The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-01-02

our'n. And Nathen was jest a.brginnin
agin, when AlZina Ann broke out afrcsh
and says:
"What wouldn't give i'll could own
some knives like them? Wha. proud
and happy wemen it would make me-
That routed US all up agin, and never
did sce-unlcss it was on funeral oc.
cason-a face look MS Matthews face
looked. Nobody could have blamed
him if he had got up, then, and not made
another effert. But Syl;hina, bein' 80
awful determined to d. jist right, and
start right in the married life, she winkcd
to Nathen agin, real sharp and en-
couragin' wink, and shet up her eyes.
and Josiah and done as she done, and
shct up our'n.
And Sathen (feclin' MS if he must sink J
got all ready to begin agin. He had jest
got his mouth opened, when says Alzina
Ann, in that rapturous way OF her'n:
"Do tell me. Sylphina, how much did
you give for these knives, and where Gid
you get emf"
Their it was Sylphina's turn to feel as
if she must sink, for being so proud
spcritcd; it wus like pullin' out sound
tooth to tell Alzina Ann they wus bor-
rowcd But bein' SO set in tryin' to do
right, she would have up and told her
But /, feclin' sorry for her, branchcd
right off, and asked Nathen 'if he lived
out to vote Republican, or Democrat, or
Grecnback." So we had no bessin'
asked, after all, that day.
Sylvina sithcd, and went to pourin'
out the tea. And Nnthcn frightened up,
and said, "if things turned out with him,
as he hoped they would that fall, he cal
| OF, lnf foI t,, yrtc f,,r o1A Dator (y,ooo-
could sec from his mean, that Josiah
was gcttin' kinder sick of Alzina Ann,
and (though hain't got jealous hair in
the hull Of my back hair foretopyI didn't
care mite if he wuz. But, truly, verse
WIS to come.
After supper, Josiah and me wus a-sct-
tin in the spare-roon, close to the win
der a-lookin' through Sylphina's album
when we heered Alzina Ann and Syl-
phina, out under the winder, a.lookin' at
Sylphina's peary bed, aud Alma Ann
was tnlkin', and says she:
"How pleasant it is here, to your house,
Sylphina, perfectly beautiful Seein'
we are both such friends to her, feel
free to tell you what awful state find
Josiah Aliens wife's house in. Not q
mite of carpet in her settin'-room floor,
and nothiu' gives room such a awful
look as that. She said it wus up to
mend, but, between you and me- don't
believe word of it. ! believe it wus up
tor some other purpose. And the cur
tains wus down in my room, and had
to sleep all the first night in that condi-
tion. l might jest as well have sat up,
it looked SO. And when she got 'cm IN
the next mornin', they wusnt nothin'
but plain white muslin. / should think
she could afford somethin' n little more
decent than that for her spare-room.
And she hadn't mite of fruit cake in
the house, only two kinds of common
lookin' cake. She said Josiah forgot to
give her my letter, and she didn't get
werd | wus comm till thv day got there,
but between you and me, | never be-
licvcd that for minute. believe they
got up that story between em, TO excuse
it off, things lookin' go. III wusn. such
friend of hern, and didn't think such a
sight Of her, wouldn't mention it for the
world. But think everything Of her
and everybody knows do, so lecl free
to talk about her. How humbly she has
growed Dom. you think so? And he,
. mind seems to be kind o. runnn' down
For how, under the sun, she can think sc
much of that simple old husband Of hcrn
is mystery TO me, unless she is CROWN
foolish. lie WIS always n poor, insignif-
cent lookin' crecter; but now, he is the
humbliest and meakenest lockin' creeter
/ ever seen in human shape. And he
looks as old rs grandfather Richerson,
every mite rs old, and he is most ninety
And he is vain rs peahen."
jest glanced round ut Josiah, and
then, intentively, / looked away again
His conntenancc wus perfectly awful
Truly, the higher we are up the worse il
hurts us to fall down. Rein' li0ed M or
such height Of vanity and vain glory
and iaiiin down from it so sudden, il
most broke his neck (speakin' in poet
havin' had doubts of her all along, didn'l
feel nigh so worked up and curious, i,
mere sort o. madded me, it kind O. ope
rated in that way on me. And so wher
she begun agin to run Josiah and me
down to the very lowest notch, called u.
all to naught, made out we wusn't hardly
tit to live, and wus most fools. AnC
then says agin:
II wouldn't say word against 'em fol
the world, if wusn't such friend te
'em-"
Then rose right up, and stood in IT,,
open winder, and it came up in front o
me: some like pulpit, and 'snase my
mean looked considerable like q preach
era, when ttey get carried away with
the subject, and almost by the side O
themselves.
Alzina Ann quietcd the minute she sol
her eyes on me, as mich or more thai
any minister 1-cT made a congregation
quail. and says she, in tremblin' tones
"iou know do think everything il
the world of you. You know shouldn'
have said word against you, if wasn'
such warm friend of yourn."
Friend" says I, in awful nxents
"F md, Alzna Ann Richerson, yo,
know no more about that word
=. if you never see dictionary. 10,
! Oon't know the true meanin' of that word
: no more than African babe know
about sldin' down hill"
Says I, "The Bible gives prettr goo,
idee of what it means; it spca,.s Of
man layin' down his life for his friend
. Dearer TO him than his own life. d,
, you 'spoSc such n friendship rs that
, would be a mistrustin' round. a-tryin' L
rake up every little fault they could Ia,
! holt of, and talk 'em over with every
body? Do you 'sposc it would cree
,, round under windcrs, and back bite, AM
, SANDER Josiah 2"
/ entirely forgot, for the moment, tina
she had been a-talkin' about me, 70
: truly. abuse heaped upon my parane
; seems ten times rs hard to bear up under
as il it wus heapcd upon me.
Josiah whispered to me, "that is right
/ Samantha! Give it to her." and uphel
= =, by duty, and that dear man, went OF
u | o1J aaUa I.