Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-04-03
When she saw him approaching she

dressed her, sne elther regarded the
sunset clouds in a fit of abstraction or
applied herself to her wedding in a very
frenzy of industry, and he was often
obliged to take his departure without
eliciting one syllable from her lips.
She always kept pins in her mouth.
1t was quite the fashion to do so
among the 'back folks" They all ate,
drank and slept with several of these
useful but dangerous articles under
their tongues; but n night, when
equipped for her garden work, she was
discovered employing a whole pincush.
ion between her small white teeth. and
the mistress Of the house regarded 'he1
with astonishment and alarm.
"Icibinda, aren't you afraid you will
swallow some of those pins?" she in.
quired.
ooh, lor, no; I sha'n't swaller any,
n I'm gittin' my mouth chock-full, SC
ct any fool comes m asks me to go tc
the circus with him to-morrer, 1 sham
answer him unawares," she replied,
speaking with aspasmodic effort. ..I'm
dretful tried by boldness."
The result of this experiment was
never known to the family, but it is
true that she and John Parker were
the only young people in the commun.
lty who did not attend the entertain.
ment which glorified one summer day
at Willow Falls. =
lime wore On. The columbines and
double buttercups and blue spider-worl
in lcibinda's flower bed had given
place to a crowd of Shower bios
SONS. There was a blaze of scarle
peoples and yellow marigolds, and
jostling each other with friendly ia
miliarity, airy colonies of lark.spur
roses of Sharon, lupines, bachelors
buttons, asters and spicy carnatior
pinks. The river had grown sleepy
forgetting its spring joyousness. III,
wheat was nearly ready for harvesting
filling the broad fields with waves o
%splendor. The corn ears were be
ginning to show their burnt-gclt
through the b!eached and bursting
husks.
Icibinda was evidently suited will
the ways of the household, for sh,
had never manifested the slightest in
tention of taking her departure, and
in spite of her somewhat severe rule,
the household regarded her as a treas
ure. Every nook and corner of the
house was white and fragrant with
neatpess. and in her constant upheav
ais in the way of cleaning she was
silent as fate. The food which sht
saw fit to provide was we'll cooked
and daintily as well as literally
served. Nothing was out of place,
and every branch of household labor
was performed with the greatest skill
1t is true, there was a mournfulnes.
about the tall tallow dips with which
she decreed the house should be light
ed, and in the sort of p%enitential fas
which she ordained should be kept or
Sunday, beginning with brown bread
and butter at cock-crow in the morn
ing, and ending with milk porridge a
quiet sunset.
There were also objections to break
fasting in the dimness of che dawn
The raw early taste of the air woulc
mingle with the rolls and coffee, an6
regrets for lost and broken dream:
made a dreary opening for the day
But there was nothing lax or capriciou!
in lcibinda's laws, SO there was moth.
ing to do but submit, and pray for res
ignation. Then, too, great embarrass
ments arose on account of her aversion
to company, which she invariably calico
"clutter." and a way she had of bolt
ing the doors upon'all strangers during
the absence of the family.
On one occasion the venerable aun,
of Mrs. Winsor, who had arrived unex
pectedly by stage, was discovered sit
ing upon her trunk in the door-yard,
gentle shower falling upon her unpro.
tected head, while Icibinda, who pro.
tested that she thought her q climatic
or somethin',"! was calmly regarding
her from the window. On another oc.
oasion. beholding the approach of the
Free-will Baptist minister one sultry
summer afternoon, she proceeded i'm.
mediately to slam the door, which was
open, in his face, and twitched hastily
down the window-shades. He took his
departure in deep wrath, and gave s
vivid account of his treatment to 8
neighbor. The mortified lady of the
house ventured to question her as tc
the why and wherefore OF this proceed.
ing.
why, yeou see," said she, 81 kneow.
ed by his cut that eff he got in he meant
tew stay tew supper, m l hedn't moth.
in jest fit tew set berfore the Gospil
My custards m biscuit were both
kinder poor; m then eff he'd "a got me
alone, he'd a asst me eff l was on the
Lords side, jest ez eff he was lee.
tioneerin' fur county sheriff, or some.
thin of tibet sort, m 1 might "a sarsed
him, fur it makes my grace dretful
weak tew be meddled with tibet way
Her own mother once sat a full half.
hour upon the door-steps before lei
binda could be induced to admit her
into the house, and even peddlers passed
by the gate with mournful reluctance.
She never smiled, she never sang, she
never spoke unless obliged to do so;
she never manifested either Joy OF
grief; she never glanced into the pages
of a book or yer the columns of the
village paper. But it was evident that
she had sometimes used her eyes to
good advantage. She knew the precise
haunts of the shyest birds in her native
woods, their note, their color, the very
marks upon their wings; she knew
where and how they built their nests;
and though she did not hesitate to be-
tray her contempt for what she evil
IDENTITY deemed his ..dretful shif'less