in great need
Of repairing; and Nancy had always
kept them so neat and whole.
T, look ere" said Capt. Tiller, rising
, and with his back to the stove, his legs
:. ast1ide, and his hands in his pockets
? apostrophising the furniture in general
: Look ere, this state O. things won
. do no longer I've had enoug b of it. a
man can't be expected to live a wild
, Iniun. I'll get married."
Capt. Tiller was a man of his word
and who having made up his mind to I
, thing, was sure to act promptly upol
!. it. He sat down, now, on a three-legget
: stool before the fire, and leaning hi
u elbows upon his knees, meditated. Il
; three days he would sail, wherefor
: there was a necessity for prompt action
:, LET 5 see, said Capt. Iiller, thought
y fully; It'll be.better to take awiddeF,
y guess. Widders are more steady thai
! t'others, and more used to things, an
: won't expect any counting, and tina
q sort O. nonsense. Not a young widdel
u though. They're apt to be Tightly"
Then he unused again, and muse
! within himself that the only one b
- knew answering to his requisition wa
Il the widow Tyron. Yes, he'd MARI
the widow Tyron. And, with a slap O