The Red Cloud chief., 1880-03-11
PHEBE CARL.

J. SAlt Ls
Lawsi that's Phebe Carl! Hain't
Won never seed her? I've knowed Phe-
be sence she was a little thing no big
germ Mis- Bes's baby. She used to
think she had "a hard time, poor girl
Well, it mas kind % discouragin.' Old
man Carl he had a big family, and
Mis- Carl she never had nj health, and
Phebe bein' the only girl, the heft % the
work fell onto her. I've seen that there
child, when she wasn't more'n 10 year
old. putin out as big a days washin'
as many a growed woman could do.
Mis- Carl had the cancer, Int she made
"a terrible sight o washin', so she did.
Then there was six hulkin' fellows, and
menfolks' washin, ain't no light job,
now can tell vel OF course they wore
calico shirts and overhalls, but they was
careless boys, all exceptin' Jake. Jake,
he was the proudest Teller, an he must
have his starchcd white shirt for Sun
day and his linen coats in summer, fixed
up fit to kill Hit didn't do him no
good fer to fix up so fine, SO it didn't.
lie married the wurthlesscst girl of any
of the boys. and they didn't none OF
'em git much fer to Dragon.
Well, Phebe, she done fer all of 'em,
and they lived in the shacklin'est cabin
down on that cross road, t'other side OF
the ole sawmill. The roof hit was
al'avs a leakin' and spilin' the beds,
and Phebe she'd have To move her
mother round from one corner To The
other To keep her in the dry, and them
big bows loafin' round up at the store
with their hands in their pockets. some
times they'd Git a days work to do,
choppin' or haulin', but giner'ly they
didn't do much but lay themselves out
TO sun-and spit. Every n o. .hem
bows an the ole man chawed; and they
didn't have no manners when they spit,
and Phebe never could keep her floor
nor her quilt clean. I've seed that girl
nut out a wakhin' o. quilts 'twould reach
from here 10 the mill. She was awful
industrious, and alwaysa patchIn' quilts,
SO she was. She made one SNOWFALL and
one s~ettin'-sun As perry as any quilts L
ever laid my eyes on; then she had two
lop-cabins-one wooden and n cotton
and nine patches Laws! there was
no end to the quilts that girl didn't
make! But they never done her no
good. She never got none of them, fer,
when Mis- Carl died, the ole man he
married ag'in and jes' kept every thing.
lie married the triflin'est ole thing IN
the country that nobody didn't think
was scarcely decent; and fust thing she
does is TO ND and order Phebe out of the
house. And Phebe she went, and said
she wouldn't go back there no more;
and nobody didn't blame her.
Two of the boys got married before
their mother died; and the rest of 'em
they JUS hung round like they always
done.
But Phebe, there wasn't no hang
round in her. Jake told her she might
come and make her home at his house,
and she did, and, laws! if they didn't
work her! Jake's Won m she never
lifted a finger if she could help it; and
If was Phebe this and Phebe that, year
in and wear out. The girl never went
nowheres, and she had less clothes than
any body | even seed! Jake he never
got her nothin' TO wear, except a linen
suit onct that he bought at the store
and brought home, and every body
thought he was goin' to make her 3
present of it. But, 10 and behoid vel
when she left, he ups and makes heI
pay fer it! I'd a-told him: sinister, I've
done your work fer nothin', and you
hain't furnished me nothin' but vittles
and now if you don't pay the store
keeper fer this, he kin sue you fer it,
But she paid fer il, and didn't say nothin
to nobody, out % the five dollars ABB
give her after she worked fer him five OF
six months.
You see Abe's woman was one o. thu
bed-fast kind, like the frlst ole Mis- Carl
She was a reel pleasant woman wher
she wasn't ailin'; but I've knowed hel
to lay with the bone7airysipHis a yea
and a half without never gittin' up on
O her bed.
They couldn't git no help, and Abe h,
couldn't = paid fer il ef they had a go
it-workms BY day's works, and not 81
ways havin' a job; and they had tire,
children, so they had, aud Is sassy brat
as ever went unwhipped. %Abe's Wiz
"a. couldn't do nothin' with them; ant
there was the family 10 do fer, and no
body to do the work. 1
So Abe he urs and goes fer Pheb,
when his woman gifts so bad she can
help herself no more. And nothin1
do but Phebe must come TO his house
He made such a pitiful mouth tha
Phebe, poorthing, she couldn't say no
And that made Jake and his4woAla1
mad, now 1 tell ye! They'd been s
used to hsve Phebe Of their beck a
call. that it sot hard foranI body els
to Git the use of her. Jake he did be
= have scandlous so he did. 2 He eusse
and ripped around at her, and tole he
she needn't look to him fer a home n
more. She might goto the porehous
fer all O. him. 10 uETE
Pore Phebe, she felt mighty bad, bu
she tele him she guesseds she vouldn'
never 90 onto charity, fer she'd alway
! besssA able TO JworfE And his WI
wouldn't say good-by to her, and b
cussed and sks0rel6 TN Adhesion Z
sight. She didn't have no pleasure 8
Aids kbuss. nov tell YET! theyer 81
SIGH sassy bats as them was, and all {
'enf0nto 9hebe nom n1Urnin' to nigh
1t nigh about tuck the life Aouto' he,
s ~Butshet tuck care o'Abe,s woman. an
~doue a dght q WORK and things ssr
on ferv about six months; and then til
Spdf6kin was clean out o. every thing I
wear. She was jes' as nigh naked fl
all kinds o. clothes as o ever see.