Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1880-02-06

since my man died; it was over in
Henry County we lived then, and he
was sick a year and six months, pore
man, that he never left his bed. But,
thick or thin, my children has always
appeared as we'll as anybody's. When
they war little things, in their pap's
lifetime, they had their calieoes and de-
LANES and ginghams, and their whites,
and, lawsl it did seem so queer TO the
girls that pore Phebe never had nothin'
but calico; and that hangin' nigh in
threads on her, so it war. So she ups
and tells Abe she don't want to leave
him when he has sickness in the fami-
ly, but somethin' 10 cover her she has
got TO have, and il he won't bear no ILL
will agin her, she'll git place among
the farmers some'ers and work till she
gifts her some clothes. Abe, he growled
around, but he knew it wouldn't 3 never
do to let Phebe go. He said 1t was
| perty hard fer pore man like him to
have to clothe sech family as his'n
and his sister besides; and then he
pulled out and borrowed five dollars
and give her. You never see nobody
pleaseder than Phebe when she got that
money. She went to the store and paid
for the linen suit Jake had give her and
had charged up to her, and got some
muslin and calico, and my girls helped
her do her sewin'. So Phebe, she come
out in her new things and felt spruce.
She bought straw hat fer sixty-two
cents, too, and my girls, they p'suaded
her to go to meetin'.
Phebe hadn't gone among the young
folks none around here; she never had
no time, and then the boys they was so
rough. They never had no manners,
but would go whoopin' and yellin'
round, and on Sundays they'd pitch
horseshoes and play ball and jump all
day long. Now, when Phebe got some
clothes on her-made like the fashions
is now-she wasn't bad-lookin' girl.
Some wimmen can look real perty in
calico, and she was good-shaped girl,
Phebe was, for all shed'd worked so
hard and when she was so little. She
was big girl, but she had a good color,
and her hair was as brown, so it was.
And L went and stayed with Abe's
woman, so Phebe she could go to meet
in after her clothes was done, and the
girls said they never seed a colt let
That was the first time, too, that
Irish John war at meetin', and 1 do
low them two fell in love with each
other then and there. The girls, good
many of them, was settin' their caps
for John. He was very orderly kind
OF feller, and tended right to his own
business. He didn't go much with the
other boys, though he didn't seem to
feel himself above nobody, but it wasn't
in him to go a-jumpin' and howlin'
round. His place was stiddy with one
o. the farmers all the year round. He
lived at North's, and nigh about run
the farm, fer ole man North he put all
dependence in Irish John.
Some said he'd only been in this
country year, and some said he d been
over five year or better, and he'd
worked with farmer up above Ko-
komo, or round about Alto some 'ers,
afore he come to North's. But he was
very quiet feller and didn't have much
to say fer hisself, and some o. the girls
kind o. took shine to him. He was
reel good-lookin', and straight as a In
jun AIRY, fair completed kind o., and
he carried his shoulders back and didn't
go hulkin' over like lots o. the fellers
lookin' like their nose is hooked to
their big toe, and their backs is bulgin'
up to sprout.
Fust thing you know, him and Phebe
Carl was goin' together; thought it
did beat all when heerd it, for Phebe
she never had no beau. Jake an Abe
and the rest had tied her down too clost
fer that. 1 thinks IN myself: "Nnw,
Phebe is good girl, but she's never
had no comp'ny, and most likely this
feller'n turn her head, and we don't
none of us know all about him. He
pears stiddy and well-behaved; but he
may have wife in the old country, or
even over here. And Jake and Abe,
they're so all fer themselves, they
wouldn't keer what trouble Phebe
might git into, and the other boys an
the ole man is that ornry they won't
never look out fer her none. So" says
l, am kind O. keep an eye on her
courtin'."
had q days washin' to do at Mis-
North's, and l inquired all about the
feller. And Mis- North she couldn't
thought more of him ef he was her own
son. She praised him up to every
thing. And when he come in to his
dinner, and l seed him at dinner time
so mannerly and perty, and kind o.
like he thought we'll of hisself and
thought he was a man, dog'd eff didn't
kind O. feel eff l was girl I'd want to
git him myself.
The boys they used to git into row
at the meetin' house door and gawk at
the girls when meetin' broke, and then
foller 'em and asst for their comp'ny.
But Irish John he'd jes' walk up to the
seat Phebe was sittin' in and offer her
his arm, and take her out through the
crowd. 1t looked reel perty, so hit did,
bat some O. the rough ones they used
to snicker and hoot, and say John was
afeerd that somebody else 'ud git his
doxy.
Well, they didn't git much chance to
court at Abe's house, cause there was
Mis- Carl always down, and them chill
dren yowlin' all over the house, and
they didn't have only two rooms, the
liVin' room and the shed where they
cooked. I'd shook the breath out O.
that Sary Jane, so l would-that's the
oldest one. "Humphr' says she to
Phebe, after Abe had give Phebe the
five dollars, "my papa don't owe you
nothin', so he don't. He pays you fer
your work" The owdacious little ripl
1 goes over to Mis- CARTS when they
fust begun goin' with one another, to
see how Phebe liked her beau. And l
give her sly dig or two, and that sat-
isfed me. There never was a changeder
girl than she got to be. l b'lieve my
soul she worshiped the ground that
feller walked on. And if anybody'd
speak about him her faced git so red.
Him and herd take their walks along
the railroad Sunday afternoon, talkinf
kind o. still and conf terrible together
like old married folks. And that girl
got reel perty, so she did. l used to
run in and stay by Mis- Carl good
deal them times, SOS Phebe could git