The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-09-11
"A WONDERFUL CURE"

at the window upon threatening Mon
day morning.
"That!" said Aurilla Ann. "Why
that's Mr.. Dorking Arranging out tn
clothes!"
"Mr. Dorking!" repeated Mrs. Get.
chey. "Why, where's Mariar?"
Her daughter-in-law, Aurilla Ann
indulged in a short, snorting laugh.
"Up stairs in bed, I calculate" sale
she.
"s1ck?" said Mrs. Getchey, in &C
cents of concern.
''No more'n I am !" said Aurilla Ann
shaking the table cloth out of the but
terry window, so that the long-legged
Brahma fowls might have the benefit O.
any stray crumbs which might be go
ing. Cranky, that's all. She always
was as odd as Dicks hat band"
"Eh?"
Mrs. Gretchey, Western woman,
was evidently unversed in local allu-
sions.
Don't you know ?" said Aurilla Ann,
with chuckle. Dicks t-band,
that went half way around, and tied in
the middle?"
ooh" said Mrs. Gretchey. "But
Mariar Dorking used to be as smart,
stirring a women as ever see."
"She's took notion t'other way, OF
late," said Aurilla Ann. "I declare, I
never in all my life felt as sorry as !
do for Daniel Dorking. He's dretful
peaceable, good tempered man, and
Mariar treats him real mean. He does
all the work of the house himself, even
to the washing and ironing, because
Marian chooses to fancy herself sick
and jest wish you could see the poor
mans shirts! Besides, there's the mill
to see arter, and the farm work, though
of course that last amt so heavy this
time O. year. But it's too much for one
man, let alone the worry Of it."
"Ain't they able to hire no help?" said
Mrs. Getchey. who had fallen back on
her knitting work.
"Why, of course they bel" Aurilla
Ann made answer. "But Marian won't
have no help about the house."
"That's rather hard on Daniel, amt
it?" said Mrs. Getchey.
"Well, should think so" replied her
sons wife, piling fresh knots of wood
under the wash boiler, preparatory to
her Mondays work.
While the neighbor who. unconscious
solicitude among the surrounding fami-
lies, hung out his last wet and Tapping
sheet, secured 1t by battered clothes
pin, and hastened, with blue nose and
frozen fingers, into the house.
"Maria!" he spoke up the stairway,
which wound around and around like q
wooden "Maria!"
"Well?" sighed a mournful voice.
"Shan't I make you little buttered
toast?"
II don't care for no buttered toast"
returned the funereal strains.
Cor fry ye an egg? Do try an egg,
Maria-with a shaving O bacon and
some coffeel Ye must eat. Maria, or
yell break down. For my sake, Maria,
eat something.
Only sigh was the response.
But Daniel Dorking made the coffee,
and fried the little slice of bacon, with
its accompanying eggs, speedily carry
S,,rv fha &r,v foi, xt-hn ho naI
the door by means of a gentle impetus
with his foot.
Maria occupied the best room in the
house, that was very evident. {,
A rag carpet, woven in gray maroon
and yellow strips, covered the floor; a
cheerful wood fire blazed in the Chin
ney the window was curtained with
Turkey red; and Mrs. Dorking, propped
up on pile of feather pillows, was
surrounded with variety of devotional
books, camrhor bottle, and fan.
"The washin' is all out, Maria" said
poor. little Mr.. Dorkin "and I've wiped
up the floor. and set the kettle of veg
etables back, where it'll simmer and not
burn. And now I'll just step over to
the flower mill.
"And leave me all alone, Daniel ?"
said his wife, lugubriously.
"The mill has got to be seen to, now
that Eliab johnson has gone on his we'd
ding-trip," said Dorking. "And man
can't be in two places at once, Maria, ye
know"
"Oh, we'll, it don't matter, said Mrs.
Dorking, with melancholy sniff.
I'm only poor creetur. I shan't both
er nobody very long"
"Hev little more bacon, Maria ?"
soothed her husband.
But Mrs. Dorking, who had already
eaton enough bacon for working man,
both the fried eggs, slice of breal and
butter, and drank about pint of coffee,
shook her head, and fell back on Her
vey's Meditations Among the Tombs." :"
II won't be gone long," said Daniel,
cheerfully. "And I'll fetch bit O