The Portland daily press., 1874-01-24
Captain Tiller's Wooing.

j., Captain Tiller's WOoing.
Captain Seth Tiller, returning from his
weekly fishing voyage in the good bark Tick
Ter. was surprised to find his domicils shut
up and apparently neglected.
= Still m.re surprised was he upon being in
formed by sympathizing neighbor, who de-
livered to HIM the door-key, thae his sister
Nancy, who had been since his mothers
death his sole house keeper, had formed a
sudden attachment for travelling tinman OF
q neighboring town, and had on the previous
day walked off, or rather ridden OIL, with the
same in his wagon. Nancy had left her love
and a good piece of roast beef ready for her
brother together with message to the enect
that she chopped he would think better OF IL.
and come to see her her and Joseph, which
nothing would please them more"
. "Durned if do, said Captain Seth Tiller,
wrathfully, LET her be satisfied with her
Joseph, since sue was fool enough to leave
comfortable home Tor the sake Of gettin' mar
RED. Jest like women the VIII, lie world over.
A mans only got to say, will yer?' and they
jump at it like dog at bone that's hung to
him. Well let her 60. don't keer. A wo-
man amt worth mnch, anyhow, and l guess
kin get along without FER.
luis was odu diOuus POI Wy "S
own feelings and partly for the benht OF his
next door neighbor, Miss Hester Bittlngs,
woo sat at her window in visible enjoyment
of his chasrin. And then, to show his indie
pendence Of women, Captain Seth straight
way set about preparing his evening meal.
ANY fool can make bread he said to
hin self; and, pntting quantity OF Hour In
pan. he went to the hydrant in the back yard
and let on it stream of Woodworking the
hole ;otO eft nosfQ which with
great difficulty, he finally got from bis hands
into cold bake-pan, which he then put into
the stove. s 81
Sch trifes as salt and yeast, or shortening
never occurred to him.
Then he put about cupfull of ground cof
fee to two cups Of cold wafer, and set it on
the stove to boil; after which he Looked after
the cold beef, but the rats had been there be-
fore him, and Captain Seth, with few ex-
pressive adjectives. flung the meat out of the
kitchen window to bis dog Pickle
'''ll hev billed fowl, guess, said he, as
his eyes fell upon Nsncy's couple of rather
ancient ''pulets," stalking forlornly about
the premises, and, after a prolonged and ex-
citing chase, in which Pickle rendered effect
i've and noisy sc. vice, one OF the unfortunate
fowl was run down, decapitated, plucked on
the spot, and summary plunged into a pot
for boiling.
a Il is due to the captain to say that the idea
Of cleansing the inside of the fowl bad never
occurred to him, else, duuo less, that little
matter wouId have been attended to-
Poor Captain Tllerl He never suspected
anything wrong until he attempted Il, take
the pdtty-like mass of dough from the oven,
and to cut into the boiled fowl. And then
both bread and fowl followed the beef, and
Pickle Toasted, to his own fancy, royalty that
day. And il anything could have added to
Canaan, Seth hit tprpacs of faptiuO II ua
hearing the derIsive laugh of Miss Hesper
Billings, who bad witnessed the whole of
his proceedings the back yard, and also be
held the exit OF the savory viands through
the kitchen window. !.
Not that Miss Billings or Captain Tiller
were maiicipusy inclined by nature: Their
mutua, enmity had originated in feud be-
tween Captain Seth's terrier, the aforemen-
toned Pickle, and Miss Hesper's tortoise
shell cat. Pink. Pink was partial to her
noon-jay siesta on the top of the paling seq
arating the two lots, which proceeding Pickle
regarded as au intrusion upon his personal
rights, and resented accordingly. The lady
took part with her cat, and the captain es-
poused the cause of his dog. Captain Seth
torted by informing him that she and that
other dog' we're the pest of the neighbor-
hood Hence the present bitterness OF feeling
between the two.
Tue captain went out and got an expen-
sive, unsatisfactory and badly cooked supper,
at the only public house in the little seafar-
ing town wherein he resided. He came
homo cold and miserable; and, unable TO
fiud the matches, CROPPED his way to bed in
darkness. The morning brought him no
comfort There wers things to be ''set to
rights, "chores" to do, pots and pans to be
secured, his clothes to be mcnded and
washed; and Captain Seth looked around
with sort Of despair. For the first time in
his lite there dawned upon his mind a per-
ception of the usefulness of women.
For a day or two the captain led this mis-
approached for embarking on his next voy-
age, he looked upon that and his prospective
return with species of forlOrn horror
Somebody break into the house and rob
til. thought he; Tor the things'll get musty
and mouldy, with being shut up without any
fire; and-look at them duds O. mine.''
He frowned wrathfully at heap of sailors
clothes lying in the corner of the room, all of
which wanted washing, and some of which
stood in great need of repairing; aud Nancy
had always kept them so neat and whole.
"Look 'ere,' said Captain Tiler, rising,
and vita his back to the stove, his legs
astride, and his hands in his pockets. apostro-
phising the furniture in general. Look ERE,
this state % things won't do no longer; I've
had enough Of il. A man can't be expected
to live a Wild Injun. I'll get marriedp'
Captain Tiller was a man of his word, and
who, having made up his mind to thing,
was sure to act promptly upon it. He sat
down, nov, on three-legged stool before the
fire, and leaning his elbows npou his knees,
meditated. In three days he would sail,
therefore there was necessity for prompt ac-
ton.
Lets see," said Captain Tiller, thought
fully; It'll be better to take wilder, guess,
Widders are more steady than t'others, ard
courting, and that sort % nonsense. Not a
young wilder though. They're apt to he
fighGy,"
Then he unused again, and unused within
himself that the only one he knew answering
TO his requisition was the widow Tyron. Yes:
he'd marry the widow Tyron. And, with
slap on the knee as of one who had arrived
at final and satisfactory conclusion. clapped
mis- SOD wester upon his head, buttOned up
his pea;jacket and betook himself to thai
lady's abode.
Good mornin', widder!' said Captain Seth
as, In answer TO his knock at the door. Mrs.
Iyr0n appeared in tidv cap and aprorl. and
WIN hoi bare arms busted with -four. while
an appetizing ojor of cookies issued from the
comfortable Kitchen
At that smell, the VISITORS heart enlaroed
0uN MS Looeiho CAudIucQ as those IF NO,
b rse who heard from afar the din of "a war
tie. VIC "a'-
~ ''Why, lawks a-mercy!is It you, CABIN TIL
lers Hopen no bins hap ened-l twise sence
Nancy run away aud got marr,ed?''
''Fhass jest 1t, widder,' responded the
captain, goomly shaking his head. ''Tnat's
jest What is the matter. How Nancy came to
make suco tool of herself, when she'd a
good home, and clothes, and vctuals, and the
whole house to herself wnen Pm away,
'sNow, that's what call unreasonable of
you, Cap'in Seth," interim pted Mrs. Tylon.
seriously taking u . the cause of her sex. as
sue wiped the -four from her hands, and ont
OF respect to her visitor sat down to her kni.
ting. "a woman's woman, and musn'tt
be expected to Geny herself everything for
sake o. clothes and victuas. She must bev
somebody to keer for her more than
brothers likely to do. It's only nature.
AFTER all. What d become O. the world if
everybody took to leadin' single lives, Id like
to kpowP'