Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1889-11-07
Helena, Montana, Thursday, November 7, 1889.
STUCK TO HER PRINCIPLES.
How GarrulOus Old Lady Amused
Her Fellow Passengers.

Her Fellow Passengers.
She was an old woman and she was en-
jOying the best times she had ever seen.
She wasn't bit proud either. 1t was the
first time in her life that she had ever been
in drawing-room car, and she didn't care
who knew it. She talked loudly and in
cessantly. Every body in the car soon
learned her story. Her son had gone out
West and made seme money, and was now
taking her to snug little home that he had
built up in Wyoming.
He was a stalwart, handsome fellow, and
his mothers garrulousness made him feel
rather uncomfortable. He suggested once
in on undertone that she should be more
discreet, and not talk 80 much about family
m tiers.
"Great snakes !" circulated the old lady,
taking a header into another seething
maelstrom of talk, 1--WE amt done nothin'
to be ashamed Of Why shouldn't l talk
about family matters? When married
your poor father, that's been dead and
buried these twenty years, poor dear
which Pll never forgive Jane Hackett for
sayin' as how he wer' talked to death; no,
not if Gabriel wer' to blow his trumpet
this very minute an summan me to judg-
ucut. 1uc duudClOuS CIltUcT kuOW0U very
we'll it wer' spite agin' me that made her
say it, Gus she tried to catch your father
an couldn't, though the way she set her
cap to do it wer' simply scandalous for to
behold in Christian country.
We'll, as 1 wer' a ssyin', before that
Jane Hackett came into my head, when 1
married your poor father, said, says /,
"We're agoin' to live together 80 as we
won't ca.e who knows averything about
u.s. An I've lived that way ever since
an amt never regretted it one blessed
minute. Now, there's your uncle limo
thy"
But here the train shot into the mouth
of long tunnel, and the rumbliDg pre-
vented the people in the car from hearing
what were uncle Timothy's peculiarities.
AS the car ran into the opening the old
woman was saying, 81 believe in stickin' to
my principles an not being ashamed of 'em
no matter where am"
Here she dropped the thread of her con-
<ersation for minut to get drink from
the ice cooler She drained one tumbler-
full and portion of the contents of an
other Then she raised the lid of the
cooler preparatory to returning to it what
remained in her glass. Her son frowned
expostulations and shook his head vigOr-
ously. 1t served to call tbs attention of
everybody to what was going on.
"Now, look here, James," said the old
woman, "aiu't jest told you this very
minute that believes in stickin' to prin-
ciples an not bein' ashamed on 'em. One
of my principles is waste not, want not
That's what kept me out of the poorhouse
a good many years. 1 amt goin' back on
it now. This water is goin' back into the
cooler"
Back il went with loud splash. Some
people Uttered, others looked shocked
With sublime Indifference to the
thoughts of those around her, the old
woman resumed her seat.
When the train had run along for two
hours the old woman temporarily side
tracked the conversational topic that she
had on hand to make this observation to
her son:
Don't people never get thirsty in first
class carriages? It's mighty warm day,
but 1 amt seen no one take a drink out of
that cooler since took drink to hours
agon."
James replied, somewhat irrelevantly,
that he guessed he would go into the next
car and smoke cigar. 1t took him an hour
and half to smoke it.