Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1885-08-29

~ON~-' NANNNN JN~5N NeeAANAA viz NNNSeNN
out of the stove when / heard some
one knock at the door.
l wiped the perspiration from my
face, and obeying thesummons found
myself face to face with Mrs. Gum
brel, the worst gossip in the county.
| felt like shutting the door in her
face, for l was sure that she had heard
the close, if not the whole of my lee
ture to jeremiah. / tried, however,
to act as if nothing unusual had oc-
Cured.
"Good morning, Mrs. JONES'" said
she.
"GOod morning, Mrs. Gumbrel,"
says l.
won't you come ~" says I.
eyes, I'll come in for minute or
tWo," says she.
"Will you take off your bonnet"
says I.
eyes," says she, "I'll take it off
while stay, for 1 can cool better
with it off,"
She took off her bonnet, and l knew
then she had something to commune
cate before she left, and / resigned
myself to endure her company until
she was ready to leave. l didn't
have to wait long, for she was anxious
to unburden her mind.
"Did you hear about the picnic ?"
says she.
"What picnic?" says 1.
"Why," says she, "Mrs. Brown is
going to have theyoung folks over in
their wood lot, next Thursday after
noon, to picnic"
"Well, says 1, eff there's anything
on earth that / hate and detest and
abominate and despise it's a picnic {;
but, Of course, the young folks won't
feel that way about it, so l must do
some cooking for Jacob and David"
49," says she, "your boys are not
to be invited"
elbow do you know that ?" says L.
"Why," says she, 81 heard Mrs.
Jinkins tell Mrs. Green, that she
heard Mrs. Brown tell Mrs. Skies
that she wasn't going to invite any
body but the most respectable fami-
lies, and she named several families
that she intended to leave out, and
your family was one of them"
was pretty well stirred up any
way, and didn't stop to think what
l was saying, so, says 1 "I'd like to
know what has made the Browns so
respectable all at once. Maybe my
boys are not as respectable as Browns
boys, but know that Jeremiah's IA
ther was never put in Jail for hog
stealing, and my mother wasn't a
washerwoman."
LA, Mrs. JONES'" says she, twas
Browns father put in Jail for hog
stealing, and was Mrs, Browns moth
er a washerwoman? Well, | declare!
l have never heard of that before,
but l always did think they was a
kind of low set, for all they put on
such big airs"
took thought then about what !
was saying so, says l, ~ didn't say
whether they were or not, 1 said
that mine and Jeremiah's wasn't
She started soon afterward and
struck bee line for Browns.
A few days afterward, jeremiah
came home in terrible state of anx.
iety. He said that Brown was threat.
ening to prosecute me for SANDER, be.
cause | had told Mrs. Gumbrel that
he used to steal hogs for a living,
while his wife took in washing.
"That all comes Of leaving gates
open, JEREMIAH" says I.
81 don't see what leaving gates
open has to do with your letting YOU
tongue run about business that DOM
concern you," says he.
"Well," says l, 81 was so worried
by the trouble that I wasn't response
ble."
jeremiah put on his hat and wen
out to the barn, and, for a wonder
shut the gate after him. sent thu
following note to Brown through the
pOstOffice:
"MR. BROwN-I'm not afraid O
your prosecution, but remember tina
you are a candidate for sheriff, and i
1 hear any more Of your CAB, I'll tel
all know about you"
l never received any reply to tina
note, and l suppose Brown musthav'
been guilty of some meanness that h,
thought l knew about, for 1 hearC
| .,OfhiVn, Y1oOra Of N