Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-12-12
NOBODY'S HUSBAND .
, Of the cn11,ra,S door

A knock at the squ!re's door
An eager come I'M from the squire,
10 whom any outside diversion is an in
estimable boon, he having reached that
uncomfortable stage of masculine conva-
lescence when life becomes a burden, not
only to the go-called patient himself,
but also to those unlucky feminine rela-
tives, whose duty it IS to oficiate as his
administering angels"
Mary. the servant, came in.
''Please, Mr.. Hosley. there's a woman
down stairs, who says she must see you.
She's been here before since you was
sick, and now she won't take no for an
answer.
''Show her up, Mary said the squire,
cheertuIly, Strengthening himself, and as
Stunning as much of legal dignity as
dressing gown and slippers permitted.
Mary disappeared. Presently the door
opened again. 'Why, Nabby," said the
squire, sis it you? How do you do?''
eyes, squire, it's me-" said Nabby.
dropping down, with heavy sigh. into
a chair, "and I don't do very we'll"
Nabby was a short. squarely built
woman of fifty, with considerable gray
in the coarse, black hair, drawn stiffly
and uncompromlsingiy back under a
bonnet about fifty years out of date. She
had sharp, black eyes, and a resolute,
go-ahead manner. Evidently hard
working woman; yet in looking at her
you could not help the conviction that
something more than hard work had
plowed the wrinkles which ran across
her forehead and threatened to lift her
eyebrows up to her hair. Nabby had
lived with the squire's mother fifteen
years-from the time Mrs. Hosley took
her in, a ten-year-old orphan, who was,
as the good lady sometimes expressed it,
''more plague than profit" until she had
grown into the steady and reliable hand
maiden, who finally, with every ones
good wishes, married young JOSIAH
Gould, aud set up in the world tor her.
SELF Old Mrs. Hosley had long since
gone to her reward, but the family still
kept up friendly interest in Nabby and
her fortunes, the squire in particular be-
ing for her, "guide, philosopher and
friend in all the emergencies of life.
"Why, what's the matter now, Nab.
by2" said the squire, good naturally.
''Are you sick?"
"Yes, I am, said Nabby, emphasica.ly,
with q snap of her black eyes. "I'm sick
to death of JOSIAH. [ can't stand it any
longer, and We come to talk with you
about gittin' divorce. You see he's
been. growing worse and worse Low for
g good while. I've kept it to myself
pretty much, because 1 was ashamed OF
it, and then kept hopin' he'd do better
I've talked and talked to him, and said
and done everything woman could, but
it seemed as if the more I talked the
worse he grew"
The squire looked at Nabby's rattle,
sharp, hard face, and perhaps was hardly
so surprised as Nabby expected, that
Josiah had not been reformed by the
vigorous talking to" he had undoubted-
~ received.
ale grew more and more shiftless and
good for nothing" continued Nabby,
It'll finally he didn't do much but SET
around the kitchen fire. half booty. II
there's anything hate burst out Nab
by, ''it's a man forever settln' round the
house under foot. Aud there I was,
takin' in washin' and a slavin' early and
late, TO be kinder decent and forehanded
and him no better'n dead man on my
hands, so far as helpin' any was concern
ed. And SO l told him, again and again
He worked jest about enough te keep
himself in drink. He knew he couldn't
git any of my money for that. But ]
stood it all till about a fortnight ago
I'd been workin' hard all day, helpln
Kiss Barber clean house, and it seemed
as If every bone in my body ached, I wa!
so tired. l came along home, thinking
how good my cup of tea would taste
The first thing l saw, when I opened thu
kitchen door, was old Hank Slater, settin
there in my rocKin' chair. He and JOSIAH
were both drunk as-hogs,'' said Nabby
slandering an innocent animal in he
haste for smile.
"They'd tracked the mud all over m,
clean floor. The cooking stove was cram
med full of wood, and roaring like al
possessed. 1 wonder they hadn burned
the house up before I got there. AND
they d got my best teapot out to hea
some water, and the water'd all boiled
away and the bottom come out. But tn
worst was to see my husband consortin
with such scum of the earth as that mis-
cradle, low-lived Hank Slater. [ tell
you, squire, was mad. lust flung tina
kitchen door wide open, and SEE I:
''Get out of this house, Josiah Gould
and don't never let me see your face in
side ont again."
SEE he meek as Moses, "Where shall
60 to, Nabby2"
"Sez 1, 81 don't care where you go tt
so long as you don't come near me. Nv
always been respectable woman, ant
don't want none of Hank Skaters friend
round my house."
"Weil," queried the squire, as Nabby'
narrative came 10 pause.
"Well," said Nabby, in rather a sub
dued tone. "he went off. And he hasn'
come back. And | want a divorce"
tsNnu Nahbu ), ron, ctrofa5 4bo ~