The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-12-12
MRS. PURDY's PARQUIsITEs.

One day, some time since, we were
summoned to tho parlor to see a WIS.,
itor who had sent up neither card nor
name. As we entered the room, an
understood, wiry, active, elderly,
quairt-looking woman rose to greet us.
We were struck at sight with the bright
ness of her dark, handsome eyes, and
the russell redness of her thin, brown
cheeks. Her dress was of calico,
starched and ironed 10 a miracle, and
she wore an indescribable air of indie
pendent ut-of-fashionness, which took
our fancy at the start.
She was living on ranch not a very
great distance from San Francisco.
She was born in England, had come
over to this country in her girlhood,
had spent some years in Connecticut,
had married in Pennsylvania, had tried
her fortunes in the West, and had
finally drifted to California of
which we learned in the course of after
conversation, and noted that her speech
bore evidence of her wanderings.
She stood for a moment confronting
US, while she darted forth keen look
from under the great round hat, which
was tied down, Canada-fashion, at the
ears, and projected immensely fore and
aft.
"Be you the woman that writes in
the Pacifc9''
Il take charge of a column in the
Pacific, for the WOman's Board. Won't
you sit down?' The interview prom
ised to be interesting.
She dropped suddenly into her chair,
and revealed, as she did so, good
sized covered basket which stood by
her side.
"Wall, now, am mighty glad l
have found you! My old man he takes
the Pacific, bein' brought up a Congre-
gational, and l read it for my Sunday
readin'-leastways your part Of it par
tikelar, and very often permiskus, too.
So felt kind O. 'quainted with you
like, and thinks l to myself the very
fust time 90 to San Francisker T. take
q run over to Hoakland and see if can
make her OUT
Il am very glad to see you; very
glad you like our column SO well; we
want all our friends to like it's
"Wall, when you first begun that
column all about the missionaries and
SIGH, it kind o. took me, and l deter
mined l would do all could to raise a
little money. I've knocked round this
world considerable myself, though not
doin' it for the heather, which amt
sayin' hain't never found none, and
that amt neither here nor there, but l
know by my own feelin's what It is to
be in a strange country and everything
queer and homesicklike, let alone the
language, which must be powerful dis
couragin', specially if body's hard to
learn, which l don't s'pose the mission
aries is, but some on 'em may be. We
live on a ranch here-a-ways with u
jerk of the head), and my old man he's
toler'b bic close, and no wonder, bein'
we've twice been burnt out and hahn t
no children to look after us bime-by
and old age a-comin', if we live, and
our sheep dyin' offthe last year or two'
and she made sudden halt, looking
at us intently.
Here was evidently warm heart
one that had learned sympathy for
others by it's own experience; one that
was too loyal, likewise, to cast reflec-
tons on anyone else in doing its duty.
Il dare say" we replied, seeing that
a reply was expected, and not knowing
very we'll what else to say.
"Wall," she resumed, in a tone of
good-natured federation, II know he
had enough to see arter, and so l de-
termined to raise what money l could
myself and give him no trouble about
it. And, of course, l makes my own
butter; so arter that, when I churned,
l puts away little in missionary jar,
which called Mexico, and we neither
on us never missed it, end arter while
Mexico was full of butter and we no
wuss off, and bimeby l sold it and put
away the money. Says to myself
and a smile came into her eyes =
that's my parquisites. Everybody
has parquisites in these days, and why
should not I?'
ut was all the same about eggs; and
says to myself, Now l shall parquis-
tie two eggs out of every dozen or two
layin' hensv which l concluded to pre-
empt two young layin' hens. me namin'
'em Japan and Turkey and bein'
lonely-like out there on the ranch and
no one to talk to, conversed with
them, as if they was folks; and l de-
clare fort, 1 rally think they under
stood me, for arter l had told 'em two
or three times that they was parquisite
hens ard must lay accordin', and
shouldn't have no excuse bout grain
and gravel, cause I would give 'em
plenty of both, them two hens went to
layin' to that degree that they cut-cut-
ca-da-cut-ed me out to them nests that
much and that regular that it RELY
seemed as if they had missionary on
the brain, and they laid me forty dozen
of eggs, did Japan and Turkey last
year, and l got two bits q dozen for
'em all round, which was pretty good
parquisitin' for two hens, and the
money put away with the fust, do you
see?" and she came to the usual sudden
stop, and waited for us to speak.
.'Certainly. What wonderful hens
you must haver'
"Yes, that was pretty good. And
then there was my calf, which my hus-
band bein' SO keen for money of course
we doesn't eat our calves but sells 'em.
And one of our cows she had calf that
was q poor, puny little creatur, and the
butcher he wouldn't give nothin' for it,
and my husband he said it would cost
more d it would come to to raise it, and
he was for knockin' it on the head and
sellin' the pelt, which I begged him
agln it, and said I would raise it on
skim milk, which wasn't good for
n0thin' to nobody, if he would let me
have it. and he said | might Il wanted
TO. and was . great fool Tor my pains.
30 l took 1t, and the rains camc on and
I went m.lssionaryin' out 70 tho shed