Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-11-04

again. He worked just about enough TO
keep himself in drink. He knew he couldn't
git any of nv money for that, But stood
i, all till abou, fortnight ago. I'd been
workin hard all DAY helpin' Miss Barber
clean house and it seemed as if every bone
in my body achcd. was so tired. ! came
along home thinkin' how good my cup
of tea would taste. The first thing | see.
when ! opened the kitchen door, was
old Hank Slater. settin' there in NV rock in
chair. He and Josiah were both drunk as
hogs" said Nabby. slandering an innocent
| animal in her haste for a smile.
They'd tracked the mud all over my
clean floors. The cookin' stove was crammed
full of wood. roarin' like all possessed. |
wonder they hadn't burnt the house up be-
fore 20, there. And they'd got my best
teapot out to heat some water, and the wa
ter'd all billed away. and the bottom come
| out. But the worst was 10 see my husband
a consortin' with such scum Of the earth as
that miserable. low-lived Hank Slater. |
tell YOU. squire. was mad. was mad. |
jus, hung that Kitchen door wide open, and
sea -
Git out of this house. Josiah Gould, and
don't ever let me see your face inside ont
| again"
"Sez he. meek as Moses, Where shall |
go TO. Nabby p"
'Sez l." i don't care where YOU 20 TO. so
longs YOU don't come near me. I've always
been a respectable woman, and dom; want
none Of Hank Skaters friends round my
house"
"well'" quericd the squire. as Nabby's
narrative came TO 4 pause.
4 1
tone. "he went o5. And he hasn't come
back. And want q divorce
Now. Nabby," demonstrated the old
squire. ''you don't wan, divorce. know
YOU better than that; You are no, the ~om-
an TO give Josiah up. and le; him 20 TO the
bad. without a struggle. You feel little
,eNed with him now. and don't blame YOU.
Il j. hard. very hard. Bu, YOU know YOU
took him for better. for worse Do you
think. yourself. It Is quite night 10 break
YOUR contract because It proves the worse
for you-bccause YOU are the strong one and
he the weak one Of the two2 1ha, doesn't
strike me a. good Bible doctrine. Nahh,
We that are strong ought TO bear the in
frnitics Of the weak. and no, TO please our
selves. YOU know"
We'll. dunno" said Nahby. Twisting the
corner Of her shawl. dubiously Il hadn't
thought on, in iha, light, | must say. III.
80 aggTa,ailn' to have such a man for a has
band. Besides. dunnos he'd come back Il
| wanted HIM to-"
Hasn't be been back at all -
why. YES. he came back once for pair
Of panialoons But didn't iaic no notice
Of him"
Now Nabhy, you NAV depend upon it.
j, wasn't the pantaloons be was after. Tie
wlnicd 10 see If YOU wouldn't rclcut. II he
/ comes again be little pleasant to him. and
I Ill warrant be Wlil stay. Give HIM another
chance. Nahby. Josiah isn't the ~ors, fcl-
T low IN the world. by any means. lie has
his rcdcrmty sralts after all. believe tie
vlll DO better # YOU ~ill TRY 10 help him.
! You know Josiah j. one that bcars eacUur-
( agement. Nabby"
We'll. Squire. I'll think ii over. Any
+ how I'm oblreged TO YOU. You talk so soTtcr
/ comioriin' to q body Your mothers ow n
I son jus, the same good heart. Would YOU
/ t,c able 10 eat some OF my cheese. Squire -
/ "Ir, me and see. Nabby." said the Squire.
smilingly, not imper,ious To Nabby's com
[ piimcnts Nabby made her exit Just a,
F Mr.. iioslcy rushed in. full Of wlfely lndig
I nation tina, the Squire had been allowed to
see ''cIieni."
Nabby's home was over at the Corners,
three miles from the village. She walked
rapidly along in the fast ihickening dark
ness, with the steady. strong gait becoming
the self-reliant woman that she vas. Yet
even her unimaginaii,e nature was not proof
sgains; the depressing influence OF the chill
Is. raw November evening. The Wind
3 81.
which creaked aud groaned mournfully. and
waved wildly up and down IN the dim iigh,
overhead. The wind seemed 10 cherish a
special spite against Nabby. IL blew her
bonnet off and her hair into her ewes, ,trug-
gled madly with her for her shaw /. took her
breath away. and firmly resisted To her es-
cry step. FINALLY it began to send spi,eful
dashes OF cold rain drops in her faee-rain
that seemed almost TO freeze as it fell.
Josiah used To come after me with an
umbrella when was caugh, out in the rain "
thought Nabhy. .He was always real kind
and good to me. after all. | dunuo's be
ever gave me a cross word in his life, even
when he'd been drinkin."
Here tne driving. sleety rain and piercing
wind pounced down upon Nabby with re-
newed fierceness, hustling her madly in
tendish glee.
AN awful night to be homeless, Nabby, =
something seemed to sav.
Il don't care" said Nabby 10 herself be-
ginning to feel cross again and generally
I ill-used as she grew wetter and colder. 1T
serves him right. He's made his bed and
[ he can lie in it.
At the Corners" ligh ht streaming cheer
I fully out into the night from other homes
made Nabby's little house particularly
gloomy and uninvi,ing. Nabby fumbled
under the mat for the door-key, fumbled
with s,ifened fingers for the key hole, and
finally succeeding in unlocking the door, felt
| her way through the little entry.
+; There is always something "uncanny'
about going alone at night into dark and
shut-up house. Even people Of the best
regulated minds experience a vague sus-
picion Of something behind them. a sense Of
possible ghostly hands about 10 clutch them
in the darkness. Nabby was a woman, like
Mrs. Edmund Sparkler, with mo nonsense
/ about her;" but, nevertheless, a cheerful
tale she had read only yesterday in the
Chronicle, about a burglar and lone
woman, kept coming into her head, and she
carefully avoided the blackness of the cor
ners and the pantry door, as she CROPPED
around the kitchen for a candle. OF course
the fire had gone out.
1.-TWO heads are better than one. If one is
Sleeps head" Nabby might have been
heard muttering out in the wood-house, as
she stopped painfully down, picking up
chips by which oracular utterance | sus-
pect she was thinking what good supply
of kindlings Josiah always kept on hand for
her, and how much more comfortable il was
in the old times coming home to house
bright with light and warmth, and Josiah's
welcome.
For Josiah cherished the most profound
! admiration for Nabby-an admiration not
unmingled with awe. He thought her a
most wonderful woman. She was just as
beautiful to him now as in the old courting
days, before the brightness and quickness
of the black eyes had degenerated into
sharpness; before the smiling mouth had
acquired its hard, firmly-set expression, be-
fore there we're any wrinkles in the smooth
forehead. People thought Nabby had done
well in marrying Josiah Gould-a pleasant.
good-nstured young fellow that every one
liked; young mechanic, not very rich yet,
it is true; but, with good trade and such
q wife as Nabby. there seemed nothing to
prevent his figuring as Zone Of our first