Hand County press. (Miller, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1893, 1882-08-16
TRAINING A HUSBAND.

So yer want ter know how came ter
hev Caleb, when / knew Jest heow he
used Nancy, his first wife. Wall, I'll tell
ye all about it. Are ~-"
You know Dan'l left me pretty poorly
Off 1 he'd two little children, an what
ter dew 1 didn't know. The mortgage
was ter run cont in about year an a
half arter he died. I'd sent the children
down to Brother Johns ter go 20 school.
Brother John wanted me to give them
ter him, an he'd do we'll by 'em, an
was nieditating on it, orful 10th to dew
it. But what else could dew with 'em
when the old farm was took away from
me2
One day, when the time was near eout,
was a hoein' the beans side of the fence
jinin' Calebs cornfeld. l tell yer, Han
nah, l never felt bluer in all my born
days. I'd alters lived an worked on
farm, an couldn't do no other kind of
work; SO what was to become of me
didn't know.
"Purty good hoein' for green hand"
sez somebody over the fence.
"Yes," sez /. 1--WE done enough
Of it since I was left alone. Practice
makes perfect, we used ter write in our
copy-book when we were child'en," an
/ couldn't help heaving a sigh.
oval, Emmerline," sez he, "your'n
seem to be in the same fix. You need
man TO do your hoeing and sich, an
Ineed a woman to see ter my house, an
if you're agreed we'll hitch horses and
work in double harness. can't find no
hired help thatll do as Nancy did"
(thinks / to myself, and you'll never find
another twill, either. $50 what dye
say, Emmerlins ?"
Praps didn't think o nothing for
the mex few minutes. 1t all flashed
over me in a secont, what an unfeelin'
mai he'd alters ben. Poor Nancy had
10 dew ell the house. work, and good
deal belonging ter him ter dew, an he
was stingier than an old miser, tew.
knew he was smart man ter work,
was forehanded and was able to live in
good deal better shape than ho did, an
you know, Hannah, that poor Dan'l was
Just the oppersite. He was a norful
clever man, was DanI, but kind O. shift
less an easy, an it alters worried me ter
hev things goin' SO slack. Sez TO my
self, body can't hev everything /;
there's alters some eouts, an poor
mans better'n none. So / speaks right
up, an I seq:
"Caleb, we've been nabors for many
ayear. l know your failins an s'pose
You know mine an SO, if You say so.
all right; pr'aps we both might do do
wuss." +.
Wal, ter make long story short, we
sgreed to hev the business dun right
Oh. Caleb said thet it was stylish to go
on weddin' tower nowadays, and, ns
hewanted ter go deown to Bangor TO SEQ
about selling his wool, an as Sarah Jane
Curtis (who used to work for him) lived
about half way, an we could stop there
both ways and not cost us anything, he
thought we'd better go. His niece, Re
oecca Gilman, Yer know, lives there,
and we could make her q visit OF the
same time. Brother John lives there
tew, you know, an I'd made up my
mind that I'd jest bring home the child
'en.
An 80 did; but Caleb he was ortul
sot agin it, but sed "of course they can
come and make a visit an 1 let him
think so, cause I wasn't quite ready to
nave words with him yet
We stayed about week, an got home
along in the afternoon all right. The
mex mornin' I woke up purity early, an
isez to myself: Courage, Emmerline,
now or never" KEEP still, for Caleb
was still suorin', but bime by he
fetched an onairthly snort that waket
himself up, an wen he see as it was
scttln daylight, he nuged me an SEE he !:
:. Wake up, Emmerline. Emmerline,
"s broad daylight; come, come, get mp,
we shan't have any breakfast terday.'
Twas awful hard ter wake. hut after
awhile managed ter, an, while / was
sruobin' my eyes, I sez, "Got q good
nre, amt ye, Caleb p
Fire y said he. "No. I never
o"id any fires. Nancy alters built tho
fres.r
Did she ?" ser I, cool as cucumber.
30 did Daniel"