Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-10-26
A WIFE FOR AN HOUR.

''I'm not much on love tales, said
Plunkett, as he took his seat by the
side Of his old oman, as he calls her;
''for I never had no foolishness when
1 was a eourtin, and lean prove that
by the old oman herself
q warn't so easy. got as you'd
make out, spoke up the wife of
Plunkett, as she run a knitting needle
back of her ear and laid the unfinished
sock on her lap.
IN tell you, . resumed the old man,
as a smiled played over his face, s'she
was kind o. independent like in our
courtin' days, and begin ter think
once that size Warn't gwine ter have
me at all, and got tired foolin' with
her, for there was another girl in the
settlement that knOwed would have
me at the drop O. a hat, and had
just about made up my mind that
warn t a gwine to wear marry mother
pair o shoes out runnin' after girls
fore 1 got married, and so one Sun
day as L went home with the old
oman here from singin' she seed I
was a little drawer than common be
fore we got Outen sight o. themeetin'
house, and she begin to kind o. pOut
ike, and L lowed, I did. Now I
want this thing settled
''She didn't say nOthin', and we
just walked along the road silent,
and I seed the foot-lOg in frontabOu5
two hundred yards off, andI thought
ter myself, Now, 'ssOon IS git across
that foot-log III make her pint the
day, or I'll know the reason WHY
When we got ter the foot-log I took
her hand ter help her across, and I
no sooner. got a hold O. her hand
than all my brave feelings were gone,
and begin ter tell her about how
much L thought o. her, and was list IS.
humble s a dog. She seed she had
me; and pretty soon she ierked her
hand away and begin ter pout agin,
and we walked along s silent s a
graveyard for about q quarter
o. a mile; but every once and
awhile could see her cut her eve
from under her bonnet at me, and I
begin ter decide that she was kind o.
maxim fun O. me, and L got drawer
than she had ever seed me up ter
that time, and l lowed:
" Mary, you see yOndPr big pine
tree alongside o. the rOad?'
g Yes, Bob, said she.
" Well, Mary said 1, if you don't
say you'll marry me fore we pass
that tree III never fool with you
agin.
She didn't say a word, and we
walked along some little piece, and I /
was studyin' all the time about some
thin ter say ter her, but my throat /
chOked up and IcOuldn't saga word /
till 1 caught her smilin', and then Z /
lowed:
3" If you don't want ter say nOthin /
you can jist give me your hand and ] /
viii take that as yes, but if we pass /
that tree I'm gone and gone forever
''She seed L was in earnest, but she .
didn't let on, and we walked along /
side by side till we got pretty close /
ter the tree, and thinks L ter myself, /
I'm a gOner, and 1 begin ter think
about the other girl.
eve had gone along till we were in
ten steps o. the big tree, and 1 had /
give it up, when all GA sudden I seed |
Mary pull her bonnet down and look
the other way from me, and then 1
knOW'd 1 was q gOner, for t warn't
more n three steps ter the tree; but
iist then she begin ter jab her hand
Outiu front o me quick, and nervous
" hOldin' her bonnet over her face
with the other hand, and looking the
other way. 1 stopped for L knOW'd
what she meant, and 1 took hold O
that hand and held it till she looked
around at me, and then 1 pushed her
bonnet back and's she looked up at
me I stopped and kissed her. We've
been married now gOin' on fifty-three
years, and l have never been sorry
and 1 hope she has not, -
"YOu don't waste much time telliE'
me o. your love these days, though, y
said the old lady as she took the
knitting needle from behind her ear
and resumed her knitting,
FBut what I was gOin' ter tell you
about, said PIunkett, without tax
liz LOlACE III LIS W ne , ICAl-Ct4 M tlS
the oman shat you seed pass along
the road awhile ago.
''4Nhen the war broke out that was
as pretty and rOsy-cheezed girl as
you ever seed, and she had more
farming than any other girl in these
parts. She was the daughter o q
fine old widow lady and had four
brothers. Shewasj istp 6ssin' through
her cOurtin' days when Georgia Sc
ceded, and t was narrated around