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 afresh,

agin, when Alzlna Ann broke out alresn,
and says:
"What wouldn't give if could own
some knives like them? WHAT proud
and happy wemen it would make me-"
That routed US all up agin, and never
did I see-unless it was on funeral oc-
casion-a face look as Matthews face
looked. Nobody could have blamed
him if he had got up, then, and not made
another efFert. But Sylphina, bein' so
awful determined to do jist right, and
start right in the married life, she winked
to Nathen agin, real sharp and en-
courngin' wink, and shet up her eyes.
and Josiah and I done as she done, and
shet up our'n.
And Nathen (feelin' as if he must sink)
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 did
you get 'em ?"
Then it was Sylphina's turn to feel as
if she must sink, for being so proud.
sperited; it wus like pullin' out sound
tooth to tell Alzina Ann they wus bor-
rowed. But bein' so set in tryin' to do
right, she would have up and told her.
But I, feelin' sorry for her, branched
right off, and asked Nathen "if he lived
out to vote Republican, or Democrat, or
Greenback." So we had no blessin'
asked, after all, that day.
Sylvina sithed, and went to pourn'
out the tea. And Nathen frightened up,
and said, 'if things turned out with him,
as he hoped they would that fall, he cal
culated to vote for old Peter Cooper"
could see from his mean, that Josiah
was gettin' kinder sick of Alzina Ann,
and (though hain't got a jealous hair in
the hull of my back hair foretop)'I didn't
care a mite if he wuz But, truly, verse
wus to come.
After supper, Josiah and me wus a-set-
tin in the spare-room, close to the win
der, a-lookin' through Sylphina's album;
when we heered AIzina Ann and Syl-
phina, out under the winder, a-lookin' at
Sylphina's peary bed, and Alzina Ann
was talkin', and says she:
elbow pleasant it is here, to your house,
Sylphina, perfectly beautiful! Seem
We are both such friends to her, I feel
free to tell you what awful state find
Josiah Aliens wife's house in. Not
mite of carpet in her settin'-room floor,
and nothin' gives room such awful
look as that. She said it wus up to
mend, but, between you and me, l don't
believe word of it. ! believe it wus up
for some other purpose. And the cur
tains wus down in my room, and had
to sleep all the first night in that condi-
ton. I might jest as we'll have sat up,
it looked so. And when she got 'em up
the next mornin', they wusn't nothin'
but plain white muslin. should think
she could afford somethin' 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 l nus comm till the day got there,
but between you and me, never be-
lieved that for minute. believe they
got up that story between 'em, to excuse
it off, things lookin' so. If l wusn't such
friend of hern, and didn't think such a
sight of her, ! wouldn't mention it for the
world. But 1 think everything of her,
and everybody knows do, so ieel free
to talk about her. How humbly she has
growed Don't you think so? And her
mind seems to be kind O. runnin' down.
For how, under the sun, she can think so
much Of that simple old husband of hern,
is mystery to me, unless she is CROWN
foolish. He wus always al poor, insignifi-
cent lookin' creeter; but now, he is the
humbliest and meakenest lookin' creeter
I ever seen in human shape. And he
looks as old as grandfather Richerson,
every mite as old, and he is most ninety.
And he is vain rs peahen."
I Jest glanced round at Josiah, and
then, intentively, l looked away again.
His countenance wus perfectly awful.
Truly, the higher we are up the worse it
hurts us to fall down. Bein' lifted up on
such height of vanity and vain glory,
and fallin' down from it so sudden, it
most broke his neck (speakin' in a poet.
ical and fgurative way.) !, myself,
hsvin' had doubts of her all along, didn't
| feel nigh so worked up and curious, it
mere sort O. madded me, it kind o ope-
rated in that way on me. And so when
she begun agin to run Josiah and me
down to the very lowest notch, called us
all to naught, made out we wusn't hardly
fit to live, and wus most fools. And
then says agin:
II wouldn't say word against 'em for
the world, if wusn't such q friend to
'em-"
Then rose right up, and stood in the
open winder, and it came up in front of
me, some like pulpit, and 'spose my
mean looked considerable like preach
ers, when they get carried away with
the subject, and almost by the side OF
themselves.
Alzina Ann quieted the minute she sot
her eyes on me, as much or more than
any minister ever made congregation
quail, and says she, in tremblin' tones:
"You know do think everything in
the world of you You know shouldn't
have said word against you, if wasn't
such warm friend Of yourn."
Friend" says I, in awful axents.
"Friend, Alzina Ann Richerson, you
don't know no more about that word,
than if you never see dictionary. You
don't know the true meanin' of that word,
no more than a African babe knows
about slidin' down hill"
Says I, "The Bible gives pretty good
idee of what it means; it speaks of
man layin' down his life for his friend.
Dearer to him than his own life. Do
you 'spose such a friendship as that,
would be a mistrustin' round. a-tryin' to
rake up every little fault they could lay
holt of, and talk 'em over with every
body. Do you 'spose it would creep
round under windcrs, and back-bite, and
slander Josiah ?"
1 entirely forgot, for the moment, that
she had been a-talkin' about me, for
truly, abuse heaped upon my pardner
seems ten times as. hard to bear up under,
as il it wus heapeeSNpon me.
Josiah whisperefto me, "that is ri ght,
IL -. 4. 4