The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-11-05

against Iettin' Johns folks have it, and
Johns folks against Abijah's, and they
say that banks burst up and railroad
stocks are risky, and I'll end by bein' on
the town. never heard ANYTHING about
my bein' in danger OF comm on to the
town before. l put my sayin's in an old
stockin' between my beds, and WANT be-
holden to anybody for advice nor any,
thing. / tell you, Mis- Bemis, there amt
mite of comfort in riches to them that's
got nobody but themselves to do for. Now,
I've been wantin' a good black silk for a
long spell, and I've been layin' by a little
here and little there, and 1ottin' on get
TIM it before long, and I've enjoyed think
in's about it jest as much as IL l had it;
and now that comfort is all took away.
can 20 and buy one right out, and don't
N-ns.6 it. And only see what trouble I've
got into about marryin.' 1 can't eat my
victU1lS and / don't enjoy my meet'n'
privlIpges, and don't even care much
about knowin' what's gOin' on. The Bible
says rich folks have got 20 go through the
eye of a needle before they can get into the
Kingdom of Heaven, and seems Jest as if
that was what / was a-doin.'"
Il don't think that's jest the way it
reads, Mirandy; but if it's a consolin' idee
TO you"
81 hain't any too much consolation, and
that's a fact. But it does seem real good
to be here; and if you'll jest send one of
the boys after my things I'll stay. Hooked
up and left NV bag on the back doors step"
The poor mistress confided to old lady
Peaseley that there wasn't as much salts
faction in havin' Mirandy as if she hadn't
got proputty, even if she didn't seem to
feel it none; she couldn't help feelin' as if
the minister IN his wife had come to tea"
and she opened the best room, with all its
glories of hair cloth furniture, preserved
funeral wreaths, and shell Bunker Hill
Monument, and had the spare chamber
swept and garnished. The poor-ho was
certainly a good place in which to get
"chippered up" There We're few happier
households in the country; there was not
one where jollity reigned as it did there.
From Captain Hezekiah Butterfeld,
generally known as Cap'n 'Kiah, an
octogenarian who was regarded as an
oracle, down to Tready Morgan, a half
witted orphan, the inmates of the poor
house had an enjoyment of living astonish-
ing to behold. 1t had been limited at town
meeting that the keeper of the poor-farm
was "leetle mite too generous and easy
going" especially as he insisted upon
furnishing the paupers with 'store" tea
and coffee, whereas his predecessor, Hiram
Judkins, had made them drink bavberry
tea, refreshment which old Mrs. Gerald,
pauper whose wits were wandering, and
who was Familiarity known as Marin
Bony," because she cherished a conviction
that she was the empress Josephine, de-
clared was mo more consolin' than meadow
hay"
Seth Bemis and his wife made the farm
pay; so the town voted to wink at the
store-tea. And they suited the paupers
which was even more difficult than to suit
the town officers.
Miranda's arrival had created quite an
excitement among the inmates of the poor
house. They had all heard that she had
fallen heir to almost ten thousand dollars,
and there was curiosity to see how she
would comport herself under this great
accession OF fortune,
Miranda stoutly resisted the charms of
the best room, and sat down with the
paupers in the great kitchen after supper
For the spare chamber she showed some
weakness, for the little back chamber
which she usually occupied during her
visits to the poor farm was next the DIV
Cowden's room, and Oily had a way of
wrapping on her wall in the dead of the
night for somebody to bring her a roasted
onion to avert a peculiarly bad dream to
which she was subject, and the next room
on the other side was occupied by 10
BriscOe, who had a habit of playing on his
violin at most unseemly hours, and, as poor
Joe had come through terrible shipwreck,
in which he had lost, bv freezing, both
his feet and several of his fingers, which
latter loss made it wonderful that he could
play at all, nobody had the heart to inter
fere with the consolation which ''Fisher'S
Hornpipe" and 1.-The Girl l left behind
me" afforded him at three O'Clock in the
morning, -nobody, that is except "Marm
Bony," whose room was on the other side
of the corridor, and who took Joe's per-
formances as a serenade, and gently
insinuated to him that, as Napoleon was
still living, she might be compromised by
such tributes TO her charms. Although |
she was anxious not to accept any privi-
leges on account of her wealth, Miranda
thought she would occupy the spare
chamber.
The paupers were all disposed to keep
holiday in MirandR's honor. Old Cap'n |
Kiah had donned q collar so high that it
sawed agonizingly upon his ears, little DR..
Pingree, a peddler of roots and herbs, who
was occasionally obliged to seek winter
quarters at the poor-houSe, wore a black
latin vest brocaded with huge blue roses,
which had appeared at his wedding forty
years before, and "Marm BonV" had
adorned herself with a skinny satin skirt |
and three peacock feathers standing up
right in Der little knob of back hair. And
10 BrscOe was tuning his violin, evidently
in preparation for an unusual effort.
A vague idea that Miranda had arrived
at great honor had penetrated poor Marin
Bony's" bewildered brain, and fancy
suddenly seized her that Miranda was the
inscriptions Marie Louise who had sup
planted her as Napoleon's wife, and she
hobbled out of the room in great agitation
and wrath, her peacock-feath waving
wildly in the air. She returned in a few |
minutes, however, and whispered to Mi |
randa that, ''as Napoleon WANT just what |
he'd ought to be anyway, mebbe they'd |
better make up" To which proposition |
Miranda assented gravely, holding the |
wrickled, trembling old hand tenderly in |
hers. |
Cap'n Kiah felt it incumbent upon him |
to lead the conversation, being modestly |
conscious of his social gifts.
He had been u ship owner, and very |
we'll do, until in his old age he was |
robbed of all his property by younger |
brother whom he had brought up and |
cared for as a son. But the old man had |
brought to this low level of society to |
which he had sunk a cheerful philosophy |
and grim humor for which many a sue |
cessful man might well have given all his |
possessions.
"Rich and poor, there's is a sight of hu- |
man mater about us all, though there amt |
no use denyin' that some has more than |
Others" remarked Cap'n 'Kiah, senten- |
tiously. "And whether riches or poverty |
brings it out the strongest it's hard tell |
i'm"
"I've always thought / might never |
have found out that had medicle tarlunt |
if I'd been rich" said DIR. Pingree, medi- |
tatiyely. The little man had taken up |
doctOrin' out of his own head" as he ex- |
pressed it, after finding that shoemaking |
and tin peddling did not satisfy his amhi- |
ton, and was the inventor and sole pro-
prietor of an infallible medicine, known as
the Universal Pain Exterminator." The |
jokers dubbed it Health DETERMINATION"
but all Welby took it-they must take
something in the spring-and the little
doctor, who had a soul far above thoughts !
OF Sordld gain, never expected to be paid /
for it, which made it very popular 1t
couldn't kill one, being made of simplest
roots and herbs; and if one should be cured
how very pleasant il would be to think