The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1874-03-31
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Perhaps am a little too hasty, a little
too ready to light up at a minutes no
tiee, but there are some words that seem
to me to carry an especial grain of gun
powder in them, and the above is one of
that sort. To have person, after you've
been through long explanation, put his
fingers to his menta, ears and query you
this, or worse s ill, "Haowf" is too ex-
asperatlng for human nature. to bear
But chat is what John Stringer said to
me, bending his head little nearer aud
Ssysing in an abseet, aggravating man
luer lIiat fahtafzed nc bcs sorti words ,t'
You see, John Stringer and we're en-
gagged; we'd been engaged for long
time, and perhaps had got to be little
toosmatter o course to each other.
We were sitting there over the fire, af-
ter the old folks had gone to bed, and l
fell to telling him about Sophie Mills
wedding-her white silk dress, her bride
cake, e,and her bride-maids frosted all over
to match it, and | ended this way:
"But it don't make any difference,
John, to people that love each other; all
that's no more account than last years
snow drift. They could be married in
calico and homespun, with their feet on
a rag-carpet like this, land love each other
ljust as we'll
"How?" said John, absently. He was
watching the coal flicker up and die ont
again, and picking up a stray chip now
and then to fling on the embers "a fash
ion he had when he was thinking.
Now, had had the headache all day,
and / guess l was more tindery than
usual, though I didn't think so then but
when John bent his great broad shout
ders over, as if he hadn't heard word
1 said, and, in fact, had something better
to occupy his mind, l just fired up first,
and then the blaze died down into suIks,
and when we parted that night ohm and
l had our first and last quarrel
My heart did not misgive me that
night when l saw Johns great, tall figure
going out the door, it was the last time
he'd lift the latch for many year; but
so it was.
"You see, l held my head pretty high
in those days, and | wouldn't show that
| was bit cut up about it, so ] paired
off with Mrs. Plumbers Jessie, likely
spruce young fellow enough, but no more
to be compared to John than cookie
shell is to brigantine.
Oh, well, mother sighed, and tried
right hard to bring US together again, but
it wasn't to be.
| John was powerful, muscular man
and fused to see him 60 up the road
many q time when was out in the shed
tmilking,and peep out at him through the
Ecrachs thought his broad shoulders
1stooped nforo thaf1 s.r,ea s,sss
was growing more stalky like. Such al
lawkward fellow as John was! I cam.
near rushing out at him once in my sun
bonnet, and my sleeves rolled up, an(
finging my arms right round his neck
but John liked 10 see folks tidy, and
never did it.
| Jesse Plumber was the beau Of the vii
lage-dapper. neat and dainty as yol
please; and all the girls thought I hat
come to my senses when l ousted EN- n
: Jess. And by-and-by it was Jess tha
! came sparkling o nights and sat O. win
ter evenings over the embers land he wa
so self-spoken and pleasant that eve
, mother forgot her vexation (She al
ways did set store by John. mother did.
RI Well, in the spring we were married ,Jes
and me, and l had string of pearls ant
real silk bridal dress, and l felt kind o
lifted up like when the girls crowde,
, round me and hoped Id be happy.
hoped so too; l wasn't sure of it
Remembering the days that came after
can't recall one hard word ever hear
from Jess. We weren't near enough t.
each other to quarrel; we just laid apar
like two odd volumes there wasn't an
e fire twixt US, either love or laughing
t whereas John and l had always bee
bubbling over one way and another.
] worked hard, for my silk dress an,
necklace were all had of riches, and
cut up the gown one day to make a cloa
for the baby. You see, l couldn't Civ
up my pride, and was just as high-spili
ted as ever. But our farm didn't pros
per, and Jess didn't prosper; and Mrs
Plumber came to live with to look al
ter things, she said ; and she got to pity
4 ing him every now and then for marry
I ing poor wife, and-oh, well, what
: the use O talking ?-sometimes I could
MT help wishing John Stringer's stron
t shoulders were at the wheel, when l wa
n working myself to death morning an
r night for nothing.
Then when the baby grew bigger
q took to teaching an A B G class, as use
= to before | was married but what littl
e | knew had run wild since then, and
couldn't keep the boys straight someho
and the girls didn't care about sampler
: for the sewing machine had ridden rigl
over everything. Then Jesse fell i'll {
Il the fever, and with all the frming, an
. fretting and nursing of his mother, ant
with all my watching day and nigh
somehow he slipped off between u.s.
n And found myself widow, with II
l. i'll Jared, wasted farm on my hands, an
s mother Plumber 0rizzling and maunde
d ing after Jess in a way to break m
S heart.
e But kept my spirit up yet. and / al
veltised half the place for sale at til
court house; for if 1 could sell it "
could skin through on an acre or two,
If thought.
h Well, who do you suppose came ov
al one sunny afternoon as l was standir
l. the kitchen? Who, to be sure, b
IS John Stlinger, large as life-a lit
e gray 1nayhaps, and a little more apg
II lar, but keen and strong as ever He
!, a use for that bit O land, it seemed, ar
ir had had his eye on it along back. "A
= ways was wanting what wasn't hi
Sc Mother Plumber said She owed hi
he grudge for being more forehand'
e than Jess.
e. 1t took deal of looking after al
at lawyering and surveying and the Lo
t. knows what to settle it; and I used
err see John Stringel's STOPPING shoulde
% and broad felt hat down just beyol