The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-09-25

out" mused thrifty Mrs. Clutter AS She
scrubbed the porch. Deacon, I'll get
you 20 set the big tub down cellar. if vou
will"
Certain, Wife responded the deacon
from his cart in the door ard
"Therc comes kendalrs new baske,
wagon with two women in it" pursued
the lady, wringin. her mop Isn't that
the horse that balks ."
Beng in the critical act Of emptying a
four gallon bucket of soap, the good man
vonchsafed no reply. When the jellied
mass had quivcre'l and spIashed INTO the
barrel IN waiting he looked up just in sea
son t" see the gay little pony shy at the
cart and go tearing down the road
"Thcyll upset, They'll be killed Run
after cln' DO something :" >hriekcd Mrs.
Clutter
8 Don't get excited, wife; they're ali
right now. The girl drives like man. >
And picking mp his bucket, the mode
rate deacon marched off for Il second sup.
| ply Of soap. But though the little Incl
dent had failed TO shake his nerves, it did
make him oblivious of his wife's wash
tub poised upon the landing of the dim
stairway, and as natural consequence he
pnt his foot in it. The tub rolled the
deacon swayed like pcstle in mortar
there was lively succession of bumps,
followed by clatter and thud, and dca
CON, tub, and bucket Strewcd the floor.
" -\iab and Abihu :" elaculatc,l the
fallen saint, with sinful energy
What's up, unct:" cried an anxious
voice overhead.
- can tell you what's down. Was the
grim response. "t tonc and brace me while
Try to step"
The owner of the voice, fine looking
youth "i onc-and-tWenty, was already
groplng his way among the debrls, his
aunt IN the rear with the camphor.
The deacon's attempted locomotior re-
suited in groan.
must have spraine'l my ankle, liar
vey. If I'd postponed this tub race till
after I'd been my rounds 'twould have
been better calculation"
"Oh. | wouldn't worry about my round,
uncle What's the hurry"
My customers expect me to-day, that
the point. | hate mastery to break my
word. Now there's the widow Cleaves
waiting for me to take her ashes, so she
can scrub after me with the boiling suds,
and up ut kcndaPs they're clean out Of
soap
And not clean without it, eh :"
laughed the young man. See here, un-
Gle; since you are going to feel SO uneasy
about disappointing the people, why not
send me in your stead ?"
" \ on in your fine clothes. | should
smile," mumbled Mrs. Chutter, with the
| stopper of the camphor bottle between
her teeth.
why can't my uncle's mantle fall
upon me aunt : was intending to bor-
row the frOck"
We'll, if do say it, you go, the
Vance common sense. Some Young men
of your bringing up would be ashamed
to drive soap cart"
"Ilumph. Some young men would be
FOOLS" said the deacon with warmth.
Nobody has any call to be ashamed to
deliver such soap as make If you've a
mind to run the team to-day, Harvey,
shall be obliged to you
Fifteen minutes later the worthy deacon
was extending his aching length upon the
sitting-room lounge, and gazing through
the open window after his youthful proxy,
who duly initiated into the mysteries of
the calling was driving away in the big
blue cart. Behind bounced and creaked
an empty ash-bin, flanked by two covered
barrels OF soap; but the swing seat was
clean and comfortable, commanding fine
View of the surrounding country.
\ hali-mlc and more the road wound
| through his uncle's fertile acres, for Dea-
con Chutter was withal farmer. Farm
ing indeed was his chief vocation, soap
boiling being an accessory venture grow
ing out of sundry extensive experiments
in the use of leached ashes As a fertilizer
1t was one Of those tuneful mornings in
early June when all nature Joins in glad
doxology. The newly arrived bobolinkS,
tipsy with glee, carolled in the meadows.
The orioles hanging their hammocks in
the elms, could scarcely work for singing.
Gay breczcs made love to the grateful
young clover, then danced away to tiirt
with the coy hillside birches. Every
where were life and motion irradiated bv
the benignant sun. For Harvey Nance's
study-weakened eyes there was too much
glitter He lost no time in putting on his
blue goggles.
"Who cares if they do make me look
like a frog: unused he as he settled them
/ astride his aristocratc nose "Thanks to
them and to change of air my poor optics
are undoubtedly improving. shall be
back to college by tall. la. ha! if the
fellows could only see me now
And here, to the infinite surprise Of
staid Dobbn, his new master broke into
rollicking class song, a song abruptly
ending as a turn in the road revealed a
neat farmhouse.
eff | peddle soap, I'll peddlc it with
due decorum," soliloquised the youth,
knocking upon the door with the handle
of his whip.
To have seen the capable air with which
he measured ashes, bushel by bushel, Civ
ing in exchange money, or gallons of soap
according to the customers desire, one
would have pronounced him bred to the
soap business. Since his months rust-
cation at his Aunt Chutter's he had made
the acquaintance of most Of the farmers
along the river, and these expressed their
qualification at meeting "a Judges son
that wasn't afraid to work." but outside
the parish limits his triumphal march ter
minated He was q stranger in strange
land. One man asked if he had bought
ont the deacon second hoped he wasn't
proposing TO run an opposition team, and
the loyal widow Cleaves could hardly be
persuaded to surrender her ashes, because,