St. Landry democrat., 1888-01-14
here; she's a fustrate hand in sick

| 1t seemed hard to turn agin her an
break her O comm to our house an
nosin' round what didn't consarn her
'Twould ha' seemed so much like as eff
| I'd he'd ongrateful dispersishun an
| wusn't no hand to rec'llect past favers;
an of all failin's, preserve me from
that
| Wall, as time went by, Mrs. Postum
nose worked herself into our family
consarns more an more, an it seemed
like as eff | wus entirely helpless to
prevent it Cause why? She couldn' t
take no slight hint. an to come right
out an tell her in plain talk that /
could see through her game an that
her company wus a gettin' to be dis;-
greeable to me. l hedn't the grit.
Seth said to me. ses he:
''Why on airth don't you put a stop
to her peekin' an sneakin' an askin'
questions an maxim We tell what We
don't want her to know? Ye nights
well do it now, afore she's got We into
some trouble or other, cause she's a
mischief-maker that's plain to be seen,
an the only reason that she was so
neighborly when me an Johnny was
| sick is that she wanted chance to
make We beholden to her so that We
couldn't throw her off
| could see all that without Seth's
| pintin' it out to me, but as | said afore,
| | couldn't muster up the spunk to let
h0r I'm ~
dearly fer neighborly help an sympa-
thy that's been give her, that wum-
man wus me. Eff there wus unexpected
comp'ny come upon me, Mrs. Postum
nose must pop in along about supper
time to see how the tea-table was got
up; eff me an Seth he'd bin to town a
tradin', she must come in the fust thing
next mornin' to find out all about what
we'd bin buyin' an how much we d
paid fer it. Eff | hired wumman to
do days washin', my neighbor would
be sure to be on hand in the even'n, to
see eff the clothes looked clear an clean
and ask how much wages Ipaid her
Then she seemed to be mighty keen
on turnin' my friends agin me an me
agin them. She'd pint out their faults
and failin's to me an warn me agin
their doublefacedness. Eff I'd fly up
mad an take their part, she'd make
some sech speech as this:
''Wall, now, Mis- RawliGs, eff We amt
teehy! who'd thort it! I wus only
tellin' We as a true friend what I'd con
sidered it my duty fer to open yer eyes
to-"
To my old friends she'd say:
"'Twould be dom Mrs. Rawlins
kindness not to do no visitin' to her
house. What with her big family an
the churnin's an every thing to do. she
can't keep baked up and She S SO morti- |
fed eff she's ketched when her table
amt in apple pie order"
As her undetermined ways a tricks
showed palmer to my sight, / g, so | |
disliked her more an more. used to
fetch deep signs whenever see her a
comm towards the house. Seemed as
eff I'd give worlds to shake her off an
be free from her sneakin an peakin'
an tattlin', but twas as eff I couldn't
never find the right way nor time, bein'
materially ov timid dispersishun an
afraid to stand up fer myself.
But as the old sayin' is, there's end
to all things; an the end to Mrs. Pos
sumnose's mischief maxim to our
house warn't fur off.
A friend o Seth's fron'the city Came
a visitin' to our house. He warn't no
relation, but Seth he'd knowed him for
some time, an when he was to the city
last he'd gin him invite to come an
stay for few days.
This Mr.. Reynolds wus toll able
fine-lookin' man, though not by emmy
means what ye'd call han'su an he'd
city breedin' about him, that is. kind
o. easy polished way that sot MATERIAL
upon him an showed off to good adj
vantage. Besides he he'd sight o
book larnin,' Mr.. Reynolds he'd, an
amazin' pleasin' way O. talkin'.
Me an Seth enjoyed his company an
done all we could to make his stay
agree BILE to him.
The very night he got here Mrs. Pos
sumnose popped in purtendin' to be in
a dretful hurry; she he'd come to bor-
row my rollin' pin, she said, cause
she'd broke the handle off n hern She
followed me into the buttery, SOS to
see what I'd baked up. stopped to look
into the front room to see. Ell there
warn't a speck O. dust to be seen, an
out she scooted in hot haste, cause
Jest then Seth drew up; he'd bin to the ]
1eepo arter Mr.. Reynolds She
hey him see her for the world, /,
she said.
Wall, his visit come to end an the |
very AFTERNOON O. the day he left us, !
Mrs. Possumnose come yisitin' to our {
house. f.
Il want ye to tell me jest what kind
" q lookin' man Mr.. Reynolds is, = ses ,
The, the fust thing arter I'd took her {
Kings off to the bedroom an she'd |
got her log-cabin patchwork a-goin'. i
WAL, " SEES |, so kinder sly, cause I ,
owed to set her curiosity on edge, y
he's much the same lookin' as other
nrp ~, l. |