The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-03-13
[From the Hartford Times.l
SETTING THE sPEcKLED
HEN.
nY JENN1n poRrEn AnNoLD.

those who liked him most were forced TO au-
NIT that he was ''jest little Slow"
But to his wife he was far beyond the Sit
tie" AS she emphatically asserted, she was
as slow as molasses in January"
1t must have been one of natures strange
laws of attraction of opposites'' which
brought this couple together; for while I'm
Gle Joel was slow, plodding, dreamy, Aunt
Hannah was quick, energetic, ambitious-a
notable housekeeper, who could do the work
of two women, while others were planning
what to do: whose washing was on the line
of Monday morning, looking like riffs of
snow, long before most of her neighbors had
finished breakfast.
To her energetic nature, her husbands
Slow movements and lack of ambition were
thorns in the flesh not unworthy, perhaps,
to be compared with those of the Apostle
Paul.
The fifteen years more of life which Uncle
Joel had seen, and crippled limb-the re-
suit of an accident in boyhood-may have
had much to do with his lack of energy; but
more of it was nature, an inheritance from
his mother, an intensely religious woman,
who, the neighbors said, ''could work all day
in half bushel an never git out ont"
And Uncle Joers highest dream of happi-
ness was to sit in his arm chair by the south
windog in the spacious old kitchen and read
aloud to himself by the hour from the big
Bible lying in his lap, his low, droning mon
otone driving Aunt Hannah to the verge of
distraction.
Here, Joel, want pail O. water" she
called one morning when he was thus read
ing, and she was elbow deep in the tioury
mysteries of the bread bowl, "an' don't be
all day about it, I'm in hurry"
'Yis, yis Hannah" Uncle Joel remarked,
reading along softly, his finger following his
eyes over the page. "And they that wait on
the Lord shall renew their strength, they"
"An' they that wait on their wives shall
renew their youth, reckon" Aunt Hannah
interrupted sharply. ''Tm certain sure you'd
have't to be born agin afore you did it. Come,
git that water, I'm in hurry tell ye."
''Yis, Hannah, I'm a-coming."
"An' SOS Christmas, an it'll git here first,
1 reckon l wonder if there ever was another
SIGH slow mortal in this world"
And rubbing her hands free from the
dough, she caught up the pail and had drawn
the water and returned before Uncle Joel
had finished his all important chapter, and
rising slowly frem the chair limped across
the kitchen.
"Why, the pals full, Hannah" he said.
Full, of course it's FULL" Aunt Hannah
snapped. did We s'pose | was a-goin' t'wait
all day? l rather guess they'd be lot
work done in this house if body was to
wait for you"
But We shouldn't be in SIGH a hurry, Han
nah" Uncle Joel interposed mildly, "the
Lord took six days t'make the heavens and
the earth, an faint best t. try an do every
thing in minute
81 should think he took six years to make
day AFTERNOON jest at night. Yu'ye been be-
midland ever since We was born"
swell, well, Hannah, we won't quarrel
about it; everybody can't be so spry as you
be, an the race isn't allus to the swift"
But yen find the battlell be t. the strong
an right here in this kitchen, if We don't
stir yer stumps lively"
"But what shall do, Hannah?" and I'm
Gle Joel looked around in helpless bewilder-
ment
"Do? Why, just go out an set the old
speckled hen. I've told We to more'n a dozen
times. She'd had time t'set an hatch whilst
We was gettin' ready t. do it."
And Aunt Hannah catching up the first
thing that came handy, which proved to be
Uncle Joels old soft felt hat-proceeded to
fill it with eggs.
Here they be! an don't be all day about
it" she called, coming out of the pantry
holding the hat with both hands and depos-
iting it in the soft fluffy depths of the feath-
er cushion in the big rocking chair.
Hurrying back into the pantry she returned
to her baking, while Uncle Joel hunted
around for his hat and cane which were al
ways missing when needed
Good mornin', Miss Potter" came the
next moment to Aunt Hannah's ears as her
next door neighbor walked into the kitchen
without knocking and came to the pantry
door; 'busy as ever? What master hand
you be t'work! wonder if you ever stop
long enough t eat and Sleep"
swell, somebody's got t'work where there's
eight mouths tfeed an eight backs t'keep
clos on Aunt Hannah answered without
SbOppluS IL ulOiilt1U III lltI SllblllS u SuSdl
and measuring of flour for her cake.
'Did We hear what muss they had over
t Nose Pntter's last night?"
"No; what's up now? They're allus havin'
time there. l wonder how that woman
can be SIGH fool as t'live with SIGH a man."
$50 do l. But this time twas wusn any
O. their quarrels Didn't ye know bout the
fellers from Dobbs's factory comm up t.
tar and feather Mose?"
don't mean it
And Aunt Hannah stopped in her work of
breaking eggs to raise her hands in astonish
ment
do take cheer an set down, an take off
your bunnit," leading the way into the kitch-
en- and setting chair for her visitor.
"DO tell us all about it."
Aunt Hannah deposited her two hundred
pounds rather heavily on the soft feather
cushion of the huge rocking chair and COM
menced beating her eggs in amulberry crock
cry bowl,-she could not stop work even
long enough to crafty her curiarity-and
the two-tined steel fork, with which she was
doing the work, had not the efficiency of
modern egg beaten.
well, We see,' Mrs. Brown began, push
ing the huge framework of paste-board and
gingharn back from her face, "Moses wife
took her tailor work home yesterday an got
her money for it. Ye know Nose use t. car
ry it an he wouldn't let her hev the money
for t, jest spent jest's he'd minter an she
an the children had t. go hungry half O. the
time-for Nose neyer'd bring nothin' in t
speak on"
Il know tan I've told her time'n ag'in
she was a fool t. work so an let that lazy
lummox git holdo' her money!" said Aunt
Hannah, beating her eggs more briskly in
her Indignation. He'd set behind the stove
all last winter an sing the Lord'll pervide,'
an wouldn't lift his finger t pervide for his
younguns himself The hypercritr
"Well, We see" Mrs. Brown resumed, "she
lernt betternIt' let him carry home any work !;
so Yesterday she an Jane took a big bundle
out to the city, an when she got back Nose
told her t. give him the money, N she would
not do it. He was mighty high over it, an
threatened what he'd do if she didn't let him
have it-but she'd got her back up, N ye
know Sally's pretty kinder sOt when she sets
out t. be m Nose couldn't scare her with
cent. She Jest told him the money was