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


u were at the wheel, when | was work
!, ing myself to death morning ant
nights for nothing.
c Then when the baby grew bigger
| took to teaching an A b C. class a.
| used to before | was married; bu
d what little | knew had run wild
since then, and couldn't keep the boys
straight somehow and the girls
didn't care about samplers, for the
o sewing machine had ridden right
over everything. Then Jess fell i'll OF
the fever, and with all the fuming
and fretting and nursing of his moth
er, and with all my watching day and
night, somehow he slipped off be-
= tween US. And | found myself a
widow, with the i'll Jared, wasted
/ farm on my hands, and Mother Plum
Der drizzling and maundering after
Jesse in way to break my heart
But | kept my spirit yet. and ad-
vertised half the place for sale at the
Court House for if | could sell it we
could skim through on an acre or two,
thought.
Well, who do you suppose came
over one sunny afternoon, as | was
standing in the kitchen? Who, to
be sure, but John Stringer, large as
life; little gray, mayhap, and a lit
lie angular, but keen and strong as
ever. He'd use for that bit o. land
and had his eye on it along back
Always was wanting what wasn't
his" mother Plumber said. She
owed him a grudge for being more
forehanded than Jesse. 1t took a
deal of looking aftere, and surveying,
and the Lord knows what, to settle
1t; and | used to see John Stringer's
STOPPING shoulders and broad felt bat
just down beyond the rise ofthe med
Ow, time and again. But he scarce
ever came near the door till one day
i can't tell how it was-when the
settlements were to be made, just
took baby upstairs and had a good
cry for that bit o. land had been
Jesse's favorite piece, and mother
Plumber had been harrying me all
dav about it.
The ways o. Providenc are so
strange, said mother Plumber, laying
her specs down atop o. the bible, and
putting on that awful patient air that
was wearing me to skin and bone
past finding out. Now, if 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 off to the garret.
And while ! sat by the cob-webbed
window, Mrs Barret-Sophia Mills |
that was-went riding by in her new
spring wagon. She had her half
frozen children, round and rosy as a
barrel of apples, with her. Sophia
nodded and smiled to some one COM
ing up the road, and looked along |
saw John Stringer walking thought
rul-like, right up to our gate, just as
he used to come in cOurting days
for John never had any foolish way
about him saw Sophia look back
at him as she and the children, with |
their futtering ribbons and gay ging-
hams, disappeared at the turn of the
road. Then | smOotbed my hair
and washed my face, and went down.
The time of settlement had come /
knew.
MARY Ann" said John, gravely
"the lawyer will be here presently,
but | reckon we can make it all clear
in our minds without his help. And
I've settled it-in fact there are cer-
tain conditions on which I'll take the
land-if you'll agree"
Then | flew in passion. you've
been long enough making up your
mind" said |, II don't throw my
land at anyhody's feet. and | bavn't
asked any favor of you leastways,
John Stringe"
Softly, there, softly ?" says John,
putting out his hand Don't be in
a hurry, little woman" John
Stringer,' Says |, all in a heat,
you're just the same man Won were
years ago, W en- you thought | was
lying up every time you got out of
temper YOURSELF.
And weren't you, little woman 2"
SAID John, quite gravely. Don't two
men folks always like their own way
better than anything else ?"
~ ou don't know anything about
women" | cried, "any more than you
lid then" "You thought | wanted
silks and furbelows more than
than
Than you did me- said John.
and right enough you was, too, if !.
7ou Could ha' got 'em. l always =
'aid So, Mary Ann"
Any man with half an eve !,
would have known better" SAYS /, !.
lotlv.
How ?n said John. His great !,
lulking figure lifted itself up, and he :
ooked at me with those sharp brown !
Yes that used to give me start in :
he old time. "How ?" he repeated I
oftly. "Do You mean to say l was =
mistaken years ago ?" His big,
'rown hand was all of tremble a. !,
e held it out tome. Little womanl ).
title womon!" SAYS he. let's ha' y
lone with it all now, and let 1t be as I
never was"
Presently mother Plumber put her V
ead in the door. d.
Pears to me that lawyers making y
long spell of it." says she. Bent q
ou most tired OF waitin' for him Mr.. u
'tringer ?" 7
81 guess we've settled it pretty :
luch without the lawyer" says John q
ising; "and that is the condition | y
ad to propose, Mary Ann-to take ',
ou and the meadow land together u
And he did. Z
Hairy-Faced People