The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1882-11-18
TRAINING A HUSBAND.

So you want to know how came to
have Caleb when | saw how he used
Nancy, his first wife. Well, I'll tell
you all about it.
You know Dan'l left me purity poorly
off. had two little children, an what
to do l didn't know. The mortage was
to run out in a year and half after he
died. I'd sent the children to Johns
to school. Brother John wanted me to
give 'em to him, an he'd do well by
'em, an l was meditatin' on it, orful
10th to do it. But what else could do
with 'em when the old farm was took
away from me?
One day when the time was near out,
l was hoein' the beans side of the fence
jinin' Caleb's corn. Itell you, Hanne,
| I never felt bluer in my born days. I'd
always lived an worked on farm, an
couldn't do no other kind of work SO
what was to become of me l didn't
know.
"Purty good hoein' fora green hand"
sez somebody over the fence. .
eyes," sez 1, '1've done enough Of
it since I was left alone. Practice
makes perfect we used to write in our
copybooks when we were children" !"
and I couldn't help heavin' a sigh.
"Well, Emmerline," j." sez he, "you an
me seems to be in the same fix. You
need a man to do your hoein' an sich,
an if you're agreed, we'll hitch horses
an work in double harness. Ican't find
no hired help that will do as Nancy
did," Thinks l to myself, an you'll
never find another wife that will, eth
er.] $50, what do you say, Emmer-
line ?"
Perhaps I didn't think O nothin,
for the next few minits 1t all flashed
over me in a second what an unfeelin'
man he'd always been. Poor Nancy
had to do all the housework, an a good
deal of it b'longed to him to do, an he
was stingier than an old miser, too. l
knew he was a smart man to work, an
was forehanded an able to live good
deal better than he did an you know,
Hammer, that poor Dan'l was just the
opposite. He was an orful clever man,
was Dan'l, but was kind of shiftless an
easy, an it always worried me SO much
to hev things goin' SO slack. Sez 1 to
myself, a body can't hev everything ;
there's always some outs and poor
man is better'n none. Sol speake right
up, an sez l, "Caleb, we've been ma
bors for many year; know your
failin's and s'pose you know mine ; an
so, if you say so, all right; perhaps we
both might do wuss."
Well, to make long story short, we
agreed to have the business done right
off. Caleb said it was stylish to go on
a wedding tour nowadays, and as he
wanted to go down to Bangor to see
about selling his wool, and as Sarah
Jane Curtis (who used to work for him)
lived about half way, and we could stop
there both ways, and not cost us any
thing, he thought we'd better go. His
niece, Rebecca Gilman, lives there,
and we could visit her at the same time.
Brother John lives there, too, you know,
and 1 made up my mind that I'd jist
bring home the children. And l did
but Caleb was orful sot again it, but
sez 1, "Of course they can come and
make visit" and let him think SO,
because l wasn't ready to have words
with him yet.
We stayed about week, and got
home along in the afternoon all right.
The next morning woke up purity early,
and sez to myself, Courage, Emmer-
line; now or never" I kept still, for
Caleb was still snorin' ; but bimeby
he fetched an onarthly snort, walked him
self up, and when he sees it gettin' day
light he nudged me an sez he:
"Wake up, Emmerline ; Emmerline,
it's broad daylight; come, come, we
shan't have any breakfast to-day"
I was orful hard to wake, but after
awhile, a-rubbin' my eyes, l sez "Got
a good hot fire, amt you Caleb ?"
F'Fire ?" said he; "no, never build
my fires. Nancy alters built the fires"
t'Did she ?' sez l, cool as cucum
Der; $50 did Dan'l." 1 turned over
and went to sleep again-or at least he
thought l did.
Well, he wiggled and turned and
twisted, and he didn't move to get up
for about an hour, but when the sun
rose and shone in at the window, he
got up and built the fire. There wasn't
no kindlin', nor stick of wood, and
he had to skirmish round and get some
in.
After the fire got to crackin' in good
shape got up. I didn't hurry none,
let me tell you. l was most dead,
lyin' abed so long, but says | to myself,
def make the fires now, I'll probably
hev do it in cold weather, and l won't
do it for any man"
He was pretty sullen all day, but l
didn't take no notice of him and he got
over it. The next day he was to begin
hayin', and had six men to help him.
l had to do all the work and take care
of the milk and churnin' and it wasn't
no fool of job. 1t come time to git
dinner, and there wasn't silver of
wood cut. 1sent Johnnie, Che was then
about seven years old, out to the field
to tell Caleb l wanted him.
He came in lookin' savage enough,
and wanted to know what it was l want
ed.
Sez I, ''I want some wood to burn.
"Well," sez he, "There's whole
wood pile out there; help yerself."