The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1880-10-01

"Thank you, said Ben, blushing
clean back behind his ears, II shall
drop in often.
And he did drop III often; so often
that Johnson's folks began to smell
rat, and used to have fire in the best
room when the evenings we're chilly.
Wall, the matter Of four months
slipped away, and Ben thought he'd
staid with Hitty long enough to pop the
question. He consulted his father
about it and the old gent thought he
might as well ask her and be done
with it.
So one Sunday night Ben fixed up in
his best rig and went over to Johnsons.
1t was a little rainy that evening and the
dampness went right into Ben's hip,
but he thought Of Hitty and didn't
mind it.
Hitty met him at the door and 'peared
powerful glad to see him. Ben got q
little bolder when he seen how smiling
she looked, and he jist slapped one arm
around her neck and rumpled up her
muslin collar SO it looked like dish
cloth, and give her little mite Of a
smack. She blushed and told him to
go way with his nonsense and tell her
the news.
Ben was determined to tell the huh
story Of his lection az soon as posibble.
So, soon arter she'd invited him into
the fore room and got him comfortable
in the corner, he took out his watch and
sed that it was iist o'clock.
''Afore s, 2 sez he to himself, "I'll hev
it all decided"
"Hitty, "sezhe, putting back the watch
into pocket, "do youloye spruce gump
"Wall, yes, sez she, "pretty well only
it's apt to make my teeth ache" Ben put
his hand in his pocket, and pulled out
something wrapped up in blue paper.
"Here, Hitty, is whopping big piece"
sez he, and when you git it all chawed
up, let me know and I'll bring you some
more-our woods is full Of it" "Thank
you, Ben, f" sez Hitty, opening thepaper,
and biting off piece; "it is first rate,
amt it?"
eyes," sez Ben, gapin; II think 50, =
and dthen there was salongsilence. "Hitty, !"
sez Ben, all of sudden, rolling his eyes
up to the pIasterin. "Wall, Ben,' sez
she, looking up to see if Ben had discov-
cred any cobwebs.
"Hitty, Hove you better'n all the airth;
better than skating, better that our
forty-acre timber lot OF ugh-blast
it-ugh Tarnation take it It's enough
to make Belezebub cry for massy !" And
Ben vent dancing round the room, like
a wild critter.
Hitty stood still in the middle OF the
room, with her blue eyes starin eanamost
out of her head. Ye see she despised
any one who swore, and wouldn't have
kept company with swearin man fol
| tbe world. And Ben would swear a
times list to git the wind off Of hui
/ stomach. he said. You see how 1t was
Jist as he'd got in the middle Of his lu'
r story, terrible pain seized him in M
hip, and he stopped his luv telling, an'
. went to swearing. Hitty wouldn't hea
S any Of his explanations, but told him b
4 needn't cum to visit her any more, an
r she give him back the spruce gum
paper and all.
y Ben tried hard to make her undei
y stand that it was his rheumatic tina
swore, not him; but she only pinted t
! the door, aud told him make himse
skeree.
Poor Ben offord her his watch If she
!, !. let him stay, but she profused him d
= cidedly, and he took up his hat and wei
= off cussing and raving like all natur.
Uncle Ben's an old bachelor to tn
:, day, all, as he sez, on account OF h
: rheumatic. He has to go with a car
Z, !, now, and wear mustard-seed pouitl'
J. J. on his back every dull, rainy spell, al
y it mixes up in all his worldly affairs.
4 Once he sot out to iine the..church, al
90 live different lie, and got all ready
20 be baptised, and the minister had g
his coat off and was in the river wadii
er round to find the best place to dip hi
d. in, and the people was all gather
e. alongside of the river singh
er that fine old hymn, "Dov
or in Old Joydan's Cooling Flood
The minister found the right spot, stu
er up his cane there to mark the spot, a
to come out and took Ben by the hand a
y, began to wade in, and had got abe
i'm half way the distance to the cane, wh
4 ns1f