Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-08-27

NAANHA ANNhN hNNA W NNh AANAAAN NAANNH ~ NANNN
a snake like life curled up in the middle
Of IL, and for fear IL wouldn't be natural
enough It was riz on the stuff, looked as
II you could knock IL off most, and
often wished / could, for / couldn't
stomach the thought Of eatin' off II
while that varmint was coiled up there (;
an as II that wasn't enough, there was
snails all around It, and on the border
two lizards and beetles and various bugs
colored like life, looking as ifthey'd Just
lighted there, and, more curious still, II
there wasn't two fish laid out with their
scales a-shinin' l never set much store
by the thing, but grandma had a great
liking for crockery, and she had a pitcher
that matched IL, so on her account had
never given it away. 'One good Of the
vandoo,' l sez, with a sigh, will be
clearin' out all this rubbidge as / sup
pose will go for q song.'
"Well, [ hurried over the track and
caught Miss Parker skimmin' her milk,
and she was very accommodating about
the eggs. When l got TO the road again
there was a great train stoppin the way.
1t was so long, thinks l, III never take
the time to 90 round, but Just step up
the steps and down on t'other side. /
was up without givin' it a second
thought, when, LOr' if the pesky thing
| didn't give a start like it was shakin'
itself and the most diabolical snort We
ever heard, and was off like the wind
And was so skeered l tilted that there
plate till the eggs rolled off and lay all
smashed about my feet. 1 could have
cried. l hadn't any money to pay for
the ride, and stood starin' about me
in a daft way, wonderin' what Miss Van
was a thinkin', when the conductor
came along.
"'You can't stand on the platform,
my good woman, sez he-'not allowed. ;
"'I'm lostl I'm on the wrong train
l mean, l don't want to be on no train
at all y sez 1, quite mixed up. 'Put me
out at the next station, if you please!'
He looked at me sharp and then
said:
"'Well we won't charge you nothin'
for sittin' down, and he sort of pushed
me into the car. / stood, after L got in,
for a minute scarcely seeing where
was, when middle-aged gentleman got
up and offered me his seat. He was SO
perlite was quite surprised at the way
he kept starin' at me; and then he
says somethin' TO his daughter, a young
woman in sage green, sittin' next to
me-somethin' that sounded like 'real
palacy, and supposed they were talbin'
French.
"The daughter was a good-lookin'
young woman if she hadn't had hair
like Skye-terrier, and a large sun
flower in her bonnet, and she talked to
me very friendly like. And at last l
made bold to say:
I" Wotever is your pah starin' at.
Do l look like mad womanP'
"'He's a-lookin' at that plate saws
she. Would you like to sell itP'
&c Lor, might as well, sez I, sigh
in and my heart was so full up and
tells them strangers somethin' of my
troubles.
Gel have fancy for that plate, se2
the gentleman, with a real feelin' man
ner, "and perhaps you've got other
things like it at home. We may find a
way to help you; who knowsP'
"Lor! thinks l, here's another man
who likes rubbidge as well as Rube did.
So, of course, invites 'em cordial. 1t
would be nice to have little money ei
did have to turn out on the cold world.
And, bless us, before we stopped at
Langley, eff he hadn't given me his card
and hundred dollars for the plate with
all them reptiles a-coilin' and squirmin'
over it. l couldn't believe my eyes, and
took the up-train and got back home in
a perfectly dazed manner. Miss Van.
buren had gone home in huff, and ]
sot down and counted out that money,
and looked at it as if it was fairly gold.
| most 'spected it would be nothin' but
leaves in the mornin'; but there it was,
just the same, and then remembered
the visit they had promised, and hunt
ed about for the truck that had always
been in my way, and so troublesome to
keep clean. 1t was all about and lots in
the garret. l sot it all out on the kitchen
table, and couldn't help laughin' when
| looked at it. There was the queerest-
looking monsters, dragons and such,
rearin' up on their tails with gapin'
mouths, enough to frighten a child into
fit. There was pair of square little
pots, lookin' like they was shakin' their
fat sides laughin'.' They was dull gray,
and had Adam and Eve on 'em shak-
in an apple-tree. 1 never had 'em
about, cos l thought 'em improper.
Then there was one plate of greenish-
yellow glaze, with sober black-and-
brown figures on it. Wal, nothin' very
takin about it, you would say; but that
ere gentleman-Mr. Brunhold the card
called him-took it up in his hands with
a worshipin' look.
"'It's HoHry-Doo!' sez he, most in
a whisper, with look on his face like a
fellow who's been to the anxious seat
and got religion-sort of rapt look as
if the world might wag on; he was
happy whatever came.
"'Never knowed if it's called horny
do or a honry-don't,' sez /. 'Rube
brought it home once, and seems as if it
might be more useful than the kind with
critters sprawlin' over it,
Well, if he didn't up and offer me
three hundred dollars for that plate.
Sez he, Il won't take advantage of you,
for you don't know the valley of the
things, an you've told me yer in a fix.
But what you've got on that tablets
worth more than your house and lot,
and I'm ready to pay the money DOWN.
"l looked at the young gal to see
how she took her pas speech, but she
seemed as pleased as Punch, and was a.
eXclaimin' over this and creamin' fair
ly over that, till began to think was
dreamin' and I'd soon see them 90 up
in smoke as smelt of birthstone,
like a fairy story I'd heard on
1t wasn't for me to refuse this
offer under the circumstances, you
see. But my heart misgave me as it
wasn't doing right. Would you believe
II hnih mid ma hftnnr, hnnirnA lnlln..,