Bismarck tribune., 1880-12-24
NOBODY'S HUSBAND.
A Knock at the sou res door.

NOBODY'S HUSBAND.
A knock at the SOU res door.
An eager ''come in'' from the squire,
to whom any outside diversion is an in
estimable boon, he having reached that
uncomfortable stage of masculine conva-
lescence when life becomes burden, not
only to the co-called 'patient' himself.
but also to those unlucky feminine rela-
tivcs, whose duty it IS to oficiate as hls
administering angels
Mary. the servant, came in.
"Please, Mr.. Hosley. there's 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 tor an
answer.
'sShow her up, Mary" said the squire,
cheertully, straig ghtening himself, and as
suming as much of legal dignity as
dressing gown and slippers permitted.
Mary disappeared. Presently the door
opened again. "Why, Nabby," said the
So quire, lis it you? How do you do?''
'Yes, squire, It's me-" said Nabby:
dropping down, with heavy sigh. into
a chair, "and I don't do very WE'LL"
Nabby was short. squarely built
woman OF fifty, with considerable gray
in the coarse, black hair, drawn stiff1y
and uncompromlsingiy back under a
bonnet about fifty years out of date. She
had sharp, black eyes, and resolute,
eo-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 en-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 ard
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
by?'' said the squire, good naturedly.
care you sick?"
Eyes, I am said Nabby, emphatica!ly,
with 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 now for
a good while. I've kept it to myself
pretty much, because 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 quire looked at Nabby's rather
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.
"He grew more and more shiftless and
good for nothing,'' continued Nabby,
':tlll finally he didn't do much but set
around the kitchen fire, half bcozy. If
there's anything I hate.'' burst out Nab
bv, s'it's man forever sett1n' round the
house under foot. Aud there I was,
takin' in washin' and a slav:n' 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 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 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, was
so tired. I came along home, thinking
how good my cup of tea would taste
The first thing saw, when I opened the
kitchen door, was old Hank Slater, settin
there in nv rockin' chair. He and Josiah
were both drunk as-hogs,' said Nabby.
slandering an innocent animal in hel
haste for simile.
s'Thev'd tracked the mud all over my
clean floor. The cooking stove was cram.
med full Of wood, and roaring like all
possessed. wonder they hadn't burned
the house up before I got there. And
they'd got my best teapot out to heat
some water, and the water'd all boiled
away and the bottom come out. But The
worst was to see my husband consortin'
with such scum of the earth as thatsmis.
erable, low-lived Hank slater / stelI
YOU, so ulre, / was mad. Lust flung thai
kitchen door wide open, and sez I:
t.Get out Of this house, Josiah Gould
and don't never let me see your face in.