Port Royal commercial and Beaufort County Republican. [volume] (Port Royal, S.C.) 1873-1874, 1873-11-06
PORT ROYAL, S. c., THURSDAY NOVEMBER g. 1878

widow, with the ill-fared, wasted farm
on my hands, and Mother Plumber driz-
cling and maundering, after Jess in a
way to break my heart. .
But KEEP: 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, thodght.
Well, who do you suppose came over
one sunny afternoon as was standing
in the kitchen? Who, to be sure, but
John Stringer, large as life-a little
gray mayhap, and little more angular,
but keen and strong as ever. He'd q
use for that bit o. land. it seemed, and
had had his eye on it along back. cal
ways was wanting what wasn't his, "
Mother Plumber said. She owed him
grudge for being more forehanded
than Jess.
1t took deal OF looking after and
lawyering and surveying and the Lord
knows what to settle it; and I used to
see John Stringer's STOPPING shoulders
and broad felt hat down Just beyond
the rise of the meadow time and again.
But he scarce ever came near the door,
till one day. can't tell how it was
when the settlements were to be made,
Just took baby up stairs and had O
good cry; for that bit O. land had been
Jessie's favorite piece, and Mother
Plumber had been marrying me all day
about it.
"The WAYS O. Providence are so
strange |" said Mother Plumber, laying
her specs down atop o the big Bible,
and putting on that awfully patient air
which was wearing me to skin and bone
-"past finding out. Now if Jess had
married Sophie Mills that was, and
you"
But I did not wait to hear any more.
AS I say, I just caught up baby and
went off to the garret. And while 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 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
up to our gate, just as he used to come
in courting days-for John never had
any foolish ways about him. saw
Sophie look back at him as she and the
children, with their futtering ribbons
and gay ginghams. disappeared at the
turn O. the road. Then I smoothed my
hair and washed my face and went
down. The time of settlement had
come, I knew.
"Mary Ann," said John, gravely,
"the lawyer will be here presently |;
but reckon we can make it all clear in
our own minds without his help. And
Tve-I've settled it, in fact, that there
are certain conditions on which I'll take
the laud-if you agree"
Then I flew into passion. You've
been long enough making up your
mind" says I. "I don't throw my
land at any body's feet, and I haven't
asked any favors Of you, leastways,
John Stringer."
"softly, there, softly ~, says John,
putting out his hand. "Don't be in
furry, little woman"
"John Stringer," says I, all in heat,
"you're just the same man you was
years ago when you thought I was al.
ways firing up every time you got out
O. temper yourself.
"And weren't you, little woman ?"
said John, quite gravely. "Don't wo-
men folks always like their own way
better than anything else ?"
"You don't know anything about
women" cried, "any more than you
did then. You thought wanted silks
and furbelows more than-than-"
ethan you did me-" said John /;
"and right enough you was, too, If you
could ha' got 'em. I always said 80,
Mary Ann"
"Any man with half an eye would
have known better" says I, hotly.
"How ?" said John. His great hulk
ing figure lifted itself up, and he look
ed at me with those sharp brown eyes
that used to give me start in the old
times. "How?" he repeated, softly.
"Do you mean to say I was mistaken
years ago?" His big hand was all OF a
tremble as he held it out to me. Gilt
tie woman, little woman" said he,
"let's ha' done with it all now, and let
it all be as if it never was"
Presently Mother Plumber put her
head in the door. "Pears to me that
lawyers making q long spell of it, says
she. "Ben't you Almost tired O wait
in for him, Mr.. Stringer?"
"I guess we've settled it pretty much
without the lawyer" says John, rising;
"and that is the condition 1 had to pro-
pose, Mary Ann-to take you and the
meadow land together u
And he did.