The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1880-09-10
AQUEEI CRAZE.

Wal twas Gurus the way it hap
pened, and amt got tired tellin' about
ityet. 1t was swelterin' hot that day,
the sort of weather when folks would
be glad to take off their flesh and sit
down in their bones. There hadn't
been drop of rain for tour weeks, and
everything looked thirsty. went
about in the afternoon very sorrowiul-
like, sprinklin' the flowers and thipkin'
that the time was soon a-comin' when
some one else would he watchin' 'em.
Things had been gettin' harder ever
since brother Ruben was lost on his
last voyage, and l hadn't been able to
pay the mortgage interest, and old
Squire jones was gone, and everything
IL the hands of that wild son; and I'd
got notice if the money wasn't paid by
the thirtieth of june everything would
be seized. didn't rightly know how l
was goin' to make IL livin' eitLaS. !
when folks are as old as that they're
like cats, and don't care about new
homes. So sat down very melan-
choly at tie window, and looked out at
the little scrap of a garden where I'd
worked for years, and began to think of
the time when / was slip of girl and
not so bad looking, and Pollonius
Sawyer used to come and see me and
bring me momentum. as he called it,
from every voyage. Lor', the house
was lust cluttered up with queer old
things that Rube and he brought, that
wouldn't bring sixpence at vandoO.
Poor Pollonius! He was wrecked on
strange coast, and no one knows where
his grave is. | reckon he had present
for me with him; but I'll never get
that one. All. me!
~ was a-settin' very retrospective
like when see Miss Vanburen a-comin'
in the gate. No hot weather could
Guench that woman's ardor for visitin'.
She had her sunbonnet in her hand,
and couldn't stay minute, of course.
But knew her tricks and her manners,
and begun a-turnin' over in my mind
what / could give her. You see, I'd
been a savin' lately, and hadn't the
usual supply in the house, but l wasn't
gOin' to demean lnyself before Hetty
Vanburen. She's mournful-lookin'
woman at the best OF times, with hus-
band who drinks and throws plates at
her head, and six rollicking, roaring
children. Well, that's neither here nor
there. She comes in with her mouth
drawed down and her eyes turned up;
anu StL
:" Wotever's happened to you, Mrs.
Van, sez l.
"Why, thought l must come over
and condole with you,' she says, a-turn-
in over the word 'condole' with sort
O. relish. He says rs how he heard
downtown that Lite Jones was a-goin'
to sell you out root and branch, and
thought it was only neighborly to come
over and see ef twas true. He don't
get things straight more'n half the time,
COS he sees through a glass darkly, as
the minister says
own l was took a-back at havin'
the affair published afore had time to
think it over, as you might say.
"' It's real neighborly,' sez 1, kind o.
bitter, to come over and take tea with
me once more; for you see yer opportu-
mites in that line will be nipped in the
bud if it's all true.'
"'Then 1t is true"
"'Yesr | sez. kind desperate; very
soon, | s'pose. the place that knows me
so well will know me no more;' and
the tears came into my eyes. I'm a
lone, lone woman, and where I'll DRIFT to
/ don't know
".Twouldn't bring much at a van
doo.' she says, lookin' round very keen
like.
No, s'pose not; rubbish most of
it,
81" But you've got some good linen as
I'd like she says, in a manner / con-
sidered unfeelin,' and this ere arm
cheers comfortable. I'm sort o. used to
this armcheer, and l wouldn't mind
biddin' it in at private sale, if you'd
wait bit for the money!
- / Waq qnrt ~ diaOti otad OF bar Ia
ness never seemin' TO feel how used I
was to the armchair, or how it hurt me
TO think of partin' with the things.
It's melancholy world, she says,
the next minute. think, perhaps, that
she'd forgot about the condolin "A pill
grim's progress OF male, and blessed
be them what's got nothin'. some
times wish | was out of it all when he
gets the tantrums and sends the plates
flying at my head. give you my word
we amt got a whole plate in the house,
and we wouldn't have thing TO eat of
if it wasn't for that cement they call
stratena, as i mends 'em with continual.
And abuse-you wouldn't believe it,
Hiss Haddock; a-tellin' me to go to
-devilish place, you know. Snure,
you'd better be wishin' me in heaven,
'ez l, coz I'd be more out OF your way.
ENciJ Ohc eot lhei ciOoo, sV@,
Iighing.
"'rve got more'n my share she sez,
drawin' down the corners of her mouth.
Sararaun IIaddock. you was wise
woman never TO tie yourself to any male
critter. Why ii seems more like heaven
to git over here to little peace and
quietness; and woteyer I'm goin' to dc
| when you're gone -r
l amt gone YET sez l. sort o. snap
pish--cos l couldn't bear her takin' il
for granted that there wasn't chance
for me. We're such curious critters, yor
seel l kept a clingin' to the hope tha
God was goin' to work some miracle fol
me. Now He did, and this was how i
came about. / excused myself TO ge
and put on the tea-kettle, and then
found hadn't blessed thing for tea.
had milk in the house, but nary an egg
and what kin a bodV do without eggs