The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-11-27

I was in the garden digin' fall taters,
an singin' as loud as my cracked voice
will go,
"Happy day! Happy dayl"
I heard the dog bark an looked down
the road, an seed somebody cumin'. Now
that is enuf to skeer anybody most to
death, situated as I was-barefooted a.
digin' taters. I have got sum pride, an
1 thought I had better call Josh. CThat
is my c~ompanion.) So I called, "Josh!
0 Joshr"
Land sakes! that man is as deef'as a
post; he never hears nuthin' until long
after my voise has gone the full round of
the San Jacinto mountings, an back agin.
Then Josh ginnerally Gums out an sez
kinder soft like, "Did you speak to me,
Samantha 2"
"Yes, 1 did," sez 1. "I spoke long
enuf an loud enuf to wake up the dead
in Egypt. Who in the name of wonder
is that a-comin' down the road"
Josh put up his hand to shade his eyes
an: looked in the direction I pinted, an
finally, after about ten minits, he looked
around kinder bewildered like an said:
81 don't know, unless it is brother Ike
an Tabitha Ann"
Wall, I tell you that sot me to bilein'
inside.
"Brother Ike an Tabitha Ann indeedl"
sez L. "They incident cum here, for one
of the Crabtree tribe is as much as l bar
gained fur to onest." But they did cum,
an they stayed fur a hull month.
Wall, as | wus a-sayin', here cum
Tabitha Ann an her pap, an I knowed I
wus in fur it, so ] marched boldly to the
frunt an made the best of it. Josh tuck
his old hat IN pipe an red bandanner an
skulked off to the stable, fur he scented a
storm brewin' an he knowed it would be
a heap healthier atmosfere at the barn
than the house, Josh has not lived so
many years with MT fur nuthin'.
I went out an met 'em, an you ort to
have seed Tabitha Ann, how she was
dressed up. Her nav has lately had an
ant to die an leave her sum money, an
she had Tabitha Ann dressed up to kill.
Bless your heart! she must a give as much
as Is cents a yard fur her dress. I can't
say the dress was becomin' to her, fur she
is dark-complected, with black hair an
eyes, an dark skin, an she tans just like
a molatter. Her dress was a dark-blue,
trimmed with some wine-colored bows.
Her hat was a kind of brownish color,
trimmed with green ribbon and pink
flowers onto it. She had on a pair of
yaller kid gloves a mile too big fur her
hands, an the Lord knows they air big
enuf, fur she has always had to work.
Not but what [ think it right fur a girl to
work, oh, no, far be l from sayin' a word
again that. When I was a girl, things
was diffrunt from what they be at the
present time. Girls dident sit around or
swing in hammocks a readin' of novils
an SIGH. They had to help thir maws to
sew an knit, an mend, an had to bake
bread an pies an cakes, an max. sum-
thin of themselves; an no mat,,r what
ever happened to 'em in life, they knowed
how to be useful and help themselves if
they had to. What is to. become of the
girl of the period is hard to tell.
Wall, to resoom my story. Tabitha
Ann was dressed up to kill. Who she
was to kill, l was to find out later. Ike,
he looked worn an tired, an | pitied
him. He is a kind of a pewney, meek,
hen-pecked sort of a man, with not a
might of will of his own. Tabitha Ann
and her NAV do make things awful ruffled
up fur him. He is a poor excuse fur a
man. But then [ have hern it said, "a
poor excus is better than none" Yes.
he is a little better than none, that is true.
He can saw wood and hunt hens nests
when they lay out in the brush an weeds
an a lot of SIGH odd jobs.
"Wall," sez I, chow dee do, Tabitha
Ann? an how be you, Isaac? I hope I
see you we'll. An how did you leave
Sally an the children ?" q always call
Tahifho A nn'C Sol- I,+ - $1,000
is Sarah.)
"They are all well, thankee," seq he.
~ hope you and Josh is WELL"
"Iscan't speak for JOSH" sez I. Josh
is always too tired to work an I hate to
call it lazyness, so 1 let him speak fur his
self an then / liant got the sin of false
hood on me.) "But as to myself I am as
well as common"
Tabitha Ann she cum in to the house
an tuck off her hat an yaller gloves an
made herself at home, and her papa went
out to the barn to put up the team. WALL,
after they had been here about a week,
n mornin' one of our neighbors cum
over to borrow Joshes gun to go a-hnnt-
in. He is a nice, stidy young Teller, an
Josh an me like him mighty well, and he
is always welcome to our house. I asked
him to cum in a spell, but he said: "No,
1 guess I'll git the gun and 60 on"
Jist then Tabitha Ann come into the
kitchen an I seen him look an kinder
start, an I turned around an said: "This
is my niece, Tabitha Ann, SAM" an as
soon as l had sed it | knowed that want
the right way to interduce folks, so l sed:
Miss Crabtree, this is Mr.. higgins"
Sam he bowed mighty perhte-like, an
Tabitha Ann she blushed an sed, How
dee do, Mr.. Biggins?" I seed right off
that he liked her looks, but 1 didn't say
nuthin', but kept up a wonderful thinkin'.
What a rood thing it would he IF thew