Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-04-23

NANNAF HhNNAlNh vi AMN NMNAN NNANaNf
with q long lane leading up 10 II. II
forms a striking contrast 70 the other
houses, for Us paint Is new and shining
and every thing about II looks well
kept and thrifty. But it r. evidently
closed and deserted.
"Jonas Battles he want Of no great ac-
count" pursues the Deacon, no devices
being necessary 70 draw him out, " and /
yit we all kinder miss him, more'n II /
there'd ben more heft TO him, p'raps. |
He was allus round home, and none Of |
/ the other men folks ever Is, 80 the |
women folks they kinder relied upon
/ him. He was allus clever, Jonas was,
and handy in a good. many ways, II he
was kinder cracked. Folks laid all his
onaccountableness TO his bein' disap-
| p'nted in love, but there amt no use a
| talkin'; Jonas want never jest like
other folks nor his father before him,
"Sam Battles, his father, was q
school-master from up the river, Bangor
way. He had beautiful learnin', and
he could reel off poetry by the yard II
didn't seem 10 be no harder work for
\ him than reelin' off fish-line Is to the
rest on us, and It would beat you TO tell
the meanin' Of about half the words
l .
Z was great poetry. But he didn't seem
to have no sprawl. The boys they took
hold and licked him, two or three times,
and finally they pitched him out Of the
winder into a snOW-banI, and KEEP him
there till he liked to "a got his death.
Then he up and merried old Cap'n Jere-
miah Rodick's darter, Seliny. That
looked middlin' smart in him, for Cap'n
] 7. 1. -so1,. ky,N I'll
say that Saliny done the courtin'. The
gals was all mighty took with him, be-
cause he was as handsome as figger-
} head-pink and white complicated, and
with lightish, crinkly hair. He went by
, the name of Sissy Battles amongst the
boys, but the gals they all sot by him.
Z Women is dretful short-sighted creturs,
= and p'r'rps it's just as well for most of
us men folks that they be.
, "He never done nothin', Sam Bat
} ties didn't, after he merried Seliny but
to write poetry and take on because he
want in his proper spere. Cap'n Jer-
, emiah he supported 'em. There was
= two children born, Jonas and Elviry,
7 and then he died of consumption. Sc
, liny she thought q terrible sight of him.
and she never seemed to spunk up agin
r arter he died. 1t want much more'n
Y a year before she was buried along side
6 of him, and Jonas and Elviry they wa'
; orphans.
? "Old Mis- Rodick, their grandmoth
? er, she fetched 'em up and Elviry wa!
o as SNORT 90 a steel trap, clear Rodick
9 but Jonas-there was a terrible sight O
n father to him. He looked as near like
him as two peas, and he took to bool
q learnin' and writin' poetry as a duel
I, takes to water. He was kinder slim
It and sickly, but Cap'n jeremiah was so
i on maxim sailor on him. He'd quit fol
lerin' the sea himself, but he owned
/ consid able in two or three large yes
y sells, and he sent Jonas to sea aboard o
d one of 'em. Elviry she took on anC
d said he wouldn't live through
5 it, but he come home sigh
" smarter and ruggeder'n he went. Hi
n grandfather was tickled to death, anC
a folks begun to think mebbe there wa
l. some Rodick to him arter all. And h,
q KEEP on goin' till bimeby he got to b.
" mate. And he seemed to "a got owe
's writin' poetry. But the last v'yge h
d went, from Boston to Chiny, the cap'n'
8. darter was aboard, and Jonas he got h
"a cOurtin' of her. He courted of he
y pooty consid'able strong, and finally sh
is gave him her promise. He come hom
% here with sails all set and colors flyin'
y Nothin' would do but the old hous
g must be fixed up from suller to garri
"a for the wife that he was goin' to brini
IN home. Sich kerrying on as there wa
le in that house want never seen on Bar
l. berry Island before nor since. Their
was furnitoor from Boston and flowere
carpets and pianner all on account G
= Jonas's new wife. You see the Cap
~ he was old and childish, and his hear
h was sot on Jonas. Before the fixin'
70 was done there come a letter to iona
h from the gal sayin' she hadn't never ha
~ no Serious thoughts of hevin' on him
she was only jolIin'; and she'd gone O
y. to furrin parts with her uncle.
11s "Jonas he Jest kinder wilted rigt
down under it. He had fever an
was out of his head consid able spell
and when he come to and begun to G
N. well he was lackin'; and he was alwu
dretful lacl1in' from that time forrud
II "He run of an idee that he was agoir
or to merry the gal as soon as she com
no home. He thought she was acomin'
~ Rockland and he was agoin' to met
i, her there and fetch her home. He Wa
n alwus gettin' slicked up to go to Rocl
IN land. and he hurried up the fixin' an
furnishin' harder'n ever, for fear thing
wouldn't be ship-shape agin she conn
"And for twenty years he nevC
done nothin' of no account; he WI
= alwus tinkerin' up round gettin' thing
" fit for Kate Then, by spells, he
~ think he was merried to her, and he
90 ~ talk TO her as eff she was settin' rigl
90 90 there, Elviry said. And he'd imagir
that he had two or three children; thel
was little gal that favored her moth'
4 Katie, he'd call her-and two lit
boys that was awful smart. Elvil
% said she declared for it she felt som
bo times as il Kate and them children wa
,.,, really there TO hear him talk to 'ena an
"a about 'em. But that was only by spell
We when he was queer'n usual. Gineral
re- he was only awaitin' for and expectil
80 of her.
~ x, "And he want really crazy, nor e
~ actly q fool neitherl Old Cap'n Jer
~ az miah was dretful took down; son
~ thought that it had come upon him
,ad cause he'd been u temptin' of Prov
- dence, hevin' his heart sot on world
,os prosperity; but WANT never one tn
10 was so free and easy with the Lord
1is to know jest what he done things for.
on He'd arger the pint with Jonas, o
an Cap'n Jeremiah would, and try to shan
NO him into showin' some spunk and spel
fe' about gal that had gin him the mite
1s But lal Jonas would only Jest say
les Elviry that the old man was gettin sill
4 II. 4 IL.