St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-07-26

day, as she walked unceremoniously
into the dressmaker's sitting-room.
"Mornin', Widder. Set down."
''ThOught Td run in few minutes.
Jes' give me a thread an needle an I'll
baste while 1 talk. That's right Well
Sent HOsy Noble kitin' las night
Miss Lois laughed. ''You be the
beatinest! Why didn't you take up
with him. He's goods any on 'em."
$50 he is. But didn't want ter hev
ter be a gee-hawin' on him f'rever, a
gittin' on him ter do anything. l kin
do well enough alone. l kin hoe my
row with any man."
$50 I've heered ye say. But you'll
git took up with one O. these days, mos
likely"
"He'll git his match, l guess. But
Pve ben thinkin' % suthin' The next
stranger that comes Pm goin' ter tell
him he's miStoOk the name, an SEN him
over here. You're thrifty 'nuff to suit
any man, an got Il snug little piece O.
propty."
"I don't want 'em, Widder. Keep
'em ter yerself. | seed a man years ago
that l stick by yet, though he's dead
an gone. | don't want any pOkin'
round my house, old's be meow. Here
comes Gallup Button. He was in yister-
day a lookin' for ye."
"Sneakin' critter He knows he des-
sent set foot Onter my premises" she
muttered, as he entered. He was the
first admirer to whom she had given
the mitten, after her husbands death.
"Heow be We, Wilder? Heow dye
dew, Miss Frisbee ?" remarked Caleb,
numbering into the room, without the
ceremony of knocking. Don't git up.
kin wait OH myself. Still wOrkin' on
Miss Gaylord's gOwnd, l see. Be yew
'prenticin' tew Miss Frisbee, Wild
derg Pears t me yew know enough
meow, 'thout takin' up a new trade"
"Oh yis, knOW enough !" nodding
her head sagaciously.
''That medder land o. yourn's lookin'
putty good" he remarked, somewhat
at loss for Il subject.
"Must ben out % yer road to find
that out"
Caleb's few acres were at some dis
tance from the widows farm.
"Oh, Pm sayin' what other folks
say"
'Pears to me, Id try to hev an idee
o. my own, sometimes" returned the
widow, sharply.
"'Pears to me yer kinder spunky to-
day, amt ye ?" inquired Caleb, blandly.
''But I've got some news fur ye. They's
minister from Ballville, comm to
see ye. He's heered on we, an yer
faculty fur pushin' things, an he thinks
yen drive things in that perish so he's
Il comm" Caleb had no objections to
any one "cOurtin'" the woman he had
| 4 4l
she would not take him, so that was
the end of it. But he was anxious to
see her safely married to somebody, for
he had no faith in women being able to
manage their own affairs without the
aid of Il man.
ga minister !" snutfed the widow.
Gum Well 1 guess he won't tarry
long. Eff | be n church member, eff
there is one thing that | despise, it's a
minister fm week days. They don't
they dew bout feedin' cannibals. Ez
fur gittin' in crops, they're ginerally so
nigh-sighted they can't tell a wheel
barrer frum hay-rick, though think
more'n likely, it's nuthn' but ignerunce
ails 'em. SO he thinks I'll drive things
in his perish, uOes he Well l will |!
I'll drive him init, an my dog after
him. | guess he won't want me in long
w'the dog"
"He's widderer," went on Caleb,
when he had stopped laughing at Wild
der Plin's threat.
''Oh he is | want ter know eff he
isr'
Eyes. An he's got growed up son,
an some little prop'ty nv his own"
'Oh | want ter know! An so he
sent word aroun' beforehan' that he
was comm! Well we'll seer"
The next night the minister put in an
appearance, and Widder Plin' was
primly gracious to him in spite of her
self, for in her early days she had been
taught that unbounded respect and awe
was due to minister. But it was a
stiff, uncomfortable visit, nevertheless
1t was over at last, and after saying
the customary "Call again." she slam
med the door together and bolted it.,
muttering, "Miserable hypocrite thet |
be [ wish to the land he'd break his
pesky neck fore he gifts home. To
come fedgin' on me ez eff was beef
critter w The next call was in the fore
noon, and when the time came to pre-
pare the dinner for the hired man, she
said:
'Yew kin either set by yerself here,
or yew kin go out an look at the crit
ters, till dinners ready"
The latter was an opportunity of
which he gladly availed himself, and
although the widow called ministers
"nigh-sighted" and "ignerant" concern
ing farm matters, this specimen was an
exception to the rule. He was so
pleased with his survey that he men,
tally rehearsed the ''sOft sauder" calcu-
lated to win the widow, with her en-
umbrance-though perhaps he thought
of it as the farm and its encnmbrance.
Meantime, as the widow was getting
the dinner, she nodded her head with a
snap now and then and sometimes NUT
tered: "S'pOse he's seein' how'll like
it," Come this time o. day to see how
| cook ~ or 81 will gin him fish; see eff
thet'll fetch him."
The minister had good deal to say
at the dinner table about the widows
lot being cast in pleasant places, and
her "goodly heritage" and he could
distance her in eating fish, both in
rapidity and quantity. Widder Plin'
began to lose her respect for ministers.
The next call was just before supper
time, and he brought ''bunch o.
Posies"-a peony and a spray of "mat-
rimOny" blossoms. He also had matri-
mony in his button-hole.
"The land sakes" exclaimed the
widow as she watched him hitch his
horse. ~ dew believe they amt no
fule like an old one."
He was very lover-like that evening,
and kept hitching his chair closer to
hers till, as she told Miss Frisbee the
next day. she could almost scratch his