The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1884-05-23


pie were grandpa and grandma Of the
entire community, simply by reason of
age and genuine worth. '.H's Mon
day morning, you know, and you are
sick, too, aren't you?"
'It's my old tic-dullerroo, said
grandma, resignedly, going on to tell
Of her late suiferings with it, to which
Tabitha lent listening ear, her sharp
eyes meanwhile taking an inventory of
the disorderly room, to repeat at the
first opportunity.
"And declare fort, Tabitha, seems
as if you were sent here this mornin'.
| want you to take this shirt and put in
the bosom, and do it up this week. I'll
allow it on your milk-bill. Don't fail,
for he hadn't fine shirt fit to wear yes
terday."
"Therer' said Tibitha, triumphantly,
''that explains it. / knew YOU must
be sick yesterday, and l says to one and
another, when they spoke Of Grandpa
Horner's shirt, saws |: 1T ism grand
mas fault, you may be sure Of that, for
she always gifts him up "a slick as if
he'd just stepped out of a bandbox.
Oopcuu Oh {, Sle SICK.
81 wGs sick Saturday." said grand
ma, tingling all over at the idea that
his shirt had been noticed and COM
mented upon, and thankful that he
wasn't present to hear tie startling
story. Had she known that nobody
spoke OF it but Tabitha herself, she
would have felt better. eff l hadn't
been sick should have had this one all
fixed and done up, but Ann came over
in the afternoon, and said she'd send
him over one of Primes shirts to wear
yesterday; and when he came to put it
on, there want no bosom it it..
''Just SOP said Tabitha, rising to
60, SO full of her story that she was
ready to burst for lack of somebody to
tell it to then and there. She had long
been jealous of Mrs. Prime, and now
was her chance to tell a good story
against her, A church member putting
off her poor old father, and he one Of
salt Of the earth, and deacon, too,
with common coarse shirt to wear
communion Sunday!
Why she was jealous of Mrs. Prime
and wished to spite her, nobody could
tell. They were near of an age, had
been girls together, and nobody could
point to any crime Ann Horner had
ever committed against Tabitha Green,
unless it was to get married! But it is
just as true as that there are lovable,
sweet-tempered old maids, that there
are sharp, spiteful ones who seem to
owe a grudge to all their mates who
fail to walk through life in single
blessedness. OF this latter class was
Tabitha Green.
That was the beginning of busy
week with her. Under one pretext and
another she called at every house in the
village where she might get hearing,
and everywhere related the shirt story,
with such additions and embellishments
as her lively fancy could invent. AS
we all know, there is never a village of
any size but contains more or less Cos
sips, whose interestin any bit of scandal
seems to be in inverse ratio to the inn
portance of the matter; when you add
I to this the fact that Mrs. Prime was a
leader in society, and as such an object
OF jealous envy to some narroW-minded
women who stood lower in the social
scale, you can understand how greedily
they drank in Tabitha's story.
81 allus said, and say it now more n
ever, that Mis- Prime amt what she
perfesses to be. I'm no perfesser my
self, but | like to see perfessers that is
possessors, too. Her old father is a
Christian, If ever there was one, but be-
cause she married Ben Prime, and he
got into the Legislator last fall, seems
as if she thought nobody else was of any
count. | hain't no doubt that, as she
said, Prime has plenty of fine shirts,
but you don't ketch her givin' one of
EN- away, even for her own father to
wear a-carrying round the elements
She had the impudence to send him
over a common coarse shirt, and it lust
about killed Grandma Horner. be-
lieve it hurt her 'nough sight worse
than all her tic-dullerroo.
''She was as earnest as could be to
have me get this shirt fixed and done
up for him this week, and I'll do it, too,
| if don't do another stitch of work. |
shan't slight it, neither, if it IS only an
old shirt fixed over. I'll show Mis-
Prime that I put my best work onto
things for good folks, and if grandpa
amt my father, I'll do my best for
him.
she allus sot herself up to be lit
tie better n common folks, but she ain't
any better than she ort to be, and can
prove it. did feel to pity Grandma
Horner, she looked so mizzable. and of
oil iy1f
never see the beat! I couldn't help
thinkin' Mis- Prime had better leave
her own work and come over and slick
out her poor old mother little. But
la! | s'pose she had SO many of Prime s
shirts to wash she hadn't no time.
Grandma didn't say nothin' agin' Ann;
she ies' told how it happened that
grandpa didn't have on fine shirt Sun
day, but can tell by little what a
good deal means, and I'm sure she felt
as though Mis- Prime didn't treat 'em
very well. But | must be a-goin. I
thought, seem as was so near, I'd jest
rust run in and see Mis-, Brown few
minutes. jest came out of Mis- Ben
sons, and l was a-talkin' it over with
her, says, seq /: If was a member
of that church I'd have Mis- Prime dis
ciplined; it amt livin' up to her Gov
enant VOWS Mis- Benson is an easy
soul, you know, and she SAYS: pr ans
it was mistake. But you needn't tell
me; know Mis- Prime. Wal. | must
be goin'. =
The loungers in the village stores and
at the post-otfice talked over the shirt
story. 1t was in the mouths of the
school-children, and was rehearsed
again and again in the milliner's shop.
And as no two people had the same
version Of the story, it was something
new and unique every time it was told.
Tho people who are most directly
concerned in floating gossip, are usual
ly the last ones to hear it, but the at
mosphere being so heavily saturated
with INSTRUMENTATION that week, it
finally bore down on Mrs. Prime her
self.
1t was Saturday afternoon again, and
she went over to her mothers, as she
had done every day all through the