The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-07-24
Jim C1over's L,sck.

Suppose you try. your luck at old
Johnny Atkinson's, up there on the
prairie to the northwest about six
miles? / tried mine there after /
lost my first wife, and af0re l got this
one. A year ago last November 1t
There was long spell OF cold, driz-
ely weather, and my mother she was
keeping house for me then, and she
just naturally got tired seeing me
around she sad. ec.t
The fact is my mother always did
sour in long wet spell, and that
time she got sour and sharp too. So
she says, tsJim Glover, what's the use
of q man settin' round this way, let
TIM his old mother wear out her life
waitin' on him and his young uns?
You've been q widower year and a
day, and / amt q gOin' to stand 1t
any longer"
sBut mother" says ], "what can q
man do in such weather as this? and
where could L go? You know Betsey
Bruatt won't have me, and you does
want me to 90 for one OF the Jonn't
girls. I'Il go to Jonesses if you say
so when the rain slacks np."
'SThe mischief you Will,p she says.
mo you won't. The rain, indeed !!
Didn't go out in the rain to milk
your COWS for you, you lazy cid
Dutchman you Just like your dad
dy afore We. You're good for nothing
but to lay around and mako WoEk-for
your mother. Comb your lazy head
and git out.ii ts(syDe ereF
That was more than I could stand
/ put on my new suit of blue-miXed
leans. I got it eheap at auctiOn-the
cloth I mean-and hired a woman
tailor to make it up at half price, and
paid her with a spotted pig that was
runt and never would make a good
pig without extra feedin'. / wore
white shirt, too, and creased my hair,
and fixed mp all I knOwed hoV-all
that L knowed then, that is; I've
learnt something since cause you
ses I'd made up my mind sH to once
that Pd 60 to Johnny Atkinson's.
wasn't much acquainted with the
old man, but he'd been here once to
buy wood. And knowed he had
two daughters. I'd heerd about 'em
more'n once. One of 'em was q wild
0W, folks said and uncommonly socia-
HE and lively; and the other was just
q eantaDkerOus, sarcastical old maid.
OF course, / went for the widow
She had 8 boy six years old, I'd heerd
bot eGuld afford to take him in the
bargain, bein' that I had three, and
the widow had q bit of property Of
her own. besides.
1 felt little scared about the old
\ r. H. cnt oh
was regular man-hater; but I'd
made up my mlhd to try my luck,
and 1 thought I'd Just let her alone,
and maybe she'd let me alone.
r 1t rsined Rfore I-got there, till my
hat fiopPed right down over my eyes
and 1 dripped like water rat. ]
hitched my horse under q shed, and
went to the back door, because it wa!
| the nearest. j T
The old man opened the door him
self, He didn't know me at first, bu
he soon made out who 1 was, anG
introduced me to his wife and daugh
| ter and the boys. The cold Weashe
had drove 'em all into the kitchen, ht
said. There they all sat round tn
| cookin' stove-all but the daughter
she was further back where she coulC
\ get the light of q Winder to sew by
A little shaver bout the size Of m,
Ned stood hangin' around her side 0
fi1e stove, and scowlin' at me.
4 1t took the old woman bout hal
an hour to find out who an what
was, and then she told me to hang m,
hat behind the stove todry. e.
-tAiI right, Jim Clover ~ thinks
pretty much tickled, and hung it uI
and Jest as I turns round to set dow
agin, 1 happens to look at the daughte
and ketched her lookin' at me an
Ismillin'.
She dropped her eyes to her SEWN
and seemed very busy all the rest Q
the afternoon, but felt good des
encouraged. / jest talked to the oil
folks and looked at her. The boy keI
Ion seowlin' at me. orO :
! / took a DaislikinA to that boy
Thinks /, await till Pm your steE
father; won't / take that out of ye?
| She was downright good lookin
not so solid as I'd have liked, but fai
in che fsce, and sort o. graceful, lik
a picter. Whenever / said anythin
right smart, she smiled soft like, an
seemed to 'preciate it. And once in
while ketched her iookin' st me.
1t rained and rained, and begun
get dark afOre sundOwn; so the ol
man, says he. "Mr. Clover, / que:
YOU'D better put your horse in til
stsble and give him some feed; 70
can't get home tonight any more.n
I got telliR at supper how long N
wife had been dead, and how man
. rooms there was in my house, an
how much land and stock hai
GIanein' up suddenly there was tn:
woman's brown eyes gfyin' me \ lonl
lstiddy lookj and what does she Q