Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-01-31

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Sally. Why, it's only two o. clock. The
shower must have come up very sudden
ly."
"What if it don't rain tomorrow.
The roads'll be all mud knee-deep.
mud's we have to look at butter. They
be fools 4 they did. It's jest as l said.
The butter won't be sold t ALL You'd
know yourself 'twouldn't be, 4 you want
deaf an adder and blind as bat"
"Aunt Sally, think this is little too
much. I'm very tired and want you
to go right out OF my room and leave me
TO Sleep
IL shall go out o. this room jest S
quick IS I'm mind to, m no quicker, m
the more you talk about it the more
shan't go. Anybody'd think, to hear
you talk, that you did all the work in
this house. Who's skinned the milk
all summer, I'd like to knowp s'pose
you think the butter come all the same,
skimmin' or no skimmin'; IN now we
shan't sell pound, N we shan't have
money enough to keep from starvin' to
death m buy clothes to cover our naked
ness. But there's one thing about it; |
won't pinch m be economical q bit
longer. III spend every dollar I'm
mind to. What 4 one o. them city
buyers should come in the pouring rainp
We shouldn't know whether TO trust i'm
or not. | wouldn't let i'm touch the
butter unless he paid the money down.
IT'S jest the meanest thing that ever
happened sense the world begun that
we didn't go to S-a week ago IN
| fhn,.f enIl;,,f f,,f All
time; m # we don't git thirty cents,
jests the rest o. the ncighbors have,
shan't never want to show my face out
side this house again, m the shan't one
o. the family, f can help it,"
But Aunt Sally at length ran down,
and Dolly knew that, unless she had q
strong cup of tea or little sleep, she
wouldn't be in running order again for
several hours, and she prepared to enjoy
herself accordingly. BY six o'clock she
was busy preparing breakfast, running
out "between times" to freshen her heart
with look at the pink and purple morn
ing glories that grew up over the south
piazza. She was as bright and pleasant
TO her little brother as though her nights
rest had been untroubled and filled with
sweetest dreams. The prospect for u
cosy, quiet breakfast was Frightening
when half dozen geese, smittcn with
total depravity, walked hurricdly toward
the house and held one of their most
spirited conversations directly under
Aunt Sally's chamber window. They
couldn't have been more excited if they
had been discussing the family butter
and its prospects
Dolly had just served the coffee and
taken sip or two out of her own cup
when the sitting-room door opened, and
out walked Aunt Sally, looking quiet but
ominous. She drew chair to the fire
and sat black and silent for five minutes.
"Did the geese wake you up, Aunt
SallyP" asked Willie, Dollie's little
brother.
"Wakc me up. Guess they'd awaked
anybody up that want dead. If | was
a boy big as you be, I'd keep geese in
their places; but nobody in this family
ever sees to anything or ever will
won't you have some coffee, while
it's fresh and hot, Aunt Sally, asked
Dolly.
mo, | don't want nothin', hot nor
cold. | feel perfectly sick this mornin',
iest's knew last night should feel; and
I've got to have the doctor right straight
off and have something to take. Here $
q whole month gone, N hain't had but
two quart bottles of medicine. had to
lay awake all night and think about the
butter. / knew if / didn't nobody else
would. It'll take me down sick. feel
this morning jcst's if | was going to
have the typhoid fever, m / shall have
il, too. If 4 had anything to do about
things, should go right off this morn
in and see bout scllin' that butter; but,
of course, what thinks nothin' in this
house and nerer was
The group at the table were silent;
only now and then saying a word or two,
rs they served each other
Dolly felt the essential vulgarity of all
family contentious, and, in general, she
answered nothing to Aunt Sally's foolish
TRADES, which were much more frequent
in Mr.. Browns absence.
George Sterling left the room as
quickly rs he could, and Dolly followed
him to the piazza, where they talked a
minute over what had best be done.
George will drive down to $
and see what he can do with the butter,n
Dolly said, as she returned TO the kitchen
But Aunt Sally deigned no reply. She
rose and walked into the more gcnteel
part of the house and was not seen again
for several hours. The occasional slam
ming of doors and windows testified to
her existence.
In the afternoon George returned and
told Dolly that he could contract the but
ter for but twenty-five cents. The
markets were full for few days; but
her fathers friends had advised him to
wait a little, as they thought it would be
up to thirty cents again.
Several days passed and the question
of butter was sill unsettled. Dolly was
busy with her work, hardly getting II
minute to peep into the new Harper
which George had brought from the
post-oilicc. One day she put two of her
delicious custard pies into the oven to
bake, and then went upstairs for few
minutes to make beds Aunt Sally,
meanwhile, walked into the kitchen,
which she found "cold rs barn"
built up n hot fire, and sat down by the
stove. When Dolly returned, she smelt
strong odor of burning pastry, and,
opening the ovcn-door, found that her
pies were completely ruined.
"Why, Aunt Sally" said she, didn't
you smell my pies burningP"
"Smcll UNI! returned Aunt Sally.
"No, didn't, n Shant smell nothin'
more till the BUFFERS sold" And she
marched off into the sitting-room as
though her dignity had been offended.
What pity Dickens didn't know
Aunt Sally" thought Dolly, as she went
about making some more pies.
Mr.. John Sterling, Georges father,
always sent away his butter to a certain
city firm, whose chief member had, as
boy, been brought up in the family of
John Stcrling's father. The Stcrling's
knew the firm well and knew that il was
trustworthy. George, therefore, suggest
cd to Dolly that he write TO his fathers
friend, Mr.. Furncss, and ask his advice
about the butter they had to sell.