Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-24
INnW Q
A story Of which the Moral will he OBJ
xiOus 60 all Our Lady Readers

Aktory oil which the Moral will he OBJ
yiOus 10 all our Lady Readers.
Perhaps I am a little too hasty, little toe
ready 70 light up at a minutes notice; but there
are some words that seem to me 10 carry an es
peCial grain of guDpowder in them, and the
above II one o the sort. To have person
after yOuve been through a long explanation
Pit his fingers TO his mental ears andguery you
thus, or worse still, Chow i too exasperat-
ing for human nature TO bear. But thai
IL what John Stringer did 10 me, bending hi.
head little nearer, and speaking in an alb
sent, sggravating manner that tantalized me
beyond words.
SOu see John Stringer and were engaged
we'd been engaged tor a long time, and perhap.
had got to be little too matter o. course to
each other.
We were sitting there over the fire. after the
Cd folks had gone to bed and fell 10 telling HIM
about Sophia Mills weddiRg-her white silk
dress. her bridal cake, and her bridesm ids
frosted all over TO match it, and ended in this
way:
"But it cont make any difference John, to
people that love each other; all that's o. no
more account than last years snow-drift. They
could be married in calico aud homespun, with
feet on rag carpet like this, and love each
How?' said John, absentiy. He was watch
ing the Goals flicker up and die out again, and
pIvkIng III a stra, chip now and then TO throw
on the embers-a fasniOn he nad when he was
Now, ] had had the headache all dav. and
guess i was rather more tndeTy than usual
though didn't think so then; but when John
hadn't heard word ! SAID, and in fact, had
something better TO occupy his mind, | lust
fired first, and then the blaze died down
into sqlks, and when we parted that night, John
and hal our first and last quarrel.
My heart did not misgive me that, when
saw Jehn's great, tall figure going out the door
II was the last time he'd lift the latch for many
year, but 80 it was.
You see, held my head pretty high in those
days, and wouldn't show that | was a bit cut up
about il, SO paired OIL with Mrs. Plumbers
tel al -Ierh
but no more to De compared with John than a
cockleshell is 10 brigantine.
oh, well, mother sighed, and tried light hard
TO bring us together again, but il wasn't to be.
John was a powerful. muscular man, and 1
used TO see him go up the road many a time
when was out in the shed milking, and, peep
ing out at him through the chunks, thought
his broad shoulders stopped more than ever, and
his figure was growing more stalky-hke. Such
an awkward fellow as John was | came near
rushing out on him once, with my sun bonnet,
and my sleeves rolled up, and tiinging my arms
round my neck; but John liked to see folk tidy,
and never did il.
Jesse Plumber was the beau o. the village
dapper, neat, and dainty as YOU please; and ali
the girls thought had me TO my senses when
clustered 'em o jess; And by and by it was
Jess that came sparkin' o. nights. and sat %
winter evenings over the embers, and he was so
soft spoken and pleasant that even mother for
got her ve1ation. She always set store by
John, mother did Well, in the spring we were
married, and had a string o pearls and a real
silk bridal dress, ard felt kind o. lifted like
when the cir : crowded round me and ho ped ia
be happy. hoped so, TOO; ! wasn't sure OF il.
Remembering the day that came after |
cant recall one hard word 1 ever heard from
jess. We weren't near enough 10 each other
TO quarrel; We Just laid al art like two odd VOL
ume; there wasn't any ire 'twiNt us. nor any
thing 'twIxt u, either love or laughing, where.
as John and had always been bubbling over
one way and another.
worked hard, for my silk dress and neck -.
were all had of riches and cut up nv gown
one day to make cloak for the baby. You see
ldrafr arzw n
hgh-spirited as ever, But our farm didn't PROS
per, and Jesse didn't prosper; and Mrs. Plumber
came TO live with us, to look after things she
said; and she got plying HIM every now and
then Tor marrying q poor wife, and-oh we'll.
what's the use O. talking? sometimes I couldn't
help wishing John Sringer's strong shoulders
were at the wheel, when | was working mysef
to death morning and night Tor nothing.
Then, when tie baby grew bigger, | took TO
teaching an A h class, as used 10 before |
was married, but what little l knew had run
wild since then, and ] couldn't keep the BOYS
straight somehow. and the girls didn't care
about samplers, for the sewing machine had rid
den right over everything. Then Jesse fell i'll
of the fever, and with all the fuming and fret
ting and nursing OF his mother, and with all NV
watching dsy and nj ght. somehow he slipped OH
between US. And found myself a widow. with
the Ill Jared, wasted farm on NV hands, and
Mother Plumber drizZliDg and maunderiny
alter jesse IN a way TO break my heart.
, Bn, KEEP, my spirits upyet. and advertised
could sell II we could skin through on an acre
or two, thought.
Well, who do YOU suppose came over one SIM
ny afternoon as | vas standing in the kitchen.
no, to be sure, but John Stringer large as
life; little gray, msyhsp, and a little angular
that bit o. land, and had his eve on ID lono
back. always was wanting what wasn't his ,
Mother Plumber said. She owed him yrudye
for being more fore handed than Jessie X took
deal of looking after and lawyering, and sur
veying, and the Lord knows what, to settle il:
and 1 used 10 see John Stringer's stopping
hnrN 9tavl a4a-hr eat~
the rise OF the meadow, tune and again But
scarce ever came near the door, until one day-
can't tell how 1t was-when the settlements
were TO be made. just took baby upstairs and
had a good cry; for that bit O. land had been
.Jessie's favorite piece, and Mother Plumber
had been marrying me all day about it.
SAID Mother Plumber, laying her specs down
atop o. the Bible, and putting on that awful
Paueht arr " hieh was wearing me TO skin and
bohe-'Past Inding out. Now, IL jesse had
married Sophia Mills that was, and you
But did not wait to hear any more. As /
Say, Just caught up baby, and went of TO the
wlncow, Mrs Barret-Sophia Mills that was
Sss b lang h q IN her new spring wagon. she
= barrel Of apples with her Snnsis u no5, "a
and smiled to some one coming IN the road
and looking along saw John stringer wslkins,
thoughtful-hke, right up to our gate lust As ~
used to come in counting days-for Lon , as ne
had any foolish ways about him. saw Sanhia
look back at him as she and the children, with
a.
appeared ut the turn of the road Then
smoothed my hair and washed my face and
went down. The time Of settlement had come.
i knew. '
MARY Ann" said john, gravely, "the law.
yer will be here presently, bat res on We can
make IL all clear in our own minds without his
help. And I've settled it-in fact, there are
certain conditions on which III take the land
you'll agree"
Then dew into q passion. You've been long
enough making up your mind" says /. Il
cont throw INV land at anybodys feet, aud
ssvent asked any favor OF you, leastways. John
"Softly, there, softly" saws John. putting
cut ms hand "Do not be in Q hurry, little
John Sringer," says I, all in q heat, "you're
just the same man you were years ago. when
you u tnoasnt Was ny,ng up every time you got
'.And weren's you, little woman?, said John,
quite gravely. "Dont woman folks al vavs like
their own way better than anything else?1
lyon don't know anything about women, /, 1
cried, ANY more than you did then. You
ssessht I wanted silEs and furbeloWs more
1AAp-than-D