Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-05-14
MRS. PEAsLEE's NEIGHBoR.

idut iic Al bc Tue pistpue Oh our llNeS.
'Mebbe not, Jane, mildly expostu-
lated her sister, Mrs, Webb. "Old
bachelors amt apt to be meddlesome,
gener'ly.n
Him! i mean the dog snapped
Miss Jane. "Of course he'll be run
ming over here, tormenting the cat and
digging holes in the flower beds next
summer fur cool place to lie in, or a
chasing the hens an stealing the eggs
when they've made nests in the weeds.
But won't put up with it an I shall
tell him SO plump the very first chance
| git"
1.-The dog. Janepn
'The dog Of course not. | mean
the crnsty, grabbed old bachelor him.
SELF
"0h, Jane! You don't think he
would steal the eggs and make holes
in the flower beds, do you?n
''Fiddlesticks Amt YOU got no
sense at all, Melanceya A body might
as well talk to close prop as youi
said the dog would steal the eggs, an
| shouldn't put up with it an should
tell the old bachelor so, too. Now do
you understand An so | will pll.
take the broomstick to him, too. See
if | don't" she concluded, emphati-
cally.
Miss Jane and her sister owned the
little cottage in which they lived,
which was about all they did own, and
managed to exc out living by doing
plain sewing, dressmaking, or any
thing of the kind they could get to do.
There's the gate open and Sam
Pickles old bell-cow a-tramplin'
round in the truck patch, of course"
and snatching up sun-bonnct she
darted out to put summary stop to
the old bell-cow's depredations among
her garden truck.
Meanwhile the old bachelor next
door was taking q survey of the situa-
ton.
1.-Two women folks, and one of them
an old maid, I'll bet a pocketknife.
The other looks like she might be a
widow, from allus dressing in black
Thunderi What did | ever move in
here for? Paid six months rent. too!
Confound it all, man amt safe any,
where hardly these days. OF course.
they'll both be asserting their caps to
ketch me, but | won't be caught I'll
keep out of their way as much as pos
sible, and even if l meet one of 'em
face to face I'll look another way. |
see they keep q parcelof old hens, too.
Ii any of EN- come a-scratching about
here I'll set the dog on 'em, sure |
amt to be pestered by old maids or
their hens, either I've hired man
servant a-purpose TO keep out of their
clutches. an | amt a-going to be took
in by the smartest woman that ever
lived,
He was by no means the crusty,
grabbed old bachelor Miss Jane had
declared him to be, but rather fine
looking man, with pleasant, dark eyes,
and only a few threads of silver shin
ing in his abundant brown hair.
Moreover, his canine follower was
not ''great horrid'' dog, but very
curly and frolicsome Newfoundland
puppy.
There's that dog a-worryin' the
chickens agin," screamed Miss Jane
one morning, and, snatching up the
broom, she hurriedly gave chase.
Finding himself pursued, the puppy
at once released the Leghorn ROSTERS
tail, which he had been playfully shak-
ing to the great disgust of its owner,
and with bark of delight seized the
edge of Miss James homespun petit
coat which showed beneath The rim of
her dress, and shook it energetically.
The outraged Miss Peaslee in the
meantime beat right and left with her
broom, missing the culprit at each
lick, however, until thoroughly ex-
hausted she dropped her weapon on
the ground, whereupon Curly imme-
diatelJ seized it and scampered off |
with all his might.
Over the neat, gravely walk, over
the tidy border of blackberry lilies and
Iris yersi-color, round and round he |
whirled, dexterously avoiding the |
ayenging foe, until at last he espied |
Bonaparte, the big gray cat. leisurely |
taking his morning walk. Whereupon |
he at once dropped the broom and |
gave chase To the cat
Bonaparte fled up tree in great |
terror, and Miss Peaslee, Selling the
demoralized broom, made a sudden |
sortie on the dog. Curly, however,
discovering this rear attack in the |
nick of time, scuttled swiftly across
the yard and through the fence to his |
masters domain, where he immedi- |
ately unearthed half-gnawed bone
from its hiding place and proceeded to
solace himself Herewith.
"You had real nice play with him,
didn't youPa said Melancey, compla- |
Gently, looking up as her sister made |
her appearance.
play! The vicious beast chawed |
the broom to pieces an tore my skirts |
half off O. me. if you call that play,''
shifted Miss Jane wrathfully.
''Jane! janet What on airth is
this that dogs ben shakin' an wal
lopin' round in the dust?' cried Melan
cey few days later.
The dog was growing and shaking
some dark object fearfully.
After desperate struggle the sisters |
succeeded in rescuing all that re-
manned ola coat. A mans coat, OF |
fine, heavy, dark cloth, hopelessIy mu-
tiliated by the teeth and claws of the
frolicsome puppy.
Dear me, it's plum ruinedr' cried
Melancey. 1T must belong TO the ole /
bachelor an the dog has stole il. =
And she surveyed it regretfully, hold
my II up W lnt iiiiS-
',But-what's that?n
That was something that had
dropped out of one Of the pockets.
Jane seized it quickly. 1t was let
ter.
why, Melancey," she cried. breath
lessly tits directed to mel
And Jane opened it and read:
Ny DEAR Miss PEAsLEE: | never
popped the question in my life before. so /
don't know the proper way. But If Won
are W ling to be my wife Just say So an
III be the happiest man Ia Honey Locust I
Holler CALVIN CtYBRruI. tsi,sIi
Jane, Jane, don't fainti1' cried Me 1
lancey, alarmed, as her sister grew
first pale and then red
Il amt goin' to faint, declared
Jane. stoutly, But look. Melaneey. I
this letter Is dated five years ago, /
when we lived over to the hollow. /
What on airth does it mean?''
Give il to me- said Melencev