The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-06-01
PAMELA'S FACULTY.

They talked over Deacon Semple's
death in the sewing circle. It was very
sad that he should have died. So sud-
denly, too, of pneumonia, poor man.
But Mrs. Calkins, at whose house the
society met that week, couldn't help
thinking that it would have been very
dull meeting if he had not; for since
everybody had found out Just why Luke
Judkins had been obliged to mortgage
his farm, and DIR. Saunders marriage
with his housekeeper had become an
old story, there was absolut ely nothing
to talk about. 1t was also providen-
tial that he should die just after plant
ing was over, and before haying had
begun. He as growing very deaf, too,
and was always shiftless. Being dea-
con, of course he was prepared, and
there was really not much to mourn for,
except that now Pamely would have to
take care of herself, and Pamely had
no faculty. Ruthy Ann could go on
keeping school, as she had done for
years, and the twins, luckily, were mar.
ried. Pamely was the only one that
was left unprovided for. Pamely was
one of the kind that always was unpr o.
vided for-the kind that had no faculty.
The farm was all run out; and if it
were not, Pamley wouldn't know any
better than to expect to raise pump
kins on a pea vine. If she was q
farmers daughter she didn't know but
what potatoes came up of their own ac.
cord, and weeded and dug themselves.
Mrs. Ichabod Badger (generaliy known
a. Mis- Ichabod) thought it probaole
that she even gapposed that they
washed themselves and ;umTed into
the dinner pot. And it uas evident
that she set sight moreEJ posles than
she did by garden sass She was always
littering up the hose with weeds and
stuff out of the woods, and she drew
pictures When she'd better have been
drawing candles or making soap S1e
took after the Spencers-her mothers
folks. One of them wasn't half wittad
and wrote verses, and another painted
pictures and never amounted to any.
thing. And Pamely was headstrong;
she never seemed to pay any attention
to good advice She was always as
pleasant and amiable about it as could
be, but she would go right on in her
own way. This was like her father;
when they tried to dismiss the Rev. Mr.
Caldwell for unsoundness of doctrine
Deacon Semple he wouldn't agree to it.
He didn't get excited and call hard
names as the others did, but though they
argued and argued he wouldn't be con-
vinced.
Mis- Ichabod was of the opinion that
committee of ladies ought to call upon
Pamely and advise her to go and keep
house for old Hiram Hutchinson. He
had large farm and two invalid
daughters, one afflicted with spinal dis
ease and the other with epilepsy; so
twas a hard place, and of course she
would keep everything at skies and
sevens, not having any faculty; but old
Hiram was willing to take her, because
he was very close, and she wouldn't ex.
pect much. And Mis- Hosea Blodgett
added that as Hiram was widower
nobody knew what might happen. He
was over fifty and hard to get along
with, but then Pamely couldn't be far
from twenty-five. and ought to be will
ing to make sacrifice for the sake of a
home. Ben Seaverns, who used to keep
company with her, had gone off to sea
five years before, and had probably got
drowned, to say nothing OF being a
shiftless good-for-nothipg, and surely
there was no man in Brimblecom who
wanted to marry girl without faculty.
Before the meeting adjourned Mis-
Ichabod, Mis- Hosea Blodgett and Miss
Nancy Perkins, the postmistress, were
appointed q committee to labor with
Pamely.
There was no doubt about the zeal of
the committee. Bright and early the
next morning-so early, in fact, that
the breakfast dishes were not washed in
any town except B Blimblecom-the three
ladies presented themselves at the
front door Of Deacon Semple's late
residence; front doors were reserved for
state occasions III Brimblecom. The
committee, after consultation, had de-
cided that this was an occasion which
rendered the use of the front door ap-
propriate.
Keturah Grant, who had been maid.
of-all-work in Deacon Semple's family
for half century, hobbled to the door,
and admitted them to the sitling-room;
and there was Pamela, with great
bunch of weeds-buttercups and clover
and white weeds-painting, actually
painting, at that time in the morning!
She wore a high-necked and long
sleeved apron, which was bedaubed with
paint, and on her nose was smirch of
bright yellow.
The committee with one consent
heaved deep sigh.
"Seein' Scripter commands US to be
kind to the widow and the fatherless
we thought we'd come and tell you
that old Hiram Hutchinson wants a
housekeeper," said Mis- Ichabod, who
had been chosen chief spokesman in