The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-08-15

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bounce rightin.
And baby got poisoned with ivy, and
| stung by bees; and Courtney cut his fingers
| in moving machine, and Jack was tossed
| by horrid COW; and when finally Alice had
| the Group, and no doctor within ten miles,
just wrote Bessemer to come aud take us
home, aud promised if he'd not torment ME
about it, I'd never say the word country
| again, but would 60 and do exactly as he
| said every summer of my life!
Was not that abject for me?
And Bessemer promised, and what is
| more, ma chere, he has actually kept his
word to this dayp
| THE SIDE COMMONLY TURNED TO THE WALL.
'Take city boardeEs this summer? No,
| Miss Pilsbury, never! not eff l drowdge my
| fingers to the bare bone and die on the
| town! Never will take city boarders agin
es longs my name is Sarah Jane Hackleton
Why not? What hain't l never told We
| about them boarders we had last summer?
No?
Wal, declare now, that's real curious!
thought I'd told everybody abont that But
you sit right down. l see you've brought
your knittin' chair and come to set spell ;
take the rockin' chair and jest let me tell ye
all about it.
Now that it's all over and done with, Pm
free to confess that Pm the one that started
the idee in the fust place. Father he was
sot agin it, from the very fust.
There's hard work enough for ye, mother,
as It's, says he, and there hain't no call that
you should git the house full of strangers,
and spend all summer drowdging fur emp
But there was sister Car line over to Reed
vile, takin' boarders and layin' by money in
the bank, and says I to Say Jane, says /, 'Ef
there's money on the ground, it's sin and
shame not to pick it upv so at last we per-
suaded of him to say yes.
We got Say James teacher over to Reed
vile to write us out a harnsome advertise
ment and send it to some Boston papers,
and by and by we had letter come to him.
The letter was wal enough, and fair speak
| ing. 1t was from Boston man, and he
wanted rooms for his wife and her young
lady sister, and two boys under TO- a baby
and a nurse gal. He said he would paw
| liberal for plain. country livin', and we all
liked his letters, and says l to Say Jane"
says I:
Like as not the sister'll be a real good
mate for ye.'
So Say Jane wrote for him, as putty
letter as ever l see, eff l do say as hadn't
ought to, and tole them we would take
'em.
Wal, they come on Friday night, bag
and baggage, baby, black gal and all; 81
Eastman's stage full and running over and
two big Trunks, and bags and shawls enough
| for caravan. And that wasn't circum-
stance, Maria, to the luggage that 81 and Jo-
| ell Hackelton went over to South Durham
and fetched next day! And they 'peared to
| be rally mad because he said he couldn't
| tech to take 'em in till they'd lightened of
| 'em by onpackin' of EN-!
Wal now, Maria, to tell We half the tribu-
lations had with them boarders, l couldn't.
Mis- Kent, the mother of the children,
was harnsome woman, but dretful high
stopper. I'd calculated before she come that
l should rally enjoy havin' sensible mar
ried woman to sit down an knit with of an
AFTERNOON. But, land sakes! / should es
soon think of writin' to Qneen Victory, and
askin OF her to step over to tea and bring
her knfttin' as to ask that Mis- Kent! And
as for her sister! stuck-up, big-feein'
| piece she was, as ever I sot ewes on; that
held her head high above poor Say Jane and
slept off as eff the ground want good huff
for her!
Eff 1 do say it, there hain't better
tempered nor prettier hammered gal
than our Say Jane from Reedville clear
to Hackteton Centre; but, land O. love!
| think it's doubt eff the Queen O.
Sheby'd been good enough to be a mate
for that Miss Witherspoon! But there's one
thing, Maria, that Pm. bound to maintain,
and that is that we done the best we knowed
how for them city folks.
We fixed their rooms up clean and neat;
and give 'em my best bed of live goose
feathers, and my harnsomest quilts; and
we rid over to Reedville, a purpose to
buy chany bowls and pitchers for 'em;
and the day we expected of 'em, Say Jane
she picked a lot of blows, pinks and the
like, and put bunch on the bureau in
each room. Then as for my cookin;' l
haint proud-tongued, nor never was, still 1
must say that nobody hain't set up word
agin' my light, sour-milk bread, and nv
doughnuts and sweet cake, and cream gin
an white pie, an git up as good a billed
dish as the next one. We done our best.
We give EN- cream and aigs in plenty; and
Say Jane and Frank Hackleton's Adabell
THAT was stoppin' here spell to help)
they'd go off every mortal day berryin.
And we knowed that city folks wasn't
used to Twin on salt meat all the time; so
we killed as often as once week, regular.
And you'll bear witness, Maria, always
take butter prize at County Fair.
And yet them city folks wasn't no ways
grateful nor satisfied. They complained be-
cause stewed the berries up in molasses,
instead of putting them onto the table raw,
and she wouldn't let the children eat nv
pies no more'n eff they'd ben pizen! And
she asked for oatmeal, an when 1 told her
I'd never see any, she had her husband
fetch down a lot from Boston; and, eff you'll
believe me, Maria, twas nothing more nor
less than shorts or bran, an she had it
cooked like chicken feed. 1 made it every
mornin', but I took notice they didn't none
of 'em eat it; the hens always got it.
Then that Niger Mariai
1t came out that they expected her to do
the baby's washing, in my kitchin and about
my stove; and every single day, too, she was
at 1t. There was no sense in rigging out
child as they did that one; all white lawn
and lace, as eff for party; good dark cali
co, piped up with pink or red, is pretty
enough and sight more sensible
l stood that niger ez well ez I could, but
never he'd no patience with stranger mes
sim about my kitchen; and that black girl,
OF all folks, the LATEST. dirtiest. shiftlessest
sinister that ever sot eyes on!
Stole, too, she did; now little sugar and
now bunch of raisins; and hidin' of 'em,
and lookin' guilty when she see me step out
OF the buttery; that's what I minded, Maria!
| didn't begrutch her the things she took
But put up with her walls could till one
hot day when I'd jest finished big baking,
done up my dishes, polished the stove and
with bucket O. dirty suds she was goin' to
empty, an she slipped an sent it all over
my stove hearth an floor. Then snapped
right out, though I suppose hadn't ought
to. rally, and says T.:
you black limb of Satan, do you 90 out
OF my kitchen, and don't ye never set foot
in it again, to do stroke o. workp
Actshally, Maria, 1 said them very words
to her. q
And then the onreasonableness of 'em!
They hadn't rally no consideration whatev-
er. He was ready an willin' to give 'em the
horse to go to Reedville to meetin' every
Sabbath day; but nothin would do but
they'd poster him from mornin' to night.
and right in haydn time, to tackle up the
horse for them to ride from Dan to Beer
shelby; an know they thought he was
mean because he wouldn't
They put my nice feather bed underneath
the straw bed, and all my comforters (my
magic quilt with 900 pieces, and ALL they
dumped in pile onto the floor. Pm sure
don't know where they expected me to
keep my extra quilts in summer, if not on
the spare bed.
AFTER tea, tuckered and clean beat out as
he was with the haydn he'd tackle up and
drive over to Reedville to get their mail. as
often as every other day, regular And he'd
let them boys ride on the loads, and see him