The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1883-06-21
JUST LIKE A MAN." :.


"JUST LIKE A MAN,; !.
'They do beat all" sighed Mrs. Peck,
as she wiped her face earnestly with
spotted cotton handkerchief, and set
her spectacles aloft ON top of her cap
border. II summered an wintered one
on 'em nigh on to- fifty years; and the
was things he done l don't see into up
to this day. Beside, I had sons, and
darters' husbands as we'll, and they'er
all of u piece; tarred with the same stick
as Lias used to say"
"Well," spoke up Miss Patty Brinkly,
vivacious maiden lady, stopping to
thread her needle, with both elbows on
the quilt frame, and her thread and
needle stabbing at each other nearly
half a yard away from her straining
eyes, II ha'nt never had no such ex-
perience thanks be 70 praise. Pa used
to say if I had ha' married any body I'd
have killed 'em or run away from 'em,
and I dono but what should.'
''They had ,mething to be thankful
for, then, as we'll as thee, Patty" dryly
remarked Aunt Marcia Blinn, the OILY
lady Of the "Friends" persuasion, as
she called it, whom Oakley boosted.
"Well, they're queer anyhow" re-
sumed the Widow Peck. ''There's no
'countin' for 'em; they'll up and do
things you wouldn't no more expect of
'em than anything; and as for bein' pro-
tectors for women folks and ALL which
folks tell about in books, my land! Lias
Peck would ha' died more'n forty times
of hadn't ha' had dry things for to put
onto him when he came in soakln' wet
out of the crick, or after pouring rain.
| AS it twas, he died o. rheumatic It he
took along O. hoatin' saw logs down to
the mill in spring freshet and never
coming home to dinner, but working all
day in them damp clothes. l give him
| pokeberry rum an hemlock sweat,
and two hull bottles of Gumpton's gin
ger bitters, besides a rubbin' sent for
the doctor; but it struck to his stomic,
ard he went off like a snuff. But that
ant here nor there; as | was a saying,
for nigh onto fifty years I'd put his flan-
mel shirts into the front left hand corner
If the bottom drawer in the m'hog'n ny
bureau in the bedroom and every Sum
day mornin' regular, when he was clean
in up for meetin', he'd boiler out, Luz
| taney! where's them flannel shirts o
mine? Now that's SOL" concluded the
| disconsoate widow, wiping her eyes,
| and adding in stage asid e,-"But I'd
| give considerable to hear him holler that
aeain!'
"And they hain't got no: memory"
put III MISS Patty, who had at last
coaxed needle and thread to all AMIGA
bic understanding, and was quilting
away with zeal and discretion as every
good ouilter knows bow. II never see
the time when they wouldn't forget
things. I've tailored round quite num-
Der of years, and I've he'd
an eye OMEN, as you say. There IS ST.
las Buck. used to tailor for
bis folks considerable; the was him and
three boys and the hired man. Well,
I'd got ont O. linen thread, say. and you
can't no more make overhauls with sew
in cotton than you can with spider webs,
and Mis- Buck she'd say, 'Silas,' says
she, "Miss Patty's all out O. linen thread.
When you 60 down to tire store after
them rake tails I wish you'd fetch up
Now don't you forglt it! And Silas he'd
l
basket O. chips, and he'd say-"Ill fetch
nd Iset md set waitin' 70 =, and
Ara Walk put e Gown g ny u tue c 6qnalf
for to fetch it myself; then he'd say
Cousin Patty'-you see We called cous
ms because his fathers second wife was
sister to my Aunt Sophrony's husband
Cousin Patty, hain't you got them over
hauls done YETI and I'd sorter blustel
up md say, Cousin Silas, I ant no more
able to make bricks without straw n the
Isr'elites was for Pharo', and you didn't
fetch me no thread yesterday and then
he'd haw. haw, right out; he was real
clever, but land! go shiftless. That's just
a case in pint, SO to speak, ye know
just one time, but you can tell by little
what a great deal means, and, as Mis-
"Thee doesn't think women folks are
all perfect; does thee, Patty?" queried
Aunt Marcia, in her calm voice.
"Well, I dono as they be; demo as
said they be, but you can generlly tel
where the most of EMIL fetch up, anG
you're kinder fit and prepared for W ha
they will do, and specially for what
they won't do. Sometimes they'll disap
pint all your calculations, but then you
can fall back on Scripter, and sect they
WIS made to be the weaker sect; though
if faint really lawful to say so, own
always did have a poor opinion of Adam
as ever was; to be tellin' how twas
Eve made him eat the apple, when he
done it the first time askin'; but twas
jest like man! They keep DOM of it
to this day; it's forever and always the
woman tempted me-"
"Thee remenbers-doesn't thee?-
the Scripture says, the woman, being
deceived. was in transgression' It haiti
always seemed to me kindly in Timothy
so to speak of her as to lay blame on the
enemy"
"That amt neither here nor ther," an.
swered the logical and undaunted Patty
II amt tryin' to make light of Ewes
disobeyin,' but / do say Adam was rea1
mean to get behind her; he was able tc
say he wouldn't, I guess, jest rs we'll al
she was, but he didn't more'n she did
l was readin' somewhere's t'other day
about an old French Teller, a Judge or
somethin, judge of a p'iice court ex
pect by the tell and whensomever they
fetched q man before him that had beer
took up for q misdeed, no matter what
twas, he always asked who is she?
| .Ooo.AA VA 40 VAlOuHA q "Oudu Was dt LIlo
bottom Of every wrong doin.' Clear
Adam! And that's what fault 'em for. u
"Well, they be queer" Mrs. Peck
again took up the fruitful theme. "Sary
what was that you was telling abou
Thomas an them letters t'other night?"
ooh, map said Sarah Beers depreca-
tingly, but with laugh that lit her pale
face and sad eyes; for Sarah was typi.
csl New England woman; careful enc
troubled about every thing; a coward
physically, hero mentally afraid o.
her very shadow. but doing the braves
things, with her hearts sinking and he1
joints trembling all the time, because
duty or affection called her to such Ser
vice. She married Tom Beers, bright
strong fellow, full of fun and reckless
daring, and devoted to Sarah, but en-
tirely ignorant of her daily anxieties
and terrors; for she was as reticent a!
she was timid, if she thought she coulc
save any one-much more any one she
loved-by such reticence.
ooh, tell ont Sary; It amt no harm
we all know Tom sets by we like his life
He wouldn't do nothin' to plague ye, i
he knowed it, no more'n he'd cut hi
head off; but that letter business was 81
exactly like men folks"
A chorus of voices echoed the request
there were only about ten people at thu
quilting-it was the regular sewing m eet
ing of Oakley-so Sarah consented.
"Wall, It amt much to tell. but if m.
wants me to. You know, Toms horst,
is real young and kind of skittish, anC
there is one thing above another I'm