Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-07-11

to market, and if they lived like that
you can think what sort of vittles Jack
gotl Yes, Jack, for l found Dan'l
Briggs Jack there.
You see the first night when see
that tail, shamblin' creature shufiin' In
with his head dropping forrards, Imis-
trusted that I'd seen him sOmewheres
before, and ! watched him while he eat
his bread orusts and cold potatoes, and
after he'd gone out asked Samantha,
Who's hep
"' Jack she says.
"'Jack whatP'
"Jack Briggs?'
"And then L had it-sure enough.
Tom got him out of the Poor-House a
spell ago. she said sharply; he's half
a fool. l hate him.
"WeH, wouldn't blame any one for
being half fool living on such food as
they gave him. Fat edges of pork
with no mest on them, cold potatoes,
and bread left to get hard and dry so
he couldn't eat so much of it. Bless
you child, Pm not lying; I'm telling
downright truth; I've seen Christian
folks more than once play that trick
on their hired folks!
SCI spoke to him the next morning as
he was washing outside on the bench.
/ knew your folks once says I.
Eh, said he, looking at me with
those dull black eyes o. hisen.
"' Yes, and I knew you when you
was little fellow; you've growed con-
siderable since. How did you get along
at the Poor-House?'
''I had fits sometimes, and they
hogged me sometimes
a. You don't say so,' saysL How
long have you been here?
'"Quite a spellr
You look kind of peaked and vel
ler,' says 1; don't you feel wellP'
60 He stared hard at me and real
tears came to his eyes. I've lots of
pain here he said, putting his hand
to his side, and my head hurts some
timesP
-Four days after I went there,
Jane, that Toms wife, got word
that her father and mother were
coming down to see the new baby
and spend the day. She was nightly
fustered when she heard it, for she
hadn't bit of pie or cake in the house
and she wanted me to make some. She
said tho it must be apple-pie and
cake that wouldn't take more than an
egg or two, and but little butter, say
q tablespoonful. I concluded to make
it as best suited me, seeing had fair
field, Samantha having gone to the vii
lage; and tho James bedroom
opened into the kitchen, her bed 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
for her eyes, and kept telling me what
to do all the time till 1 clean lost pa
.tience; but you say be sure mixed
things my own way. No stale drip
pring out of the yellow bowl in the
buttery went into my pie-crust, but
put into it good, sweet lard out of the
trkin in the cellar, and l didn't sweet
en- them pies with molasses sugar
either, but good granulated went into
them.
"When 1 began with the cake she
called out, guess after all it had best
be molasses; that only takes one egg,
and shortening instead of butter
"' Well says 1, smiling to myself as
stirred up a good cake, which had
plenty of eggs and butter in it for
once. Her speaking of molasses cake
tho put it in my mind to bake a nice,
soft one, for molasses cake when fresh
amt to be sneered at. Yes, and I
meant to tell you that made pie in
an oldish saucer, made it thick and
sWeetened it with molasses, and after
it was baked l tucked it away in the
wOod-shed. After dinner looked tc
see if Jack had piece of the pie we
had cut, and that Jane had grumbled
over because it was too good. But
Samanth didn't give him any, which
was Just what 1 expected. So left
Samanth busy with the dishes, and
tueking that saucer-pie undermy apron
l went down in the yard alongside the
barn to look at some blankets I'd
hung out there thatmorning. Hooked
sharp to see Jack when he came along
to 90 to the meadow, and then I called
him soft like. 'WhatP' he says, stop
ping short.
g Here. says 1, 'take this and go set
down in the gate corner and eat it. pn
wait for the dish
"It want three minutes before he
brought the saucer back, every crumb
clean gone. I'll never forgit it, says
he, a crying.
"It was the next day the old folks
came. l baked good, sweet bread in
the morning and cut it fresh for dinner,
too, though Jane was hurt about it,
and what with ham and decently mash
ed potatoes, chopped cabbage and the
sugared pie, we had good dinner
everybody enjoyed, especially Tom
who couldn't stop Dragging about it.
But had plan in my mind, so after
we'd finished I says to Samanth,
You're tired, so you 90 set in James
room and hold the baby and talk to
Granny, and I'll wash up the things
She wa MT backward to accept, and
Tom took the old man out to see the
farm, and for once in his miserable
life set Jack down to g decent meal.
Nothing was sneaked off that table by
me, and it gave me solid satisfaction to
see him eat. Samanth screamed right |
out when she came in and saw him |
the pie. 'Ain't you ashamed |
70 Jet him make hog of himselfP' she
cried. But / reckon l set her down |
sharp for once.
what did you ask me just now9 |
How they spent their evenings thereP
Well, how do you SUPPOSED Like you
folks; going in the paTlor and lighting |
It up bright, and talking and reading |
and playingP I rather guess not. |
You don't think they would ever set in
their parlor do your If you do you
don't know them. -
"They sot in the kitchen, burned
One candle, and kind of grumbled when
hey felt like it. most always sot in
Oy Jane and the baby; our light came
II from the kitchen, for she wouldn't
burn an extra candle for herself. She |
was always limiting at something l !
might do evenings, but I let her hint.
Sometimes Jack came in, fearful, like
} dog not sure Of its place, and sot
Down for a spell by the door before he
vent to bed in the loft over the out
but Samanth was always find
ng fault and picking at him. One
night he came up to hetable and asked
.or needle and thread to fix his jacket,
put she never pretended to hear him.
was clean put out at such meanness.
Jack says /, 'hand me that jacket,
and got my housewife, and put on
ny specs and sot down to darn il.
''lt's a dirty, miserable thing says
|, working away. It ought to go in
he rag-bag, and Tom ought to get you
/ decent suit