The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-07-22
TWO SIDES TO A BUREAU,
ONE SIDE.

ONE SIDE.
When I turned round and she was
coming in the door, I'm sure thought
1 was dreaming. If it had been the
queen a-comlng in, l shouldn't have
been more surprised and the three
children with their three faces like little
pigs "Here you," whispered L to
Benjamin Franklin, "you just go long
and stick your face in some water, quick
meter And give Johnny's scrubbing
too" And | wet the corner of my apron
between my lips in a hurry, and rubbed
Sues mouth and then made believe
/ hadn't seen her before, and busted the
other chair for her and she sat down,
and [ sat down, and we looked at one
another. Lord she was that fine Her
iiounces were silk, and they were seal
loped like so many roses, and lace show
ing under the edge of them and she
had such boots, setting like gloves-just
enough to make your eyes water. But
the flowers in her hat-you should have
seen them-I declare you could have
smelled them Well, she seemed to fill
up the little room, and if ever / was glad
of anything, 1 was glad that d scrubbed
the floor that very day, so that it was
clean enough to eat off of-glad, too,
that I'd taken Jims old hat out of the
broken window and put in the smooth
bottom of Il box with good respectable
looking tack. Jim might have mended
that window, for he's a perfect Jack-at-
all-trades; but he'd rather play the fiddle
than eat, and he was a-playing it out in
the tie-up that moment, with all the wind
there was blowing. However, / couldn't
complain, for he'd just mended the
chair, so that it was almost as good as
new, and had put me up as tidy shelf
as you please over the stove for the
brush and comb and the hair-oil bottle.
If I'd been little sliclled up myself,
with my new print and my pink apron,
or if I'd only had my bhang on, L
wouldn't a minded. But when Bon
jamin Franklin came back with just the
top dirt rinsei off, and the rest all
him as good shaking as O nut tree gets
in harvest.
"Bless my heart !'' says she, "what
arc you doing that for ?"
" Because he's so aggravating," says
I. There, you go long," and gave
him shove.
"Why," says she, don't you remem-
Der how it used to feel to be shaken
yourself Z"
81 don't know as do" says I.
Gas if you were flying tc atoms And
your body was as powerless as if it had
been in the hands of giant, and your
heart as full of hate? 2"
Why, look a-here," says 1. "Be
you a missionary"
A nissionaryl" says she, laughing
"No; Tn Mr.. Mulgrave's wife. And |
came up to see how the new house was
getting on; but the. house is so full of
plaster dust inside, and the whirlwind is
blowing the things off tho roof SO out
side, that thought L would venture in
here till the cloud passed.
"Im real glad to see you," says L.
It's a dreadful lonesome place, and
hardly anybody ever comes. Only I'm
sorry everything's so at SKIES and sevens.
You see, where there's family of chill
dren, and the wind blowing so, says L,
with-a lucky thought--it's always good
to have the wind or the weather to lay
things to, because nobody's responsible
for the elements -" things will get to
looking like ride out"
"Chiidren do make confusion" SAYS
she; " but confusion is pleasanter with
them than pimlico order without them. "
Well, that's so, answered; "for 1
remember when Johnny had the measles
last year thought if he only got well
I'd let him whittle the door all to pieces
if ever he wanted to again. Here,
Benny" says I, for began to feel bad
to think I'd treated him so-if he'd
mortified me, twas no reason why /
should mortify him, aud right before
folks So" take that to little sister,"
and / gave them something to keep them
quiet.
eyes, children do make trouble. But
there 1 wouldn't be without them for
all the fine clothes | used to have when
| was single and worked in the shop. [
worked at Burrage's, off and on, a good
many yCars-on most of the time. | had
six dollars week. Folks used to Won
der how / got so many clothes with it,
after I'd paid my board. But l always
had that six dollars laid out long before
pay y-day-in my mind, you know-so /
spent it to the best advantage. There's
great deal of pleasure in that"
''A great DEAL" says she,
"That's what I say to Jim; and then
he says his is all spent before payday,
too-but with a difference, yor know.
1 suppose you've got real good, steady
husband2"
"Oh, yes, indeed" says she, laughing
some more.
"Not," says I--"I don't mean that
Jim isn't steady. He's as steady as a
clock-at that old fiddle of his. But
sometimes do wish he loved his regu-
lar trade as well, or else that was his
trade. But I suppose if fiddling was
his trade. he'd want to be wool carving
all the time"
"Why don't you speak to him." says
she, 4" seriously?"
"Well, you can't" says L. "He's so
sweet and good-natured and pleasant
that when I've got my mind all made
up to give him sound talking to, he
makes me like him so, and sets me to
laughing, and plays such a twirling,
twittering tune, that can't do it to save
my life"
You see, I'd got to talking rather free