Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-09-05
yoman, child and baby for fifteen miles

self. Black curlin' hair,-he alters
parted it in the middle, audit made him
look so sweet and tender ]ike,-the big
gest eyes, and the reddest cheeks; jest
as pretty as a chiny doll. Then he
dressed so fine, and wore big, shinin'
rings on his hands, and they as white as
q baby's. Well, O course l had no eyes
for any one else, and he was powerful
took with me, too; took my picter twice
for nothin', painted 'em all beautiful,
and said he'd wear one next door TO his
heart. (Bless me, how crooked you are
rollin' that side! Better pull out the
peg, and sort O. stretch one end aleetle.
Thar, that's somethin' like.)
cts consolin' to my mind how sweet
he used to talk, though 1 did think some
things he said sort O. curious. 1 mind
how he told me onct, when he was a.
praisin' my handsomeness, that 1 looked
like some awfully heathenish named
c%reeturs, I've forgot what. He said
they were goddesses and SIGH. 1t sort
O. scared ME, that way o. namin' on me
did, for I feared he might be a foreign
idolator."
"Mebby he was. What become on
him ?' queried Mary Jane.
"La, that's mighty nigh too bad to
tell; but 1 suppose Unjust, bein' started.
Well, arter he'd finished a-douhlin' up
the inhabitants O. Scrabbleton, he left
for the next settlement. He made me-
all sorts O. fine promises, but, fore he'd
been gone a month, we begun to hear
the awfullest talk about him."
Had a wife back yonder, did he ?"
Interrupted Selma Smith. II thought
that d be how it ID turn out"
mo, not rs ever l heerd on but the
story spread that he was a coiner, and
carried on coinin' under cover O. his
picter takin'.
"Well, the officers got him, and they
proved it on him, or pretended they
did, and sent him to the penetentiary,
and that was the last l heerd ON him.
But I alters shall believe that that was
q wicked story. got out agin him by
them as was envious of his good looks"
and Aunt Polly wiped her eyes to the
memory of the ex-counterfeiter.
This is a mighty saddin' remem-
brance," she continued, land I never
meant to touch on it but l was led into
it a-talkin' O. Jake Green"
go on tellin' bout Jake, Polly. It's
mighty edifying," coaxed Mrs. Brown.
"Well, bout the time l begun to be
so took up with the picter man 1 begun
to hate Jake wus than pizen, and the
fust sight O. his black boss a comm up
the lane set my blood bilin', but 1 dare
MT say much, count O mother. One
day, jest arter Jake had give ME his
likeness, | seen him a-ridin' up. Mother
did, too, and began straightenin' things
round.
'Jake's a-comin', Polly SEE she.
Run upstairs, and slick up
II went O. course, but, my, didn't I
fee! spiteful, and I determined to show
'em just what l thought. So. by way
O slickin' up, l put on the wuss lookin'
dress a body ever see. 1t was an old
patched linsey one, I wore blackberryin',
with red and yellar stripes runnin'
round. Then Twisted my hair up in
the tightest leetle knot, hunted up the
wuss lookin' pair O. shoes [ could find
and went down.
"Jake gazed at me as if he thought 1
looked curious, but mothers face was a
sight.
"'Polly, Simmons, SEE she, what do
you mean by coming afore company in
such a fix as that? Is them your man
ners? Go upstairs and come down de-
Gently apparaled.' She alters liked
h~igh-soundin' words, mother did.
"Of cours l had to 60, but then, I
had shown my spite agin him, or begun
to. When l come back | went straight
to the spinnin'-wheel, and span away
l lilo 7 woo ro -, fD,.1 sf1 o~J
to Jake but once. Mother didn't find
fault at that. S'pose she thought Jake ID
be a-thinkin' what a smart wife I'd
make.
"'Fore long she sent me out to get
supper. She made a pint o. havin' me
get the meals when Jake was there. I
never took more :.pains with one in my
life, but" with a dry chuckle, 1T was
pains wrong side out. I made my
biscuits with soul milk, and never put
in a speck O. salaratus; a big cake was
much in the same fix, only it had plenty
O. salaratus and no creamtarty; the tea
Want nothing but hot water and tea
grounds, and somehow, l got salt in the
bowl stead O. sugar; 'peared like it all
got in the bowl, too. for there want a
mite in the fried Eaters, and 1 clean
forgot to put on any preserves Or jell.
"Jake took a big swaller O. tea fust
thing, and, laws, what an awful face he
made! Then he tried a taste O. Eaters,
and bite O. biscuit, and then he laid
down his knife and looked round, SO
kind O. mazed, and angry, too-for he
began to suspicion that 1 had been
playin' him a trick-that, mad as I was,
1 had to go into the buttery to laugh.
"'While l was there father took a gulp
o. his tea, and such a chokin' and sput-
term l never heerd.
''Bless me, MOTHER he choked out,
whatever has got into this tea?"
"Mother didn't think it best to have
Jake know that I'd played all them
tricks out O. meanness, so she let on
like she s'posed that the salt bein' out O.
the Eaters and into the tea was a mis-
take, and all the rest jest Happenings.
''Then there was another visit o. his
me and Dick have laughed over
more'n once. 1t was on a Saturday
afternoon, and he had taken uncommon
pains with his get up; had on a bran
new suit O. %butternuts. l was churnin'
out on the porch, and Dick, he sot a
J cheer for him out thar. l didn't have