The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1875-01-06
Written for The Hartford Herald.
MRS. BARTELMASSY'S STORY.
BY QUITS.

Once upon time, and that time less
than year ago, was sitting at dreary
railway junction for the L. train. Wait,
ing is at all times wearisome enough, but
doubly so when stopping at third.rate
railroad hotel. Under such circumstances
an obliging landlady and two or three
prattling children are a godsend. 1 had
both. and to make my cup full and run
ming over, Mrs. Bsrtelmassy thrown in.
Mrs Bartelmassy was a pretty, plump
little woman, with round blue eyes and
brown wavy hair, nearing the forties, ]
should guess; traveller like myself. We
met as strangers do in railroad travel; met
and parted, and may never meet again,
but she helped me to while away the te-
dunn of lonely hour at a lonely inn.
But, reader, warn you, if you ase i'm
patient, or in hurry, don't wait to read
Mrs. Bartelmassy's story. shall give
il in her own words as nearly as possible;
but she had 4 way Of interrppting and
prolonging thescontinuous trickie and flow
of her conversation by catching her breath,
and lingering lovingly over her lands"
and "buts." In fact, she would 90 off
into a sort dwell. haze, l suppose,
would express what mean, wherein /
imagined she would see visions and dream
dreams, looking straight before her, un-
conscious for the moment of who was
present or what sne had been saying, then
beginning again with a catch Of her
breath, which, kind reader, you may new
er enjoy unless you could hear Mrs. Bar
telmassy tell her own story. ....t .e..l.
/ shall give it in her own words, but
H. ch e. 1xv
Mr.. Will Firkin says, "Just let lot of
women get together. and they'll all get to
laughing and all talking at once, and no
two of them talking about the same thing,
and that night every one of them will have
to tell everything she said, and everything
all the rest said, over to her husband" -
Don't feel like getting behind Mr.. Fir
kin and lifting him up by the ears, and
shaking him out of his boots for such
Islander on the sex? Yes, dol | didn't
talk-no / didn't-only just to ask Mrs.
Bartelmassy what dog bit her, and how
it happened, aud when. And didn't tell
my husband about it that night, either
for he heard it all himself. I'm glad he
did, because he hurries me up sometimes
when try to make myself entertaining by
repeating for his benefit something I've
heard, read, or seen. He says, "a wo,
man can't tell thing straight along
through, and quit, to save her life; but
must tell all about everything and every
body her story brings up" I'd like to
shake him, too, if dared. But let pa
thence have her perfect work; there's
hereafter. I'm glad he heard Mrs. Bar
telmassy, though, if there is.
/ was patting q fine setter of my hus-
bands at the door of that dreary hotel,
when Mrs. Bartelmassy came in. l have
a weakness for dogs, out of doors, and
''old Mink" had taken many trip with
US.
! "You must like Dogs" said Mrs. Bar
telmassy.
"Yes, I have a weakness for dogs, es-
pecially this one, she is SO near human,
/ answered, bowling courteously.
"Lordl hate dogsl Ireckon always will
hate 'em. Yes, always, reckon. Do you
see that hand2 Look at that scarf Right
in the palm-clean through, too. Well, a
dog bit me once right through that hand.
And I've hated dogs ever since. Let me
see, that was two years after was mar
ried. Mother didn't want me to marry.
one 5alu L Wae LOO yOunSI anu sue uS~
lieved l could do better than to marry
Billy Bartelmassy, anyhow, if I'd wait.
But, sakes alivel you needn't talk to a
girl about waiting, when she once sets her
head to marry You'd just as well sing
psalms to dead donkey, as pa says.
$50, we married and went to house,
keeping, in real pleasant neighborhood
down on Sandy Run. Yes, it was real
pleasant. There was Sam Whites fami-
ly, mighty nice people they were, lived in
about half a mile of US. Susan, their
oldest daughter, was cross-eyed, but she
didn't mean bit Of harm by it. And
Ben, their-sh second son, was the most
unaccountable liar, Mr.. Bsrtelmassy used
to say, he ever did hear talk; but he was
mighty polite to me, Ben was, and Que of
the best takers / ever listened to; real
entertainin'. They were real nice fam
lily. -
"And-ah Mr.. Perkins family lived just
about half mile on the other side of us.
They were of good family, old Virginia
stock. Thew were from Culpepper coun-