The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1882-12-21


middle of the afternoon.
''Never mind, Mrs. Dove" sal
Flora; ''I'li get tea, and I'll mai
some of those cream waffies an
a short-cake for Mr.. Dove, and yo
shall see how nicely 1 can fr
oysters
Indeed, indeed, L don't kno,
what L should do without you
| Florap said Mrs. Dove fervently.
| But, as it happened, Mr.. DAME
Dove was unexpectedly detained Oh
business at Whiskill, a neighborins
town, and, instead of him, wht
should walk debonairly into til,
little sitting-room, finging dowl
his carpet bag, but Eric Hale him
self, just as the rainy dusk CLOSED
in, and the delicious oysters anC
Mocha coffee filed the house.
Hello" said Eric. $50 you're
cleaning house--eh, Betsy?'
~ es, SIR" a demure voice re
sponded from the kitchen.
And where's my aunt?'
"She has retired with sick head
ache"
The natural consequence OF
cleaning house, l suppose" said
Eric Hale, with a shrug of the
shoulders. Dear old Aunt Della
why shouldn't she be contented to
leave things as they were? Tell
her, Betsy, that Washburne has
concluded not to exchange until
next week, and that, now I'm in
the midst of the melee, I'll lend a
hand with his business tomorrow. :"
"Yes, sir"
"And Betsy
"Sir?'
Where did you learn to make
such delicious coffee? Bring in a
cup at once; I'm ready to drop with
weariness; and it is like dream of
Arabia"
And Flora Lee, with the tapping
edge of her sunbonnet concealing
the amused dimples around her
mouth, brought in the oysters and
coffee, danked by pile of feather
light waffles.
81 declare, Betsy" cried the Rev.
Eric, facetiously, 'if you were
trifle younger and prettier I'd marry
you myself, to make sure of coffee
and waffles like this every night"
would you, sir?' said the sol
disant Betsy.
'And we'll make compact,
Betsy" merrily went on the young
clergyman, as he helped himself to
butter, "to finish the house cleaning
ourselves tomorrow and save Aunt
Della the worry and work of it"
eyes, sir,' said Betsy. but,
please, sir, it's all done except the
down of the carpets"
''Who did it?''
II, sir, please, and Mrs. Dove,
and Adonijah. And please, sir, Pm
going to finish it myself to morrow,
and please, sir" finging back her
sun bonnet, and disclosing a coronal
Of bronze brown braids, a pair of
very rosy checks, and eyes full of
sparkling, hazel mischief-"Pm not
Betsy at all, but Flora Lee, entirely
at your service!
The Rev. Eric Hale stared with
surprise, not unmingled
with dismay.
Miss Leer' he repeated.
Exactly" nodded the young
lady.
"Did you make the coffee?"
81 did"
"And fry these brown lacked oys-
ters, and stir up these waffles?"
mo one else, Mr., Hale"
"And scrub these roomsY' glanc-
ing around.
"Ye-, sir; and busted the cornices,
and washed the window glass, and
took down all the picture frames,
and put the lace curtains in soak,
besides other items too numel Gus to
MENTION mischlevously added
Flora, rather enjoying the discomfit-
lre of the young clergyman.
"Aliss Lee" said Eric, Il beg
your pardon"
What for, Mr.. Hsle?"
For always having regarded you
as the most useless of creatures.
recant. 1 own that you are equal
to any emergency"
And when, later in the evening,
Mrs. Dove crept out, with her head
tied up in eau de cologne, che found
her nephew and Flora Lee playing
chess together by the fire in the
most amiable manner imaginable.
Its all right" said Mrs. Dove
10 herself.
1t was all right. And Mrs. Eric
Hale won her frank, unconventional
husband, not through the medium
Of dress, or jewels, or waltzes, or
flower shows, but through the grim
realities of house cleaning.
II wanted a genuine helpmeet,"
says the Rev. Eric, land i have got
One"