The weekly Shasta courier., 1873-09-27

l.
little start for his palms, And bless us
so did !! There was noise like ten thous
and earthquakes, seemed to me, a little
squirt OF flame, and a thimbleful of smoke
and Elisha Ferris dropped like log Com
stock hedn't fred off the last charge-but
I he'd
The girls all screamed like so many cata-
mounts, and | thought Id killed him for
sartin. leaned against the cupboard shell
a minute ter git myselfin hand but seem
ed ter be growing all numb like, and the
voices sounded as if they come through q
speaking tube, and the folks all 'peared tel
be moving behind fog and then didn't
sense nothing more till most of EN- he'd
gone home, and the doctor was looking af
ter the wound and heard Aunt Sophy say
ing, Twas drefful keerless in you, Jack, ter
leave firearms handy" and Jack. says he
:" It's drefful foolish fur wOmenfolks ter
handle EN-. Hannah Liz has done patty
days work" And then Elisha Ferris ups
and takes my part, as poorly as he was feel
ing. Shed no thought of hurting of me,
says he land it served me right fur pester-
ing of the poor child" And got on my
feet at that, and went inter the room and
says |, "Dr. Motherwort, if you'll be so
good as ter hire me fur nurse, [ won't ask
no wages. You see, I've made him sick,
and iii my right ter help cure him"
"Fm almost cured already" said Elisha,
opening his eyes at the sound of my voice,
and smiling jest little.
jest so,' said the doctor; only keep
him quiet"
Well, DR.. Motherwort said it wouldnt
do ter move him, and Jack and | we nursed
him together. You see, the ball had gone
clean through his right shoulder, and it took
time and while Jack was at his work he'd
Elisha on my hands and cooked his meals
no great shakes at iust-and | fixed his
pillars twenty times a day, and bathed his
head, and brought him the news, and read
the arabian Nights ter him and tie Weak
ly 1rit, and treated him as tenderly as
would hev treated Jack if it he'd bin him.
And when he was on the mending hand
played backgammon with him, and wrote
his letters ter his folks-he hedn't nobody
but merried sister-and laughed at the
stories of his school-days till the tears run
down my cheeks.
He's growed quite pale and interesting"
said Ann jenkins, catching sight of him
through the open door while she was max
ing me call, but he amt no handsomer
than ever; !" and you see, it jest took me all
my face, and my temper a-gitting up; and
says [, Handsome is as handsome does"
smart as you please, before | remembered
that Id used ter agree with Ann on that
subject.
Highly tightly" says she; "every eye
makes its own beauty! If you're satisfied,
l sha'n't cry. But thought you didn't fan
cy skim -milk-looking men!"
But, upon honor, ] couldn't hev told
when his looks fust begun ter please me ::
whether it was when he pitied me fur hurt
ing OF him instead of pitying himself fur be-
ing hurt; or whether it came about when
blamed myself and he comforted me or
when he spoke of his mother, and the tears
filled his eyes or whether it was when he
got talking earnest like, and his eyes grew
sort O. blue-black, as if they d strike sparks,
and his smile was like sunshine on rain
drops but there was the truth, however
come by it, that L shouldn't never hev
knowed him for the same man l met nine
months before with Ann Jenkins.
Well, when he got able ter be about house,
before he could 60 out, he used ter help me
at the churning, and he did sight of tin
kering about the house fur my sake: he
made me reel fur my yarn, and new bob
bin and shuttle fur my loom
Lori" said Aunt Sophy one day while
he was carding the rolls fur me, and was
spinning EN-, how handy you are about
the house, Elisha. don't see how Hannah
Elizabeth's going ter git along without you
when you 60 home"
"She hasn't no need ter git along with
out me-" said Elisha, speaking low, and
looking hard at me, unless she's tired of
the sight of me. At least" said he, after a
pause, when Aunt Sophy had lost herself in
her chair, can't 60 home without paying
my forfeit, you know"
You've paid dear enough fur it," said,
"already"
And SO, of course, you won't hev the
heart ter refuse it. l said l wouldn't 90
home till I'd paid it, and | won't, unless
you'll 60 with me-"
And so | thought it best ter go.-Har-
per's Baznr.
AFTER MARRIAGE.-You know her. She
lives on your street. Her features are either
pinched, or full and frowsy. Her dress is
wet, ill-htting, and Of no particular pattern;
her slippers are broken down; her hair is
uncombed; her voice is either shrill or
coarse. You have seen her stand out in the
back yard, and put bare arm up to her eyes
and under it peer out to the fence or barn,
where man in an il1-itting coat is search.
ing for something, and have heard her shout:
John! can't George bring NE some water? p
And you have heard him cry back: "If he
don't get that water will take every inch
OF flesh from his bones" And when YOU
have looked at her again, does it seem nos
sioie that those angry eyes have dropped in
maldenly reserve, or raised in coquettish
hight to the face of the man in the ill-ftting
coat! Can you by any possible wrench Of
the imagination, conceive of his tenderly
passing peppermints to her; of his taking
that hand in his and bashfully squeezing it.
But it was so. Many "God bless YOU
has been uttered above that bare head
many kiss pressed on the upcombed hair
The tightly compressed lips have lovingly
framed tender invitations to him to take
another bite of cake and pickle. The
hands that are now parboiled and blistered
aud marked with scars from the breadknife
and scratches from the last setting hen
were once twined lovingly about his neck
and the nose which is now peaked and red
and looks as if it would stand on its hind
legs and scream with rage, once followed
the ngures OF his new vest pattern, or bore
heavily against his jugular vein. As little
probable as this seems to you, it seems less
to her. She has forgotten it. She won I
hear it talked Of by others. She cannei
bear to see it acted by othors. Two lovers
are to her "a passel of FOOLS" And-bu,