Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-10-01

do strip your noise sid David
more enphatically than politely
hain'i q robber nor an arson Nary one.
| came after VOC. Aunt jenkins"
oh. wall you hold on till ges nv
peiticoat and my false frnrt On. and IL
oni,ar the door So Ar Cnesford
waited, and presently ADnf jenkins ap-
peared David explained that his wife
thought she was dying, and that she
wanted 10 see Aunt Jenkins
@Oh. is that ali - said Aunt Jenkins
placidly-~I didn't know but your cow
had goi chcked, or the pig was took with
the blind stagcers You come in and
warm yourself, and have drink Of cider.
Aariah1 II 30 well enough"
Mr Cilesiord was probably Of her opin-
ion, for he went in. and 3r jenkins got
up, and the two set over the IRE and
talked about the election and the " tar
| nal cold weather uDiI day-dawn. Then
Aunt Jenkins concluded she would 60
over and chirk Marian up little, and
when they arrived at the house of death
/ they found Marian up and dressed and
| getting breakfast.
4 But such " blessing as she gave them
both II was enough 10 convince any one
/ that her lungs were sound.
4 In March Fanny Barton, Dir. Ches-
\ ford's cousins widc-awake, rosy
checked, little old maid, came to make
I them a visit. Of course Mrs Chesford
/ was very poorly-she always was when
/ there was any one to listen TO her com
! plants.
1t did not take Fanny long TO under.
stand the position VI affairs in the fam
/ lily Mrs. Chesford had series Of i'll
turns, and In the course of The week she
went through with yellow fever, measles,
| scrofala, smallpox, cholera morDus,
neuralgia and congestion Of the brain, TO
say nothing Of slight attacks Of heart
complaint, pneumonia and bilious Jaun-
dice.
One day Fanny took Mr.. Cbesford
aside and had a half hours serious con-
versation with him At the close OF the
interview he looked almost cheerful and
Fanny was jubllant.
That evening when Mrs. Chesford set
up the customary cry that she was dying
Fanny joined with her cordially, and en-
tered into the making Of her will with
great evident relish. She also suggested
that the sick woman should have her
hair crimped when she was laid out, and
that she should be buried in metallic
coffin.
Mrs. Chesford looked very much dis
concerted but did not explode, az Fanny
expected she would. She kept her tenn
per
The next day she made another at.
tempt at dying. Fanny stood by the
bedside and asked Mr.. Chesford very
audible question about a board TO lay
her out on; and Mr. Chesford replied
quite as audibly that he had always cal
culated 10 use the wood-shed door. He
had had ID off from the hinges two
months, he said, for this very purpose.
The dying woman looked daggers at
him, and uttered groan which might
have been heard a quarter Of a mile oil.
Mr. Chesford put his arm around
Fanny's waist and kissed her.
Never mind, DEAR said he, she's
too far gone to notice anything Her
eyes are set now"
Mrs. Chesford sprang up in bed and
shook her fist at him.
Set, indeed I" said she. "Set I'll
learn you what set Is If you don't"
Don't exert yourself" said Fanny,
(" DON'T And don't worry about the
children I've promised David that I'll
be a mother to them when you are
gone"
"Of course i am sorry to lose you,
Marian" said Mr.. Cbesford, "but you're
such great sufferer, 1t IN wicked TO want
you 10 live. And you're getting old,
too"
"Ehs" said Mrs. Chesford, sharply;
" old, eh2 You want young wife, do
you'll She's every day as old as ! amp
She wanders," said Fanny, pityingly.
q Inf
yon better step out, David, and ask Mrs.
Hanscom TO come over and help dress
the bodyf"
"Oh, Fanny! my dearest girl! 10 think
shall SO soon be ffeew cried Chesford,
rapturously, and then thou wilt be
mincM
Mrs. Chesford bounded to the floor,
and snatching her gown from the foot
board put herself inside IL In u twink
ling.
Settings bottle of smelling salts, which
happened to be the only weapon at hand,
Mrs. Chesford hurled it at the head Of
her husband and so accurate was her
aim that the looking glass on the oppo
site side Of the room was put out utterly.
Plague take the looking glass!" cried
the lady" who keers for looking glassY
u 1oh INV w piot "h"* w ~
agoing TO do after I'm dcadi I'll larn
you! you--you--you! and unable to ex-
press herself in words Mrs. Chesford
had recourse to the bottles again, and
washes, liniments, ready relief, pain
killer, and preparations innumerable fol-
lowed each other In quick succession
hurled In the direction Of the devoted
pairl
you're a-going to take keer of my
children, be your You turn-up-nosed old
maid, you! I'll see you in Halifax fust!
And you're going to lay me out on the
wood. shed door, be you, Dave ChesfordY
And you've kept 1t off the hinges two
months a-purpose, have yer"
"You SAID you was a-going to die said
David, land thought II was best to be
prepared" &c
II amt a-going to diet WON'T /
wouldn't II anybody would give me a
millionl I'll live and spite ye! And as for
you, Fanny Barton, you may take youI
things and leave this house, bag and
baggage, or it'll be the worse for yet"
From that time Mrs. Chesford was one
of the smartest, healthiest women In
Millville; and David had to walk a
crack" as she expressed 1t, straighter than