Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-05-20

expressed it. '.more plague than profit, y
until she grew into the steady and reliable
hand maiden who finally, with every one Is
good wishes, married young Josiah Gould.
and set up in the world for herself Old
Mrs. Hosley had long since gone to her
reward. but her family still kept up a
F.; friendly interest in Nabby and her for
tunes, the squire in particular being her
"guide, philosopher and friehd'' in all
the emergencies of life.
"Why, what's the matter now, Nabby?''
said the Squire, good-naturedly. care
you sick?''
eyes, am said Nabby, emphatically,
with a snap of her black eyes. ''I'm sick
to death of Josiah. I can't stand it any
longer, and I've come to talk with you
about gettin divorce. You see he's
been a CROWN worse and worse now for a
good while. I've kept it to myself pretty
much because was ashamed ont, and
then KEEP hopin' he'd do better. I've
talked an talked and said and done every
thing a woman could, but 1t seemed as if
ouO LAOlC l. OnihCu VIC WOA 90 uC SlCW
The squire looked at Nabby's rather
sharp, hard face, and perhaps was hardly
SO surprised as Nabby expected that JOSH
alb had not been reformed by the stalking
to- he had received.
''He grew more and more shiftless and
good for nothing continued Nabby, ''till
finally he didn't do much but sit around
the kitchen fire, half booty. If there's
anybody hate, burst out Nabby, cts
man forever settin' round the house under
foot. And there was a-takin' in wash
in and slavsng early and late to be kind
er decent and fore-handed, and him no
better than dead man on my hands, so
far as helping any was concerned. And
so I told him, time and again. He worked
just about enough to keep himself IN drink.
He knew he couldn't get any of my money
for that. But I stood it all till about
fortnight ago. I'd been working hard all
day helping Miss Barber clean house, and
and it seemed as If every bone in my body
ached, was so tired. I came along home,
thinking how good my cup of tea would
taste. Then, first thing 1 see when 1
opened the kitchen door was old Hank
Slater settin there in my rockin' chair
He and Josiah were both drunk as-hogs,.,'
said Nabby, slandering an innocent ami
NAL in her haste for smile.
''They'd tracked the mud all over my
clean floors. The cookin stove was cram
mod f,1l of mod roo r;no lilo oil ,,ocoocc .
ed. 1 wonder they hadn't burned the
house up before got there. And they'd
got my best teapot out to heat some wa
ter, and the water'd all billed away and the
bottom came out. But the worst was to
see my husband a consortin' with such a
scum of the earth as that miserable, low
lived Hank Slater. 1 tell you, Squire, I
was mad. 1 just hung that kitchen door
wide open, and sez L:
sect out of this house, Josiah Gould
on It again.
s'Sez he, meek as Moses: Where shall
60 to, Nabby p
''Sez I, Il don It care where you go to, so
longs you don't come near me. I've
always been a respectable woman. and 1
don't want none of Hank Slater friends
round my house,"
"Well?" queried the squire, as Nabby's
narrative came to pause.
"Well,' said Nabby, in rather subdu.
ed tone, che went off. And he hasn't
come back. And 1 want divorce
Now, Nabby,'' demonstrated the old
Squire, ''you don't want divorce.
know you better than that. You are not
the woman to give Josiah up and let him
go to the bad without a struggle. You
feel a little vexed with him now, and
don't blame you. It's hard-very hard.
But you know you took him for better,
for worse Do you think, yourself, it's
quite right to break your contract because
it proves the worst for you-because you
are the strong one and he the weak one of
the two? That doesn't strike me as good
Bible doctrine, Nabby. We that are
strong ought to bear the .infrmitles of the
weak, and not to please ourselves, you
know
well, Dunno" said Nabby, twisting
the corner of her shawl, obviously, 81
hadn't thought ont in that light, 1 must
say. It's so aggravatin' to have such a
man for husband Besides, l dunno's
he'd come back if I wanted him to-
Hasn't he been back at all 3''
"Why, yes, he came back once for pair
of pantaloons. But | didn't take no no
tice of him.
NOW, Nabby, you may depend upon it.,
it wasn't the pantaloons he was after. He
wanted to see if you wouldn't relent. II
he comes again be little pleasant to him.
and I'll warrant he will stay. Give him
another chance, Nabby. Josiah isn't the
worst fellow in the world, by any means.
He has his redeeming traits. after all. I
believe he will do better if you will try to
help him. You know that Josiah is one
that bears encouragement, Nabby.''
"Wel, squire, I'll think it over. Any
how. I'm obleeged to you. You talk So
sorter comfortin' to body. Your mo-
theirs own son; just the same good heart.
Would you be able to eat some of my
cheese, squire ?''
TRY me and see, Nabby,' said the
Squire, smilingly, not impervious to Nab
by's compliments. Nabby made her exit
just as Mrs. Hosley rushed in full of wife
ly indignation that the Squire had been
allowed to see client.
Nabbys home was at the Corners
three miles from the village. She walked
rapidly along in the fast thickening d ark
ness, with the steady strong gait becoming
the self-reliant woman that she was. Yet
even her unimaginative nature was not
oct tl,o dafaroccinn inHnpnnQ of