The Republican journal., 1874-02-05
Captain Tiller's Wooing.


Captain Seth Tiller. returning from his
weekly fishing voyage in the good bark
Ticker, was surprised to find his domicile
shut up and apparently neglected.
Still more surprised was he upon being
informed by sympathizlng neighbor, who
delivered to him the door-key, that his sis
ter Nancy, who had been since his mothe, 5
death his sole housekeeper, had formed 4
sudden attachment for a travelling tinman
of Il neighboring town. and had on the
previous day walked off, or rather ridden
off. with the same in his wagon. Nancy
| had left her love and 4 good piece OF roast
beef ready for her brother together with a
message to the effect that she chopped la
would think better of it, and come to STE
her and Joseph, which nothing would
please them more.
Tiller, wrathtulv. let her be satisfied
with her Joseph. since she was fool enough
to leave comfortable home for the sake
of gettin' married jest like women the
whole world over. A mans only got to
say, viii yer? and they jump at it like a
dog at q bone that's flung to him. Well
let her 90 don't kecr. \ woman Amt
worth much, anyhow, and | guess | kin
get along WllnOut tI
This was said aloud, partly as relief to
his own feelings and partly for the benefit
of his next door neighbor, Miss Hester
Bittings, who sat at her window in visible
| enjoyment Of his chagrin. And then, to
show his independence of women, Captain
Seth straightway set about preparing his
evening meal
ANY fool can make bread, he said to
himself; and, putting a quantity OF flour
in pain, he went to the hydrant in the
back ward and let on it 4 stream of water
working the whole into u soft, sticky
paste which with great difficulty, he ii
nallv GOT from his hands into a cold bake
PAN which he then put into the stove.
Such tri1les as salt and yeast, or short
ening never occurred to him.
Then he put about u cupful OF ground
coffee to two cups of cold water, and set
it on the stove to boil after which he
looked after the cold beef, but the rats had
been there before him. and Captain Seth,
with a few expressive adie tiyes, flung the
meat out of the kitchen window to his dog
Pickle.
I'm hey billed fowl guess, said he.
as his eyes fell upon Nancy's couple OF
ancient 'pullets, stalking forlornly about
the premises, and after 4 prolonged and
exciting chase, in which Pickle rendered
effective and noisy service, one of the un-
fortunate fowl was run down, decapitatcd,
pluched on the spot, and sunmarily
plunged into II pot for boiling.
1t is due to the captain TO say that the
idea Of cleansing the inside of the fowl
had never occurred to him, else, doubtless,
that little matter world have been attend-
ed to.
Poor Captain FILLER. lie never sus-
pccted anything wrong until he attempted
to take the putty-lile mass Of dough from
the oven. and to cut into the boiled fowl.
And then both bread and fowl followed the
beef and Pickle feasted, to his own fancy.
royallv that day And if anything could
have added to Captain Seths bitterness of
feeling, it was hearing the derisye laugh
of Miss IIesper Bttings, who had Wit
messed the whole of his proceedings in the
back ward, and also beheld the exit Gf the
sayorv viands through the kitchen window.
Not that Miss Bhtings or Captain Tiller
were maliciously inclined by nature Their
mutual enmity had originated in a teud
between Captain Seth's terrier, the atore-
mentioned Pickle, and Miss Iiesper's tor
toseshell cat, Pink Pink was partial to
her noon-day siesta on thetop OF the pallng
separating the two lots, which proceeding
Pickle regarded Us an intrusion upon his
personal rights, and resented accordingly
The lady took part with her cat, and the
captain espoused the cause Of his dog.
Captain Seth called Miss Hester spiteful
cat, and she retoltea by informing him
that ''he and that other dog We're the
pest of the neighborhood. Hence the
present bitterness OF feeling between the
two.
The captain went out and got an eXpen
sive, unsatisfactory and badly cooked sup
per, at the only public house in the little
seafaring town wherein he resided. lie
came home cold and miserable; and, un-
able to find the matches, CROPPED his way
to bed in darkness The morning brought
him no comfort. There were things to be
..set to rights .'chores'' to do, pots and
pans to be secured, his clothes to be mend
ed and washed; and Captain Seth looked
around with sort Of despair For the
first time in his life there dawned upon his
mind perception of the usefulness Of
woman.
For a'day or two the captain led this
miserable mode Of existence, and, As the
time approached for embarking on his
next voyage, he looked upon that and his
prospective return with 4 species of for
lorn horror.
Somebody break into the house and
rob it y thought he; "or the thingsll get
musty and mouldy, with beng shut up
without any fire; and-look at them duds
o mine
He frowned wrathiully at Il heap of
sailors clothes lying in the eornor OF the
room, all of which wanted washing, and
some of which stood in great need of re-
pairing and Nancy had always kept them
so neat and whole.
''Look ere said Captain Tiller, rising,
and with his back to the stove, his legs
astride, and his hands in his pocket, apos-
trophising the furniture in general. ''Look
| ere, this state o things won't do no longer;
I've had enough Of it, a man can't be eX-
pected to live 4 wild lniun. I'll get mar
ried =
| Captain Tiller was a man OF his word,
and who, having made up his mind to a
thing, was sure to act promptly upon It,
| He sat down, now, on three-legged stool
before the fire, and leaning his elbows up
on his knees, meditated. In three days he
would sail, therefore there was necessity
for prompt action.
'LeI see, S;llu Cdptttln llllel, LiouSht
fully; It'll be better to take 4 widder, |
guess Widders are more steady than
t'others, and more used to things, and
won't expect any courting, and that sort
o nonsense. Not a young widder though.
They are apt to be flighty."
Then he unused again, and unused with
in himself that the only one he knew an
swering to his requisition was the widow
Tyron Yes; he'd marry the widow Tyron.
And with slap on the knee as OF one
who had arrived at a final and satisfactory
conclusion, clapped his sou'wester upon
his head, buttoned up his pea-jacket and
betook himself to that ladys abode.
Good mornin' widder.' said Captain
Seth, as, in answer to his knock at the
door, Mrs. Tyron appeared in a tidy cap
and apron, and with her bare arms busted
with flour, while an appetiAng odor of
~ e.. ,t.,1N 10