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

=
none on u.s."
didn't really like the way she went
on. Never, never, thrugl my whole life
wus !! praised By anybody as wus by
hur, durin' the three days that she STAYED
with us. And one mornin, when she
had been goin' on dretfully, that way,
took Josiah out one side and told him
II couldn't bear TO hear her go on so,
and believed there wus suthin' wrong
about it,"
"Oh, no." says he. "She means every
word she says" says he. "She is one OF
the lovcliest creeters this earth affords.
She is most angel. Oh!'' says he,
dreamily, "what sound mind she has
got"
Says l, ~ heard her tcllin' you this
mornin' that you wus one Of the hand
soonest men she ever laid eyes on and
didn't lo"k a day over twentyone."
"Well," says he, with the doggy firm
ness of his ,ect. 'She thinks so," and
says he, III firm axcnts, II am good
lookin' feller, Sa-aantha. A crackin'
good lookin' chap, but never could
make you own up 10 it"
didn't say nothin', but my gray eye
wandered up, and lighted on his bald
head. 1t rested there scarchiyely, and
very coldly, for a moment or two, and
then, says | sternly: BALD heads and
beauty don't 60 together worth cent.
But you wus always vain, Josiah Allen"
he, "She thinks different from what you
do about my looks. She has go: keen
eye on her head for beauty. She is very
smart, very And what she says, she
means"
"Wall," says |, II ain glad you are so
happy in your mind. But mark my
words, you won't always feel so neat
about it, josiah Alien, as you do now"
Says he, in n cross, sury way: Il
guess know, what do know"
hain't yaller hair in the hull of my
foretop, but thought to myself I'd love
TO see Josinh Aliens eyes opened for /
knew, as we'll rs | knew my name wus
Josiah Aliens wife, that that wemen
didn't think Josiah wus so pretty and
beautiful But l didn't see how wus
goin' to convince him, for lie wouldn't
believe me, when told him, she WIS a
maxim Of it and knew she would stick
to what she had said, and so there it WIS.
But held firm, and cooked good vittlcs,
and done well by her.
That very afternoon wc WIS invited TO
tea, that WIS Sylphina Aliens, Miss Ma
then Spooner's, us and Aziua Allen.
Sylphina didn't use to be the right sort
Of girl, she wus a kind of helpless, i'm
provender thing, and threw herself away
on worthless, drunken feller, that she
married for her first husband, though
Nathen Spooner wus dyin' for her, even
then. But when her drunken husband
died, and she wus left with that boy of
hcrs, about six years old, she up and
iined the Methodist Church. l didn't
use to associate with her at all, and Jo-
siah didn't want me TO, though she wus a
second cousin on his fathers side. But
folks began to make much of her. So /
and Josiah did everything for her We
could 10 help her do we'll and be likely.
And last fall she wus married to Nathen
Spooner, who hadn't forgotten her in all
this time.
They make likely couple, and l
shouldn't wonder il they do we'll. Ma
then Spooner is bashful he looks as il
he wanted to sink if any one speaks to
him; bat Sylphina is proud sperited and
holds him up.
They hain't got good deal to do with,
and Sylphina, bein' kind o. AFRAID ol
Alzna Ann, sent over and borrowed her
mother-in-law's white handled knives,
and, unbcknown 10 Alzina Ann, l car
retl her o:cr some teaspoons and other
things for her comfort, for if Syiphinn
means to do better, and try to git along,
and be provider, / want to encourage
her all / can, so carried her the spoons
Wall, nc sooner had we got seated over
10 Mrs. Spooncr'ses, than Alzina Ann
begun.
full little boy looks like you, Mr.. Spoon
| oh CrioI nd cba tyn,,1A 1ocl, Eref
at Nnthen, and then at the child with
that enthusiastic look Of hers.
Sylphna's face wus red as blood, for
the child looked as like her first husband
as two peas, and she knowed that = athet
almost hated the sigh. OF .he 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. could see that by his coun.
tenance.
If she had just said what she had tc
say, 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 Nather
had. And Sylphina would stammer, and
look annoyed more'n ever, and get as rec
in the face rs red woolen shirt. An6
then Alzina Ann, looking at the child'i
pug nose, and then ut Mathews, which
:.as snr. nf Roman one, and the hes
fcetur in his face, rs Josiah says, would
) ask Nnthen if folks hadn't told him be
fore how much his little boy resemblet
; his pa. And Nathen would look thi
way aud that, and kind O frown and i
did seem ns if we couldn't keep him GU
of the seller to save our lives. And there
it wus.
Wall, when it came supper time, NOR
wus in store for him. Sylphina bein' 8,
; determined to 90 better, and start righ
in the married life, made a practic O
maxim Nathen ask blessin'. But he
bein' so uncommon bashful, it made
awful hard for him, when they had com
pany. He wusn't n professor, nor nuth
.. in, and it come tough on him. H
Locked as e he would sink FL! The ;:h:!
Sylphina wus settin' the table, for Il
knew what wus before him. He SCENE,
> to feel worse and worse all the time, an,
, when she wus settin' the chairs 'roun
the table, he looked so bad, that I didn'
know but he would have help to get t
!, the table. And he'd give the most pitt
iul and bescechn' looks TO Sylphipa thu
ever wus, but she shook her head at him
and looked decided, and then he'd loo
: as if he'd wilt right down again.
a So when we got set down to the table
Syiphina gave him q real G:sa, loa!;, III
l.. he give n kind OF n low groan, and she