Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-08-14
up quite sharp when he called for pap

neaTU enough OF tOem 10 KNOW tldC C0ey
arc awful close, but I'm free to say that
Of all stingy, scraping, rich creatures
they are the very beat. I was sent fol
to come and nurse Toms wife when she
had her baby couple of years ago. Tom
came over beforehand to strike bargain
with me, tried to tell me the work would
he light with Samantha, her niece, there,
and asked me right out to. take off a
couple Of dollars in my price. But
knew the Brones, and they knew me, and
I went for my regular wages or not at all
You sec, there is great deal ia do ON a
large farm like theirs, and they expected
me to be busy every minute.
II often wondered when I was there
what was the use Of money if you coulGn' I
enjoy it. They certainly didn't seem to
get any good, SO to speak, out OF theirs.
Their very table was mean, mean for
them who could afford bctter-sour rye
bread, rusty pork and the small potatoes
they couldn't sell. Though they had a
big lot of poultry none of it ever came on
their table, neither did eggs or such, for
everything that could fetch copper
went to market and it they lived like
that you can think what sort Of vittles
Jack got! Yes, Jack, for found Dan'l
Briggs Jack there.
"You see the first night when I sec
that tall, shamblin' creetur shufflin' in
with his head droppln' forrards I mis-
trusted that I'd seen him somcwheres be-
fore, and l watched him while nd eat
his bread srusts and cold potatoes, and
who's he?'
"'Jack,' she says
"Jack what2'
"Jack Briggs
''And then | had it sure enough.
Tom got hi IN out Of the poor-house
some time ago. she said, sharply: 'he's
half fool. hate him.
"Well, wouldn't blame any one. fol
being half fool living on such food as
they gave him. Fat edges of FORK with
out bit of meat on them, cold potatoes,
and bread left to get hard and dry so he
couldn't eat so much of it. Bless you,
child, I'm not lying; Pm tellin' down
right truth; I've seen Christian folks
more than once play that trick on their
hired folks.
II spoke to him next morning as he
was washing outside on the porch. i
knew your folks once,' says I.
"'Eh,' said he, looking at me with
those dull, black eyes of his'n.
"Yes, and l knew you when you
was a little fellow; you've growed
considerable since. How did you get
along at the poo1house?"
81 had fits sometimes, and they tlogg
cd me sometimes.'
"'You don't say So says !, How long
have you been here?'
"'Quitc SPELL:
"'You Look kind Of peaked and yel
lcr,' says I, don't you feel well?'
He stared at me and real tears came
to his eyes. 1--we lots of pain here said
he, putting his hand to his side, Sand my
head hurts sometimes
"Four days after I went there, Jane
that's Toms wife, got word that hel
father and mother were coming down tt
sec the new baby and spend the day
She was nightly flustered when she
heard it, for she hadn't bit of pie o.
cake in the house and she wanted me tt
make some. She said though it must bt
apple pie and a cake that wouldn't take
more than an egg or two, and but little
butter, say tablespoonful. concluded
to make it as best suited me, seeing
had fair field, Samantha having gone
to the village; and though James bee
room opened into the kitchen, her bee
stood so she could not see the part of the
room where I was at work. All the
same, she made her tongue do duty fol
her eyes and kept telling me what to dc
all the time till clean lost patience, hui
you may be sure then I mixed things my
own way. No stale drippings out of thu
old yellow bowl in the buttery went int
my pie crust, but I put into it good
sweet lard out of the irkin in the cellar
and / didn't sweeten them pies witt
molasses sugar either, but good gran
ulated went into them.
"When began with the cake she call
ed out I guess after all 1t best be mo
lasscs; that only takes one egg, and short
| cning instead Of butter
"Well, l said smiling to myself as
stirred up good cake, which hadblenty
| of eggs and butter for once. Her speak
ing of molasses cake tho put me in m,
mind to bake a nice, soft one, for molass
es cake, when fresh, amt to be sneeret
at. Yes, and I mean to tell you that
made a pie in an oldish saucer, and mad
it thick and good and sweeteued it will
molasscs, and after it was baked tucke<
! it away in the woodshed. After Dime
dinner looked to see if Jack had picc
| of the pic we had cut and that Jane hat
grumbled over because it was too good
But Samantha didn't give him any, whicl
was just what I expected. So I left Sa
mantha busy with the dishes, and tuck
ing that saucer-pie under my apron
went down in the yard alongside the bar
to lookaat some blankets I'd hung Their
tat morning. I looked sharp to Sc
Jack when he came along to go to th
meadow thensI called him soft like
''What' he says he, stopping short. :.
"'Here,' says I, take this and go sc
down in the gate corner and cat it, II
wait for the dish,
brought the saucer back, every crum
clean gone.
"sI'll never forget it, says he crying
1T was the next day the old folk
came. I baked good, sweet bread in tn
morning and cut it fresh for dinner too
though Jane was hurt about it, and wha
with ham and decently mashed potatoes
che pped cabbage and the :sugared pi
we'd II good dinner which. everybody Ell
joyed, especially Tom, who couldn't sto
bra ging about it. But had plan i
my mind, SO after we'd finished says t
Samantha: "You're tired, SO you 90 set ,
James room and hold the baby and tai
to granny, and I'll wash up. the things
| She want backward TO accept, and Tol
took the old man out to see the farm, an
for once in his miserable life I set JAG
down to decent meal. /, Nothing va
sneaked off that table by me, and it gay
me solid satisfaction to see him eat: 81
mantha screamed right oat when sh
came in and saw him finishing the pi
Amt you, ashamed, to let him make
hog of himself2' she Cried, But recko
I set her down sharp for once.
''What dia you ask me Justnow? Ho'
they spent their evenings there2 Wei
how do you suppose? Like YOU folks, g,