The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1886-07-30
MIS- HITS HUSBANDS.

The young schoolmaster who presided during
| the spring term over the seventeen barefootee
! children of district No 10, East Centrevllle
| Johnson county, did not find the social element
| of the neighborhood congenial. There was nc
| lack of society and social gayeties. The school
master had attended a surprise party, warm
sugar party and "socabe" during the first
week of his residence in district No 10; be had
been stared at by red-handed, hair-oied,
tongue. tied youths; danced several Virginia
reels to the tune of "Pop Goes the Weasel, y
rendered on shrieklng fiddle or hoalse me-
odeou been kissed by scores of buxom girls
| IN innumerable osculatory games; and had
since RETAINED from East Centrevile festivities
| with sternness which had been looked upon
| as "stuck-up," and which may, indeed, have
been due in some degree to that complacent self
estimate in which young schcolmasters are not
usually deficient.
He was fond of entertainment, however, and
being thus thrown back upon himself, its
chances seemed small. The comfortable old
couple who boarded him were meek, industri-
GUS, deserving and commonplace, and he was
not hopeful of discovering anything more ex-
citing in district No 10. He was reused to
mild interest, therefore, when he found the
"settin room" one morning in the possession
of an odd and somewhat startling old woman.
She was whitewashing the ceiling. She stood
on top of step ladder and covered its cracked
and yellowish surface with long strokes of her
stubby brush. She wore bright new calico
dress with short skirt, which exposed her
heavy masculine boots. Her hair, which was
gray and scanty, was drawn back over frequent
patches of badness and fastened in candid
knot of the size of hickory nut. Her face
was brown ana wrinkled, with brigh eyes and
she held pipe between her lips.
The schoomaster inquired concerning her as
he sugared his lettuce at the breakfast table;
sugar AMI vinegar were the approved salad
dressing at East Centreville.
"Thats Mis- Hitt," his hostess reioined.
"She kind of jobs round-lays carpet and
Yhitewashes and papers and helps house-clean"
in times. She's master-band, Mis- Hit is"
"Miss Hitt-she is unmarried, then" said
the schoomaster.
"Law!" the Old lady responded, while faint
blush stole into her faded cheeks; "she's ben
MARI ed four times. Hit" she added, scrupu-
lousy, "want her last husband; but we didn't
never git into the way O calm her Mis- Doty
1t don't make no odds, US l know of-Doty,
he's dead"
A week laer, the schoolmaster, who had con-
ceived liking for the outdoor aspects of dis
t-ict No 10, wandering in the dusk of the ever
ing through an empty pasture lot which copious
spring rains had developed into swamp, came
suddenly upon small, red, wooden building
set INTO corner of the pasture and backed by
a piece of woods. Its unstable appearance
produced by the piles of stones upon which Its
four corners rested and its several props, made
it obvious that i, had been moved hither from
Its native spot, where it might have been corn
or hen house. In d chair in the open doorway,
leaning forward on her elbows and smoking
was Mis- Hit.
The schoolmaster went nearer and raised uis
hat. The old woman took her pipe from her
mouth and eyed him with fleeing suspicion;
then she got up and showed her chair back, nos
pitably. The schoolmaster stepped inside anu
sat down on an anonymous object near the
door. while his entertainer lighted her lamp.
Ifs light showed cramped interior of one
room. The walls were covered with newspa-
oers. tackled up; an unreasonable stove retained
ts nosition for lack of other refuge. There
we're few attempts at adornlnent, which the
hardened fingers and belated tastes of the in.
ventor had not served to render successful |
The scboolmaster's seat proved to be a nsikeg, |
whose hardness was not helped by its friil OF
brown cambnc.
Mis- Hit, from the one chair of the room, |
lacked at her caller over her pipe with no visi- |
bic curiosity.
.sSaw We t'other day, she observed. "Teach- |
n here, amt We 2 And when the schoolinas-
er assented relapsee into silence with nod.
"You are pleasantly situated" the school,
master veutupd, lookis s out somewhat doubt
ully over the pasture lot
81 don't knows be-" aid Mis- Hit, apa-
hetieally. II git along"
The scboolmasteJmadea second and holder at
empt. 81 have received news ofthe death of-of
IN aunt" lie remarked. at is exceedingly sad
% lose ones friends, is il not I But perhaps
very possiby-you have had no experience of
be sort Z"
Mis- Hit removed her pipe, with face
wholly unsuspicious. Her eyes shone IN its
iarkened and withered surface with a suddenly
increased brightness.
1--WE luried four husbands, she said. Her