The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-04-29
HOW?

Perhaps | am little too hasty, a
little too ready to light up at min-
ute's notice; but there are some
words that seem TO me to carry an
especial grain Of gunpowder IN them,
and the above is one of the sort. To
have person, after you have been
through long explanation, put his
. fingers to his mental. ears and query
YOU thus, or worse still, "Haow';" is
too exasperating for human nature to
bear. But that is what John Strin-
ger did to me, bending his head a
little nearer, and speaking in an
absent. aggravating manner that tam
talized me beyond words.
You see John Stringer and | We're
engaged: we'd been engaged for a
long time, and perhaps had got to be
little too matter o. course TO each
other
We were sitting there over the fire
after the old folks had gone to bed,
and | fell to telling him about Sophia
Mills wedding-her white silk dress,
her bridal cake, and her bridesmaids
frosted all over to match it, and | en-
ded in this way:
But it don't make any difference,
John, to people that love each other;
all that's O. no more account than
last wears snow drift. They could
be married in calico and homcspun,
with feet on rag carpet like this, and
love each other just as well"
How ?" said, John absently. He
was watching the Goals flicker up and
die out again, and picking up a stray
chip now and then to throw on the
embers-a fashion be had when be
was thinking.
Now. | had had the headache all
day, and / guess | was rather more
tindery than usual, though | didn't
think so then but when John bert
his great broad shoulders over, as if
he hadn't heard word | said, and,
in fact, had something better to oceu-
py his mind, | just fired up, and when
we parted that night, John and had
our first and last quarrel.
NV heart did not misgive me that,
when | saw Johns great, tall figure
going out of the door, it was the last
time he'd lift the latch for many
year, but so it was.
You see 1 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, a likely, spruce young fellow
enough, but no more to be compared |
with John than a cockle-sbell is to a
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 USED to see him go up the road
many time when was in the shed
and, peeping out at him
through the chinks, | thought his
broad shoulders stopped more than ev-
,r, and his figure was growing more
Such an awkward fel-
ow as John was! Icame near rush
ng out on him once. with my sun.
ant my sleeves rolled up, and
linging my arms round his neck; but
John liked to see folks tidy, and !
lever did it.
Jessie Plumber was the beau of
he village-dapper, neat and dainty
IS you please; and all the girls
hougbt had come to my senses
when / Clustered 'em o. Jess. And
" and by it was Jess that came
parking O. nights, and was so soft
poken and pleasant that even moth
# forgot her vexation. (She always
ct store by John, mother did. .
Veil, in the spring we married, and
lad string Of pearls and a real -ilk
'ridal dress, and felt kind o. lifted
when the girls crowded round me
nd hoped I'd be happy. hoped
o, too; wasn't sure of it.
Remember the days that came
fter, | can't recall one hard word |
yer heard from jess. We weren't
ear enough to each other to quarrel {
We just laid apart like two odd vol
mnes; there wasn't any fire 'twixt
IS, either love Of laughing. whereas
ohm and / had always been bub-
ling over one way and another I
worked hard, for my silk dress
nd necklace were all | had oirches
nd | cut up my gown one day TO {
lake cloak for the baby. You see,
couldn't give up my pride, and was c
LIST as high spirited as ever. But |
ur farm didn't prosper, and Mrs 9
came to live with us, to
,ok after things she said and she |
ot to plying him ever now and then t