The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-01-02
guess VIC shouldn't stand it great while,

none on u.s."
1 didn't really like the way she wen
on. Never, never, thrugh my whole life
wus I praised by anybody as | wus b!
hur, durin' the three days that she stayee
with US. And one mornin', when sh,
had been goin' on drctfully, that way,
took Josiah out one side and told him
"I couldn't bear to. hear her go on so
and believed there wus suthin' wrong
about it."
"Oh, no." say, he. "She means ever,
word she says" says he. "She is one o
the loveliest creeters this earth affords
She is most angel. Oh!' says he
dreamily, "what sound mind she ha:
got"
Says I, 81 heard her tellin' you this
mornin' that you wus one of the hand.
soonest men she ever laid eyes on, and
didn't look day over twenty-one."
"Well," says he, with the doggy firm,
ness of his sect. "She thinks So" and
says he, in firm axents, 81 am good
lookin' feler, Samantha. A crackin
good lookin' chap, but l never could
make you own up to it."
I didn't say nothin', but my gray eye
wandered up, and lighted on his bald
head. 1t rested there searchively, and
very coldly, for a moment or two, and
then, says /, sternly: "Bald heads and
beauty don't go together worth a cent,
But YOU wus always vain, Josiah Allen.
Saws he. "What if I wuz!" and says
he, "She thinks different from what you
do about my looks. She has got keen
eye on her head for beauty. She is very
smart, very. And what she says, she
means"
"Wall," says /, II am glad you are so
happy in your mind. But mark my
words, you won't always feel so neat
about it, Josiah Allen, as you do now"
Says he, in cross, surly way: Il
guess know, what do know"
/ hain't a yaller hair in the hull Of my
foretop, but I thought to myself, I'd love
to see Josiah Aliens eyes opened; for |
knew, as we'll as / knew my name wus
Josiah Aliens wife, that that wemen
didn't think Josiah wus so pretty and
beautiful. But I didn't see how | wus
goin' to convince him, for he wouldn't
believe me, when / told him, she wus a
maxim of it; and knew she would stick
to what she had said, and so there it wus.
But I held firm, aud cooked good rittles,
and done we'll by her.
That very afternoon We wus invited to
tea, that wus Sylphina Aliens, Miss Ma,
then Spooner's, us and Alzina Allen.
didn's use to be the right sort
of q girl, she wus kind of helpless, i'm
thing, and threw herself away
on worthless, drunken feller, that she
married for her first husband, though
Nathen Spooner wus dyin' tor her, even
then. But when her drunken husband
died, and she wus left with that boy of
hers, about six years old, she up and
lined the Methodist Church. didn't
use to associate with her at all, and Jo-
siah didn't want me to, though she wus
second cousin on his fathers side. But
folks began to make much of her. So /
and Josiah did everything for her We
could to help her do we'll and be likely.
Aud last fall she wus married to Nathen
Spooner, who hadn't forgotten her in all
this time.
They make likely couple, and 1
shouldn't wonder if they do well. Ma.
then Spooner is bashful; he looks as if
be wanted to sink if any one speaks to
him; but Sylphina is proud sperited and
holds him up. :,
They hain't got good deal to do with,
and Sylphina, bein' kind o. AFRAID OF
Alzina Ann, sent over and borrowed her
mother-in-law's white-handled knives,
and, unbeknown to Alziua Ann, / car
ried her over some teaspoons and other
things for her comfort, for if Sylphina
means to do better, and try to git along,
and be provider, l want to encourage
her all I can, so carried her the spoons.
Wall, no sooner had we got seated over
to Mrs. Spooner'ses, than Alzina Ann
begun. a.. b.,,,,;-
full little boy looks like you, Mr.. Spoon
er," she cried, and she would look, first
at Nathen, and then at the child, with
that enthusiastic look of hers.
Sylphina's face wus red as blood, for
the child looked as like her first husband
as two peas, and che knowed that Matthew
almost hated the sight Of the boy, and
only had him in the house for her sake.
And truly, if Nathen Spooner could have
sunk down through the floor, into the
seller, right into the potato bin or pork
barrel, it would have been one of the
most blessed reliefs to him that he ever
enjoyed. I could see that by his coun-
tenance.
If she had just said what she had to
saw. and then left off; but Alzina Ann
never'll do that; she has to enlarge in
her idees, and she would ask Sylphina il
she didn't think her boy had the same
noble, handsome look to him that Nathen
had. And Sylphina would stammer, and
look annoyed more'n ever, and get as red
in the face as red woolen shirt. And
then Alziua Ann, looking at the child's
pug nose. and then ut Matthews, which
was a sort of Roman one, and the best
feetur in his face, os Josiah says, would
ask Nathen if folks hadn't told him be-
fore how much his little boy resembled
his pa. And Nathen would look this
way aud that, aud kind O frown; and it
did seem as If we couldn't keep him out
of the seller to save our lives. And there
it wus.
Wall, when it came supper time, more
wus in store for him. Sylphina bein' SO
determined to DO better, and start right
in the married life, made practic Of
maxim Nathen ask q blessin'. But he.
bein' so uncommon bashful, it made il
awful hard for him, when they had COM
pany. He wusn't professor, nor nuth-
In, and it come tough on him. He
looked as if he would sink all the while
Sylphina wus settia' the table, for he
knew what wus before him. He seemed
to feel worse and worse all the time, and
when she wus settin' the chairs round
the table, he looked so bad, that | didn'1
know but he would have help to get te
the table. And he'd give the most pitt
full and beseechin' looks to Sylphina thai
ever wus, but she shook her head at him
and looked decided, and then he'd looi
as if he'd wilt right down again.
~ -.. ,..t ,ak dawn to tho tohlp