The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1876-08-11
BECKY.

Your very heart would nave acneC
for the woman as she sat sometimes or
the edge OF the porch, crying and talk
ing to herself / mean Becky, Jack
Pundersons wife. Jack was farmer III
very good circumstances he owned a
quarter section of land, stock, farming
implements, machinery, and everything
that a well-tO-do farmer should' own.
But he was niggardly and selfish. In
stead of giving his wife money to buy
things that were needed about the house,
he put it out on interest. l believe he
did manage to buy her cheap sewing
machine, saying: at Ort to pay for itself
in year, sewing for the neighbors." "
He thought the COWS and chickens ought
to produce butter and eggs enough to
buy all their groceries and clio hing, and
if by good management tley failed to do
it, why then they must do without these
"luxuries." Now if any woman reads
this whose husband has laid such
restrictions upon his household, why she
will fully understand the case.
But want to tell you about Becky.
She had been talking to Jack the night
before, and suggesting that 1t would be
such a good plan ifhe would buy some
tea, coffee, sugar, rice and such things
bv the quantity. like her father always
did. She said it would take such a
burden of care from her mind-that the
managing, and planning and worry,
when added to Ier household duties,
was positively more than she felt able to.
bear. Gwen now," she added, "there is
not coffee and sugar enough in the house
to last till Saturday night, and the hens
don't lay, and butter is down to a shil-
ling a pound, and have nothing to buy
"Never mind" said Jack, eve can git
along without sweetnin' it's all whim,
this thing, anyhow, of eatin' jest for the
taste. Now l allus eat to fill myself up
why, l could eat pretty gOed-meal, l
suppose, of jest brand, with little salt
sprinkled over it. 1t allus looks kind of
good and temptin', brand does, when
Pm feedin' it to the COWS. Don't les
pay so much attention to what we eat;
the palmer things be, the sensibler they
are-with me, anyhow.
Becky didn't say another word, but
she slid away over to the other side of
the bed, creeping away from the very
neighborhood of the man who ate to be
filled, and who was tempted at the
sight of COW feed until his mouth wa
tered.
Before the children started to school
the next morning she made them some
berry pie for their dinners; there was
sugar enough to make them good and
palab'e. She told Jack that at noon he
would find his dinner in the dining-room
that she was going down to spend the
day at his mothers, and would not come
home until evening. Jack WINGED lit
tie, but she did not seem TO see 1t, as she
added: "Now some men are SO very
particular that they can't eat cold DIM
ner, but you don't care. will darken
the dining-room to keep the flies out, and
spread cloth over the table, and no
doubt you'll have good time"
There was a determined expression
away back in her merry gray eyes, but
Jack did not see it.
At noon Jack came in tired enough.
How lonely and still the house was
Beckv's sun bonnet hanging on the back
IF the rocking chair was all that looked !
'amiliar. He took it up and looked at |
{; he held it off and looked and he |
.ried it on, and shook mis- head until the |
'tarched gingham rustled. "Well, well"
lie said, "a body wouldn't think how
much company wife isl Lawful sakes!
put a man misses 'em about meal-tIme!
Now there's no smell o cookin' in the |
louse, an no step a-trippin' here an
here, an little sweaty red face about |
hought as he gawked about like A for
orn goose. Then he went into the
How cool and cleanl He
lung omen the shutters and the light
,eamed in upon the table set for one,
,ver which was lightly spread snowy
10th. He lifted the corners and raised
t with the most gingerly care, when
here before him was deep yellow dish
lalf filed with wheat bran over which
vas generous sprinkling of salt.
With an exclamation almost profane
le stood staring at the marvellous feast
pread for his delectatiOn. "Weh. well!
who'd a thought Becky Punderson
would dared do sich an thing as that
Wv, she's allus been as meek as a
neusew
He went down in the cellar and found
ONE good bread and butter he took up
he coffee-pot and shook it 1t contained
Iothing but grounds; he smelt inside.
'ut the poor, patient, planning little
roman had put on water and boiled
ver those grounds so often that no smell
f coffee was left. We don't know what
e thought as he ate his bread and but
er and drank noisily from his bowl of
milk. but once or twice if his guardian
ngel were near enough she would have
card him ejaculate-well,w what he said
t first when he raised the cloth spread
ver his tempting repast.
About the middle of the afternoon
ack Punderson, husband, hitched up to
is buggy, drove down to the corner
rocery, and bought lots of '1uxuries"
tea, coffee, sugar, rice, corn starch,
emons, baking powder and such things
hen he drove home past mothers and
fter an early tea carried Becky and the
aby home in the buggy.
Not a word was spoken about his
Oothsome MONDAY repast. When he
elped her out of the buggy he said,
Send one of the chaps out here with a
ushel basket when you go to the house.
have few foolish little trifies in under
he seat"
Now in stories the writer would say
They lived in peace and happiness
1rever after" but don't say so. Jacks
iggardly, selfish habits were bred in
i'm and they showed themselves
-eduently, but the little woman who
sed to sit down and cry and almost wish
he had married Tom Tinker, the music
eacher, instead of rich Jack Punderson
well she was capable of managing the
GLOW.
One time in mid-harvest they had
ired hands and were out of wood. She
ad burnt old rails, and peeled bark off
he fences, and gathered dead sticks in
he woods, and split up old barrel slaves
nd crook covers until she was tired of
!. 1t added much to her burden, and
ne morning she told Jack he really
aust hunt up wood enough to cook the
inner and the supper, anyhow.
"My mother allus tended to gittin'
-. -. ,,,ooJ = I,o-xv,s+ time ,, oaid ba !