The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1888-02-09
THE PRESENT MRS. CRIME.

Are these: 1--WE may be iriends!'
THE PRESENT MRS. CRIME.
1t amt every man that has a chance
to see the worst side of his wife's char
acter afore marriage and the sweetness
after. But bein' tinman. with as
good an outfit as travels a New Eng
land road, bilers, pans, brooms, tea
kettles, an all sorts % nicknacks,
bein' included, get a pretty good back
view of what learned folks call so.
ciety. An it was about O. follerin'
my trade in this fashion that l first
saw the present Mrs. Crime.
She was at the washtub, an the suds
was flying for all they was wuth. She
looked pretty, too, though you might
not think it from the work she was
at, for she had red hair and the water
he'd made it curl around her forehead,
an the rubbin' he'd made her cheeks
rosy, an somethin' I'll tell of when l
get to it he'd made her eyes snap.
1t was one of those big houses in a
suburb she was doin' work at as third
girl, to help the old folks back on the
farm. She could a-gone into mill to
work, but somehow she didn't take so
kindly to mill work, she told me after
wards, as she did to housework, even
if housework was more druggin' and
coninin'.
The back yard to this place was
green sort O. place, with lotso O. bushes
an trees atore you got in full sight
O. the kitchen door, an when I'd got
where was pretty near q good view
O. the premises, an afore I could get
another sight O. the little woman at
the tub, I heard somebody say, with
lots O. solid meanin' in the tones:
"You do that again, an Til do
something more than talk-now
mind!"
Istepped out in full view o. matters,
an there little mite o. rigged up
babyhood was spilln' dirt into the
washtub.
1t was an aggrevatin' thing, an l
know jest how that little woman felt.
There she was a working away for
dear life-for it was late an l could
see there was still a big pile O. clothes
unwashed-an' that little wretch a
grinnin' an THROWN in fists full o.
dirt. I Jest wondered what'ed hap
pen.
As I kept comm nearer the house,
the young rascal ran out for another
handful, an with a face at me skipped
back lively as a cricket, anticipatin',
no doubt, the fun of more scoldin'.
But he missed his calculations. He
hadn't no more than put his inverted
body close to the tub than the little
woman he'd been tormentin' just
swooped down on him easy and swift
like, an without a mite O. fuss landed
him plump in the suds-slippers, vel
vet, dirt an all! While you could
count perhaps five she held him there
bleached out little sinner, too com.
pletely knocked out O. his reckonin'
to even cry. Then she set him, all
drippin' like drowned rat, on the
floor. an held him fast by the shoul-
ders.
"You've done that times enough"
she said. with grain O. temper that
Hound it easy to forgive, "an' no one
has stopped you. Now I've taken
you in hand. an we'll see what'll
come Of it. Go tell your mother, an
tell her I'm ready to give her an ex-
nj tinn Nnu vo,, oot'S
With q howl that would have done
credit to Fiji Islander, the soaked
torment started, an his self consti-
tuted dlscipliner went to rubin, fast
and furious, as if she had still some
thing to work OFF.
In spite of the temper, should hev
liked to give her a hearty hand shake,
but I knew enough about suburb
folks an their relations to their girls
to know such a proceedin' wouldn't
be prudent; it wouldn't help the girl q
mite, so jest travelled back the way
he'd come, without q word about
bilers Or ANYTHING else. 1 felt pretty
sure the fewer spectators to the scene
that would follow, when that young
ster's mother came down stairs the
better.
The folks in the kitchen had seen
me, but knew at least one OF them
would be more comfortobier if left,
an wouldn't lay up agin me any
leavin' out O. manners. But made
it in my way to call around there an
see if they had any rags or old paper
they wanted to swap for tinware.
The third girl wasn't there, only the
second girl ironin' subdued like at q
table. She said they didn't trade
with peddlers-they bought all their
tin things down to the store. Then
looked round careless, and asked
where the other girl was, but at that
she looked scared an said she didn't
know. she'd been discharged an NO
one knew where shed gone.
| was mighty sorry at that, for I'd
admired that plucky dousin'. in spite
OF the bit O. temper. Well, l said
goodby to the second girl an travelled
back to my cart.
For more than two months tangled
round on my tin cart, maxim good
bargains an swellin' my bank account |
q few dollars each week. always was
of a thrifty turn, an it come easy to |
lay by somethin.' SO lido not speak OF
it to make credit, only as fact. /
thought lots about the washin' day
an wondered what the two women
he'd said when the young torment he'd
told his ma. Ialways smiled when
thought on it, because was pretty |
sure the mistress didn't get the best Of
it in words anyhow. An somehow,
between you and me, mistresses could
have deal Of plain speakin' done to |
EN- without havin' more'n their share.
But one afternoon / drove into q
farmyard an come near runnin' smash |
into another tin peddler establish
ment that he'd got there ahead OF me.
With due respect for the feller's rights, |