Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-08-13
"And he laughed little, and went on
exnlainin, that MandanY WheelOck'S COus-

"And he laughed little, and went on
explainin' that Mandany WheelOck's cous-
in, John Doane, was great friend of his,
and that he was comm through here on
business, and likely to stop over Sunday, he
wanted him to 60 and see Mandany. The
cousin wrote to Mandany about it, and
Mandany said she didn't dare to have come
if her stepfather was at home, because ne
got so down on young men (Which was true
enough, for Mandany was always having a
dozen strings to her bow, and the old man
was set on her marryin' Amasa Bemis, who
had land joinin' theirs. She was engaged
to Amasa but she was terrible fiighty, and
the latest conner was always the best liked
with her.) But she was to be at church,
and if her stepfather was away, he could
20 home with her, and he was to know her
by pink feather on her bonnet.
1.-THE stranger-his name was Hendrick
Dinsmore, he told 'em-explained it all,
laughin' away as if twas good joke; but
Prudence couldn't make light of it. She
had sensitive feelin's and she was awful
mortified.
"She sent the bonnetto Mandany by Tom
my Streadley, with message, sayin' she
had worn it by mistake, and she'd have
been glad to send the beau along, too, as
Mandany ordered, but Mr.. Dinsmore didn't
seem to be in a mite of any hurry to 60.
Prudence couldn't get up her spirits again
to talk much, and he was kind of absent
minded; but Mis- Halfway would talk to
a craven image if she once got to goin':
''He went away long about the middle
of the afternoon, and Prudence went right
upstairs and slicked her hair all out of the
crimps and drawed it back in tight little
knot, and put on her rusty old black alpaca
again.
she, when she went down. She'll never
try to turn into butterfly again.
"She tried to speak light, but there was
tears in her eyes.
''Mr. Dinsmore left town the next morn
ing, but 'twan't long before Prudence got a
letter from him; it seemed his views about
the workin's of Proverdence was jest like
mine. BY the time the letters had be-
gun to come thick and fast Prudence crimp-
ed her hair again-there, it's no use to make
a mystery about it they were married that
very next September, and Prudence wore
pink feather in her wedding bonnet. He
was rich; there was no more toilin' and
scrimpin' for Prudence; it was good to see
how her cares jest dropped off her; he was
the care-takin' kind; he didn't let any wind
blow rough on her; 'tisn't often that that
kind of woman gets such husband; them
that will bear the burdens has got to, gen.
orally. But self reliant woman enjoys
bein' taken care Of more'n lopsy woman
ever could!
''Prudence's husband gave John great
start in life, and he's considerable well off
now. He brings his family down here to
the old-place every summer. Mr.. Dins-
more fixed it up so'st their amt a farm
like it in town. Prudence always set q
sight by it.. They keep man and his wife
there all winter to take care of it, and along
in May they all come down. Those were
Prudence's children that you saw riding in
the donkey-wagon. Prudence don't look so
old now as she did when she was twenty
And old Mis- Hathaway has renewed her
youth. She likes livin' in the city, she's
SO fond of passin' and all that; and she
don't enjoy comm back near so we'll as the
young folks do. It's John that she's set by,
still she told ME, the other day, that she
didn't think Prudence would ever have got
such husband as she did if John hadn't
been so smart-appearn'!"