Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-09-05
his new clothes, 1 s'pose-and blushed
on1 e%,,ftorod worco fhop ovor A

his new clothes, 1 ~s'pose-and blushed
and suffered worse than ever.
s'Dick seed that, and lit out to have
some sport. So he commenced chafin'
Jake bout the proper way O. visitin' the
gals, maxim hisself 'greeable, and so on,
Then he went to talkin' on that churnin'
o. mine, and hintin' what'd be the hand
some thing for him to do.
s.Poor Jake felt as uneasy as 'Mary's
lamb at school, He fidgited round in
in his cheer, pulled out his Handkerchief,
and stuffed it back, and scratched his
head. l see it all out O. the corner O.
my eye, but 1 jest kept on churnin', and
repeatin' And it come to pass, and it
come to pass like l didn't know he was
within forty miles.
"Finally, he gave a look up and down
the road, to make sure there want no.
body to see him, then he up and clapped
his hat on his head, and l made sure he
was goin' to bolt; but no, it was do or
die with Jake. He came straight to me
and grabbin' holt O. the dasher, STAN.
mered out:
".G-go set down, P-P-Polly, and I'll
DIDO your churin.'
"I thanked him pretty as you please,
and went. Then, laws, didn't he work
and fuss. Them butternuts was mid
dim hot by the looks on 'em. and he
couldn't keep the splashes of. The
churn was pretty full o. cream, and he
handled it so awkward that it seemeda rs
if every spoonful o. it was bewitched.
"It tickled Dick nightly to see Jake
so plagued. He'd be churnin' away
tol'ele Steady, till I'd come past, and
say something to him, then he'd get
fustered, and 60 to poundin' away like
fury-he was powerful stout-and then
the way that cream'd fly was a warnin'.
Then he'd have to stop, and wipe off the
splashes; but he stuck it out like a
horned hero till he brought the butter,
and sot down kivered with cream and
glory.
"But that wasn't q patchin' to a
scrape he fell into, something like a
month arter that. He kept gettin' a
leetle more pinted in his 'tentions, and
I see that matters was drawing nigh the
poppin' place, and that was a rock l
didn't low to strike, for I was bound to
say no, and I knowed mother'd never
let me hear the end O. it, if I did. So 1
kept watchin' for a chance to do some
thin as would make him drop off his
self.
Zone Saturday he came as usual, and
axed to see me to singin' school. l felt
skeery about givin' him such a chance,
but there was mother a-peelin' onions
the other side of the room, so I said
yes and he sot down as smilin' as a
basket O. chips.
81 fixed up and sot off, pretty sulky,
and awful afeard I'd have trouble afore
we got back. But quick as we was alone,
l started out, and talked a blue streak,
and Jake didn't get no chance to fetch
the other matter round. Comm back
it wa much the same. Jake was so
stoopid he want no match for me, and
when we rode up to the hoss-block with
out nothin' h%appenin', 1 felt nightly
relieved.
"Mother was up when me came in,
and nothing would do but Jake must
put up his boss, and 90 to meetin' with
US next day. He didn't need much
coaxin' and his boss was turned out in
the lot long O. ours, and ON that peg
the rest of my story hangs, for as luck'd
have it. the beast wan nowhere to be
found when meetin' time come. Jake
'peared nightly upset about it, cause
he'd set his heart on going to
meetin' long O. me-, so father, he
told him he could ride a boss o. his.
He jumped at the offer quick 'nough,
and as 1 heard 'em settlin' that, an
idee struck meg and laughin' right out, !
cried:
".I'n do it.
"'Do what, Pol?' says Dick.
i tell tell you after a bit,' says I,
and motioned him to come out to the
wood-shed, and then I said to him,
Dick, [ want you to put Jake's saddle
on Tantrum.'
"'He, he he!' snickered Dick. What
you want that done for. Pol?'
"'Never you mind. You jest do it,
will you?'
"'Well I don't care if I do; but I'll
have to do it on the sly.'
pretty soon arter that my boss Bess,
and Tantrum, were waitin' at the gate.
Jake looked sort O. suspicious at him,
for he had his ears laid back, and the
spitefullest look in his eyes. But it
wouldn't do to show he was afeard, so
he went up as bold as a lamb and begun
pattin' him. But Tantrum showed
mighty quick he want the sort O. crit
ter to stand coddlin', and he jest drew
up his lip and gave Jake's arm a nip
with his long white teeth that made him
squeal, and he lost all notion O. pettin'
that boss. But he want on his back
yet, and that was a pint to consider, for
Tantrum was ugly tempered, and not
more'n half broke, and Jake was as
slow and clumsy as a mud turtle.
"He didn't have no perlite 'tentions
to spare, and I had to climb on my boss
as best I could, while Tantrum tore
round so l was afeared the old folks d
come out and Spite the fun. But mother
was busy fxin' fathers collar and neck
tie, and Dick was out to the barn,
laughin' and peekin' through q crack.
BY some accident he did tumble on at
last, and we started.
"Tantrum had quieted down q bit, and
I begun to fear he Want a-goin' to cut
no more capers /; but, nigh the meetin'
house, we come to a broad, deep mud
hole, and into that he'd no notion O. STEP
pin, so up and down he prapced, and
Jake was SO fearsome of him, he daren't