The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1874-02-19

SnOulUerS ana Whit MIN over the
fence into the orchard quicker'n NO
time. why, says Tom, 'the first
knew | was lying on my back un.
der the apple trees, looking up at the
stars Miry, she just walked of
home and said nothing to nobody, il
wasn't her way to talk much about
things, and if it hadn't been for Tom
Beacon himself nobody need to
know anything about it, Tom was q
little fellow, you see, and 'mazin'
good natured, and one of the sort
that couldn't keep nothing to himself,
and so he let the cat out of the bag
himself. Wal, there didn't nobody
think the worst O. Miry. When fel.
lars find gal won't take sauce from
no man they kind o. respect her, and
then fellars alters think eff it had ben
them, now, things'd been different.
That's jest what Jim Moss and Ike
Bacon said; they said, why Tom
Beacon was fool not to know better
how to get along with Miry, they
never had no trouble. The fun of it
was that Tom Beacon himself was
more crazy after her than he was
afore, and they say he made Miry a
right up and down offer, and Miry,
she jest wouldn't have him.
wal, you see that went agiu' old
Black Hoss Johns ideas, old Black
Hoss was about as close as nut and
as contrary as pipperage tree. You
ought to "a seen him. Why his face
was all aperfect criscross o. wrinkles.
There wasn't spot where you could
put pin down that there wasn't a
wrinkle, and they used to say that
he held on to every cent that went
through his fingers till he'd pinched
it into two. You couldn't say that
his god was his belly, for he hadn't
none, no more than an old file; folks
said that he'd starved himself till the
moon'd shine through him.
'Old Black Hoss was awfully
grounty about Miry's refusing Tom
Beacon, because there was his houses
and lots O. land in Boston. A drefful
worldly old crittur Black Hoss John
was he was ; he was like rich fool
in the Gospel. Wal, he's dead and
gone now, poor crittur, and what
good has it all done him !? Its as the
Scripture says, 'He heapeth up
riches, and knoweth not who shall
gather Them
'Miry had pretty hard row to
hoe with old Black Hoss John. She
was up early and down late, and kept
everything going. She made the
cheese and made the butter, and be-
tween spells she braided herself
handsome straw hats and fixed up
her clothes and somehow she work
ed it so when she sold her butter and
cheese that there was something for
ribbons and flowers; you know the
Scripture says Can maid forget
her ornaments Wal, Miry didn't.
remember used to lead the singing
in them days, and Miry she used to
sing counter, SO We sot putty near
together in the singing seats; and |
used to think Sunday mornings when
she came to meeting in her white
dress and her sed cheeks and her
bonnet all tipped off with laylock,
that it was for all the world jest like
a June sunrise to ha, her come into
the singers seats. Them was the
days that didn't improve my privi
leges, boys said Sam, signing deep
ly. There was a time that eff I'd a
spoke, there's no knowing what
mi ht have happened, because you
see, boys, was better looking in
them days than | be now. Now you
mind, boys, when you grow up, of
you get TO waiting on nice gal, and
yon are almost mind to speak up
to her, don't you go and put it off,
because eff you do, you may live to
repent it.
Wal, you see from the time that
Bill Elderkin come and took the
academy, could see plain enough
that it was time for me to hang up
my fiddle. Bal he used to set in the
singers seats, too, and he would
have it that he sung tenor. He no
more sung tenor than a skunk black.
bird, but he made believe he did,
jest to git next to Miry in the sing
ers' seats, and then they used to be
a writing backwards and forwards to
each other till they tore out all the
leaves of the hymn books, and the
singing books besides. Wal, never
thought the houses of the Lord was
jest the place to be counting in, and
| used t, get considerable shocked
at the way things went on between
them. Why, they'd be a writing all
sermon-time; and I've seen him a
looking at her all through the long
prayer in way that wasn't right,
considering they was both professors
of religion. But then the fact was,
old Black Hoss John was to blame
for it, because he never let 'em have
no chance to home. Ye see old
Black Hoss he was sot ag'in Elder.
kin because he was poor. You see
his mother, the old Wiidah Elder
kin, she was jest about the poorest,
peakedest body over to Shurburn,
and went out to days works, and
Bill Elderkin he was all for books
and larnin', and old Black Hoss
John he thought it was just shittless-
ness but Miry she thought he was
a genius, and she got it sot in her
mind that he was going to be presi-
dent of the United States, or some
sich.
wal, old Black Hoss he wasn't
none too polite to Miry's beaux in
general, .but when Elderkin used to
come to see her he was snarlier than
saw; he hadn't good word for
him noways; and he'd rake up the
fire right before his face and eyes,
and rattle about fastening up the
windows, and tramp up to bed, and
call down the chamber stairs to Miry
to go to bed, and was sort of aggrav
ating every way.
'Wal, eft folks wants to get gal
sot on having man, that ares the
way to go to work. Miry had a
considerable stiff will of her own, and
eff she didn't care about Tom Bea.
con before, she hated him now and
if she liked Bill Elderkin before, she
was clean gone over to to him now ;
and so she took to going to the Wed
nesday evening lecture, and the Fri.
day evening prayer-meeting, and the
singing school, jest as regular as a
clock. and 80 did he: and afterWard