Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-06-11
BETSEY BOBBETT.

Myl but Mrs. Betsey Bobbett was Q
spry little widow. She walked rs though
she was moved by steel springs, especially
II Squire Wilkins happened to be pass
ing her house If she saw him fitting by
In his gig she was sure 10 be busy at the
front window, picking an imaginary dead
leaf off the rose geranium, or culling a
spray Of mignonette 10 fasten among hef
bonny brown curls. Sometimes she
would be coming round the house from
the cistern pump, and she would fiirt her
ruffles i'm q way To show the 'broidered
hens Of her maryelously dainty skirts
and the trimmest Of all prettily-arched
ankles.
She was as artul as amink, Betsey was
and IL was very certain that she had laid
her plans To captivate the village Squire
Her brother thought so-he was an old
bachelor who lived with her-and all the
trouble Ira knew was the fear that Betsey
would marry and his coy relations be
broken up. He embraced every oppor-
tunity TO say something against every
manageable widower or susceptible
bachelor In the neigbborhood.
{" No, / don't like the looks o Squire
Wilkins, no how" he said one evening,
as he leaned back in his chair at the tea.
table and picked his teeth leisurely.
"Then deep, up.and.down wrinkles
tween his eyebrows are enough for me /;
when you see them on anybody's face you
may look out for ill.natur' and u cross,
fault-fnding disposition. But where
they run this way" and he arched his
eyebrows up until his skinny-looking
forehead lay all In deep burrows plowed
horizontally, "why, then, you may ex.
pect good. natured man, not faultdnding
nor hard to please"
ITS nothing TO me who's ill-tempered
or who has wrinkles, Pm sure" said Bet.
sey, smiling demurely; "but | never be.
lieved much in signs. You know our old
GRANDMOTHER Tresway was as full Of con-
trarincss as the old fellow himself, and
people looked In her smooth face, as
placid as china dolls, and they called
her a saint and mother in Israel, and all
such holy, significant titles. You remem.
Der how she used to throw the teapot, or
the press board, or the boot. jack, or any.
thing that came In her way ut us young
ones"
And so the talk Of the brother and sister
drifted on until IL ran into the past, and
they both talked of old times and half
forgotten adventures, and they spent a
very pleasant evening together, as they
usually did.
The next evening, just after dusk, the
Squire called and stayed an hour or so.
He had not intended stopping long-jusi
ran In to see how Ira managed TO keep
his sweet potatoes all winter-hc'd never
had luck keeping his, somehow. Ira hur
ried and told him, secretly hoping thai
he'd go home Immediately, but the Squire
was In no hurry.
They talked election news and dis
cussed the candidates for Governor, and
for Lieutenant Governor, and Congress
and yet the Squire fingered. He was
building new house, frame, story. and.a
half, with two dormer windows, that cos,
fifty dollars each. He said "dormer win
dows were 80 charming TO sit in and
watch the sun set in the summer even
ings when the mellar light fringed all the
hills with glory" here he ran his spongy
hands into his pockets and then plowed
his fingers through his well-dyed ambro
sial locks, and then fell TO milking his
sooty black beard, while he glanced over
at the widow, whose eyes spake again.
"Or," he continued, at is pleasant to
sit In dormer winder In the full o. the
moon and watch him sailin' amongst the
clouds In all his evangelical majesty. One
knows how to vally q friend at such q
time" and he rolled up his eyes and
MIXED on leisurely while he sighed.
"Thats So" said Ira, thinking that he
ought to say something to show himself
an appreciative listener.
"1've not planned yet how I'll have my
upper rooms divided off; want them
handy and to be as large as possible
and he cast his round, white orbs up To
the ceiling, thinking that he looked like
apoet whose eyes were in fine frenzy
rolling"
"T6is Is fine October weather." said
the widow, tossing her back curls and
rocking gently to and fro, giving her
head Just motion enough TO swing the
glittering pendants in her ears and make
them catch the light Of the lamp and
sparkle there most bewitchingly. Oh, II
was captivating little dodge, and II
worked like charm. The 'Squire's heart
melted like roll Of July butter.
Her hands lay prettily in her lap; she
continued: II always think Of what the
poet sung of October. He says:
There is vigor In the air
That brings such light TO heart and eye
As came not with the summer glow
OF days gone by"
She reclted IL ralner mouTnIulIy, huu
raised her voice at the end Of each line
until she came 10 the last, and she gradu-
ally let it die away in whisper.
That was artful dodge number two.
Ira was growing uneasy at the scnti-
mental turn matters were taking, and,
thinking OF Hospitality, he said: Squire,
s'posin' we have basket O. black wal
nuts TO eat some o. them boosters that
Qrowed down on the bottomY"
mo, / believe not; ate hearty sup
pcs Liz cy:s-.rg," said the 'sa"ire. Now