The Republican journal., 1881-09-15

SdkcS. SnOQlu eS soon THINK OF Wrltln TO
Queen Victory, askin of her to step over
to tea and bring her knittin as to ask
that Mis- Kent, And as for her sister. d
stuck-up, big-feelin' piece she was, as
ever | sot eyes on; that held her head
high above poor Say Jane and slept off
as ef the ground want good nutf for her
IF do say it, there hain't a better
tempered nor prettier hammered gal
than our Say Jane from Reedville clear
to Hacketon Centre: but land @ love,
think it's a doubt eff the Queen O She
by'd been good enough to be a mate
for that Miss WitherSpoon. But there's
one thing, Maria, that Pm bound to
maintain, ana that is that we done the
best we knoWed how for them city folks
We fixed their rooms up clean and
neat; and give EN- my best bed of live
goose feathers, and my harnsomestquiIts
and we rid over to Reedvile. a purpose
to buy chany bowls, and pitchers for 'em,
and the day We expected Of 'em Say Jane
she picked lots OF blows, pinks and the
like, and put bunch on the bureau in
each room. Then as for my cookin';
halnt proud -tongued, nor never was, still
| must say that nobody hain't set up a
word agin' my light, souri, milk bread,
and my doughnuts and sweet cake, and
cream gingerbread; and | cal'late | can
make as pritty, an white a pie, an git up
as good billed dish as the next one.
We done our best We give 'em cream
and aigs in plenty; and Say Jane and
Frank Hackelton's Adabell THAT was
stoppn' here a spell to help) they'd 60
of every mortal day a berryin'.
And we knowed that city folks wasn't
used to livin on salt meat all the time,
so we killed as often as once week, reg
, ular. And you'll bear witness, Maria,
always take a butter prize at County
Fair
And yet them city folks wasn't no ways
grateful nor satisfied. They complained
because stewtd the berries up in mo
lasses, instead Of pltting them on the ia
Die raw. and she wouldn't let the children
eat my pies no moren cf they'd ben pizen :.
And she asked for oatmeal, and when |
told her I'd never seen 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.
made it every mornin' but | took notice
they didn't none Of 'em eat it; the hens
always got it.
Then that niger, Maria
1t came out that they expected her to
do the baby's washing in my kitchen
and about my stove and every single day
too, she was at it. There was no sense
in rigging out a child as they did that
one; all white lawn and lace as eff for a
party; good dark calico, piped up with
pink or red, is pretty enough and a sight
more sensible.
| stood that niger eZ well ez | could,
but never had no patience with a strang
er messin' about my kitchen: and that
black girl, Of all folks, the LATEST dirtiest,
shittlessest sinister that ever | sot eyes
on
Stole, too, she did; now little sugar
and now bunch Of raisns and hidin' of
EN-, and lookin' guilty when she see me
step out of the buttery; that's what
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 a big baking, done up my
dishes, polished the stove and scrubbed up
my floor, in come that Judy with a buck
ct 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 | suppose | hadn't
ought to, rally, and says |
'lou black limb of Satan, do you go
out Of my kitchen, and don't ye never set
foot in it again to do Il stroke O work"
Actshally, Maria, said them very
words to her.
And then the onreasOnableness Of EN-.
They hadn't rally no consideration what
ever. He was ready an Willin to give
'em the horse to 90 to Reedyile to meet
in every Sabbath day but nothin' would
do but they'd poster him from mornn' to
night, and right in hayin' time, to tackle
up the horse for them to ride from Dan
to Beersheby an | know they thought
he was mean because he wouldn't.
They put my nice feather bed under
the straw bed, and all my comtorters (my
magic quilt with No pieces, and all they
dumped i'll Il pile onto the floor. I'm sure
don't know where they expected me to
keep my extra quilts in summer, II not
on the spare bed.
Arter tea, tuckered and clean beat out
as he was with the hayin' 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 milk, and hunt aigs, and |
don't know what all: he alluS gets I'M
posed on by bein' too clever.
| Then there was poor Say Jane. She
was allus Il great hand to be contented
with what she had, but | declare for it,
she peared to be rally upsot 10y the things
that Nelly WitherspOon he'd. She done
her hair to look like Miss Witherspoon' s,
and tok to pnnn' of her dresses in Il
bunch behind, in a way which showed
her igger in manner | call downright
| indecent
50 one day Say Jane says to me;
'Mother,' says she, what's to hender
my maxim my muslin Aunt Car'line give
me, like that pink thing she wore a Sun
| day 2
'Nothin's to hender,' says |,
So the next day she asked her for the
loan Of the dress and, if you'll believe it
she was real mad about it. She lent it
to her finally, but she was sure Say Jane
couldn't get no pattern by just lookin' at
As to them boys, Maria, they were the
| beatermost pair for mischief | ever sot
eyes on.
They broke the aigs, and chased the
COWS and sheep, and trampled his mowin'
grass, and gathered a whole tree of crab
apples, an hung my Plymouth Rock
rooster to al apple bough, an don't rally
know what them young ones didn't do.
Wal, the baby was pindlin' and croupy:
and think myself twas no wonder, for
she never fed it on nothin' that had any
nourshment in it. Nothin' but milk and
that oat meal never saw her give that
child strengthening piece o meat to
suck, nor so much as a doughnut Now
my children, before they was six months
old, would suck 4 bit O. meat and eat po-
tato and fried pork as pretty as | could.
They was all took from me one way or
mother, except Say Jane, but eff they'd
lived they'd been stronger men and Wo
men than What Mis- kent's ever will.
But when the baby took sick Mis- Kent