Iron County register., 1888-12-27

4
ity which Cap'n Sander assumed on
account of his marital experience was
| particularly offensive to him. He was
apt to retaliate by referring to the far
| wider and more important experiences
of man who, like him. possessed a
wooden leg. 1t was only his strong
| curiosity to know what was coming
which induced him on this occasion to
let such a remark pass unanswered.
''Seein' Caddy's my only child, and
the daughter of my old age. / don't ex-
pect but what my feelin's is different
and stronger than common; in fact I
know they be- can put UP with sor-
rers and Affections, but when it comes
to hevin' her feelin's hurt, seems as if
| twas more than / could stand; and
| when it's me that hurts 'em, why,
can't stand it, no matter how much of
wrastle have to go through with. )"
'.Land sakes! how have you been a.
| hurtin' of Caddy's feelin's? Has she
been a-wantin' the moon for a bosom
pin, and you hain't clim up and got it?
Folks does make fools of themselves
about their children, even the sensi-
blest is apt to: and there's Joe, my
nephew Joe. that's more to me than
most folks sons is to 'em-and sons is
more than daughters-it stands to
reason that they BEL don't expect
folks would b'lieve how near I've come
sometimes to maxim a fool of myself
about him. l guess there hain't no
| Dnnd of irs a1, no
hain't done for Caddy."
| i've give her real good eddica-
ton, and it wouldn't have made no
difference if I'd had to scrimp myself
ten times as mnch to do it; 'twa'n't
never nOthin' but a pleasure to think l
was goin' without so's't she could have
more. And she hadn't no need to keep
school 'thout she was mind to.
wanted to keep her to home, only twas
so kind of dull for her with her aunt
M'randy's tic-deloroo and all. Some
times I've been sorry she ever did go
over there to Pinkham. She was al
ways sensertive, Caddy was; and now
she seems to feel every thing about us
and our ways that amt jest what
they'd ought to be more'n what she
used to. And there's some friends
Thanksgivin' time, expect. There's
a doctor that she's wrote about con-
| id'able-"
''Tve been expectin' that nobody
here to Plumport wouldn't be good
enough for her." said Cap'n Laban.
"'Twould have suited me if she and
Joe had fixed it up betwixt 'em; 'twould
have suited me frst-rate, said Cap'n
Sander. with sigh.
81 don't calc'late that Joe will have
| to go a-beggin' for wife," said Cap'n
Laban. "But I've always set by Caddy,
and that's a fact" he added. more
gently. '.If there ever was a hand to
read you the news out of a paper -"
"Ain't she now?" exclaimed Caddy's
father, his care-worn face brighten
| ing. .'Seems as if she clapped her
eyes right on to it, and never made a
miss, while l might be searchin' and
searchin'. That's eddication-and
mater too. She jest like Clrissy."
Cap'n Laban uttered an audible sniff,
| trying. however, with better prompt
ing, to repress it. He had never ap-
proved of Cl'rissy. She was a self
reliant and opinionated spinster who
had married Cap'n Sander (that was
the way in which his friends put it)
wher he was past fifty. She had
achieved the reputation of keeping
the gentle captain well under her
thumb; she held strong views as to the
duty of husbands to stay at home even
ings, and his old companions were
quite deprived of the captains society.
| When she died, five years after her
marriage, Cap'n Sander was inconsol-
able, and every year had added Writ
ues to her memory, until now there
| was no grace possible to humanity
which he did not attribute to Cl'rissy,
Cap'n Laban had scanty patience with
these illusions, but he had never but
once permitted himself to go beyond a
sniff by way of remonstrance. On the
single occasion when he had frankly
| expressed a scepticism concerning
Crrissy's perfections, the grieved as
tonishment on his friends face touched
even Cap'n Laban's tough old heart
| "Caddy is sensertive about consid'a
Bile many things pursued Cap'n San
| der, .but seems as if her most senser-
tive p'nt was grammar"
"GrdD,marn echoed Cap'n Laban,
in bewildered tone.
1T puts her out that don't speak
erect. 1t moterfies her afore folks. 1t
seems hard enouph that I haiD't pOt
riches for her, as she'd ought to have,
'ithout morterfyin' her afore folks.
She don't say much, for fear of hurtin'
my feelin's, but can see jest how she
| feels, and it's more'n l can stand. So,
Laban, know jest what wrastle
it's goin' to be, but Pm goin' to learn
grammar"
Cap'n Laban was evidently the prey
of an astonishment too deep for words.
..You must be a-failin', 'Sander-you
surely must be a-failin'. Grammar!
What good in mater is grammar goin'
to do We? Are We goin' to school long
| of the youngsters, and recite what is
nouns and verbs to the scl,uol-marm?"
I'D do that if couldn't learn no
other way; there amt nothin' /
wouldn't do, Laban. What I'm afraid
of is that can't get hold Of grammar
nohow. bein' so kind of slow and for
! getful. Caddy she's told me ought to
say isn't instead of amt as much as
thousand times, but yet l keep a-say1n'
amt And when you mean there amt
| nothin' you'd ought to say Jest contr'y-