Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1885-04-22
DAVID.
A Little Queer, but Good Withal-
His Many Courtships.

a Little queer, but GOOD Wltnal-
His Many Courtships.
That's David, said Uncle Reuben, as
we drove by cluster of fishermen
shanties, that's him asserting there, an
he allus sets that way, David does, as Of
he was lookin at suthin' that's comm
in from the sea, when there's nothin' to
look at, not even a lobster booy. There
amt nothin' han some about David but
his smile; you'll see it when he looks
aroun' this way. He's got pleasant
eye, and teeth as white as hounds,
nm when he looks at you David allus
smiles, an when he does, he smiles all
over; now, don't hc?-therc.
Mornin', David, how-dy?
David's queer; there 5 streak o.
quecrness in the famerly, an when il
don crop out in one place twill in anoth-
or. He's straight enough in his head;
he's honest, an tidy, an industrious,
an kindly disposed, an alters dom
some one good turn, though he's a
trifle near in money matters as the
ole man was, an is alters lodging ques-
tons.
Nobody ever got David to say 'yes''
or "no.' Ask him if he got a good
catch o'iish to-day, an he'll say "tolla-
bly, middlin';" ask him il he's goin' out
to his lobster-pots, an he'll say, "Jest
as like rs mott ask him if its goin' TO
be fair weather, an he'll cast his eve
around while an then answer "meb-
be-" Nobody ever got to the wind ard
o. David, askin' questions. He's bin a
witness in two lawsuits, an the hull court
couldn't fetched n direct answer from
him, not ef it was the dawn o. Judgment
day.
David was fifty-two years old before
he begun to talk o. gettin' married, an
he's made fool of himself about tho
women ever since. 1t broke out all on
sudden two winters ago. He never
spoke much with women, an never
visited any, but was alters n trinc shy,
hangin' his head i'm bashful sort o. way,
an kecpin' his words to himself when
women folks was around. But he
spruccd up all to wunst, begun to shave
his beard an 60 to meetin'.
Then he begun to talk o. gettin' mar
ried, an folks they begun to laugh.
He's a likely enough sort o. man,
David is, an he's nice house where he
lives all alone by himself, with his old
mother to do the cookin'; besides one OF
the best farms in the township, an quite
piece o. money he's saved up from
farmin' an fishin', an from what the
old man left; but somehow there amt a
woman in the county who'll have David,
though he's safe, an stiddy, an kindly,
an all that.
He's proposed to dozen or so of old
maids, David has, but they've all gin
him the mitten. He's shy o. widdcrs
an young girls, David is, an mebbc
that's why he's had such bad luck
courtin'. Widdcrs, he says, is apt to be
contrary an set in their ways; young
girls is too hity-tity an spend too much
on dresses an ribbons, but old maids,
he says, is sort o. willin' an easy to
please.
David might o. married easy rs not
years ago, for he was as likely young
man as there was in the county, an his
folks was alters forchandcd; but the old
man was terror to women, an David
alters lived to home. Money was the
old mans god, an he never cir himself
nor his family no comforts an no pleas.
ure. He never did nothin' but figure
out the easiest way to get rich, an he
had tollabul luck at it, David is a good
deal that way himself, an is anxious to
accumulate, but he'd give any woman
good home eff he'd get one to marry
him.
Stinginess come material to David, an
be couldn't no more help bein' neal
han he could change the shape of hi.
Rose, which is just like the old mans al
over. Twas David's father that an OLD
story's told about. 1t want true, bu
might rs well been. He was so mean
they say, that he didn't feed his chill
dren nothin' but potatoes, an they GO
30 sick o. potatoes that their mouth,
wouldn't open to 'em any more. They'G
q starved to death but for the old mans
holdin' up piece o. meat an motionin
with it Jest as if he was goin' to feed i
to 'em, but when their mouths ID oper
he'd shove in a lot of potato instead.
He paid David's mother-shc that !,
Twin still-nine shillin's week wage,
after they was married Jest the same a,
before, an alters locked her when sh,
was sick an want able to work. Sh,
was his hired help before marryin' him
you know, an might as we'll a beer
after so far as betterin' her condition
went, for she was Independent when sh'
was single an could a. left him, bu
after they was married she want.
never heerd o. her complainin', al
though she had to put up with goot
deal from the old man, an most peopl,
wouldn't stood 1t, but she neve
murmured, an when he died sh,
showed genuine sorrow. Mebbe IL he,
died in bed she wouldn't took on so
but the way il was went hard with her
an was an awful shock to her nerves
David didn't take on much though.
The old man was hard master, an
his famerly was his slaves. 1t was hi
raspin' way that shattered Woodbur,
most folks thinks, an its n wonder Il
all the neighbors that David an the ole
woman stood it as long as they did.
He'd one daughter, an she died afte
she'd been married year or so. He
husban' brought her body to the oil,
family buryin' ground to find it's rest
in place, an when they come to cover
in of IL there want no lid to the coffin
box. The old man went to the bari
an pulled out an old hemlock boar
that had laid there no one knows how
long, an by little sawin' an chopin
twas made to fit. He charged his son
in-law nineteen cents for that board
the old man did, an made him pay II
too-nineteen cents for the board tina