Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-05-28

r>~> ns<sTSNVW Skncher. Here ] w NNS N, been a-hucin' hard in .''"'''" iuvrfSF sr,"- de tiel all day, and
 -~-'~' '-'' '~' he mean 'nough to | dock my wages ten cents cause I warn 1 back at noon jest at de minute. 1 warn't late mornn half an hour or tree quarters of an hour at de mos, an I was dat cause l had to see Jim Jones bout de
 water millions for de church festble. But
 I give him piece of my mind.'
 II s'pose Mr. Benson don want to pay for work he don git"
 "Don' git? Why, thar was Sam Stc- l vens an Bill Jenkins; they talk more'n | half de time, an rested on they handles
 more 'nst' other half, an did ye dock them
 any? Not he. He got spite gain me,
 know dat dis long time. An he's as | closes pignut, anyway" "Whar'd you git dat new Eoe?" quercd Aunt Lucy as 'Liah hung that instru- | ment up in the wOodShed preparatory to a souse in the basin of water ready in t!se | kitchen sink.
 "Nebber you mind. Women always | want stick their nose into e!i5eryting." Mir. Johnson was evidently in very bad humor.
 An what you done wid our ole hoe
 you took away this noon? You dit.n' trade dat off for new one, dat 1 know Liah, persisted his wife. tS, uitt, St " III klloN. Liah Johnsing,' hlurte,i ont Aunt
 Lucy, as a sudden suspicion famed in
 her eyes. dat ain't one of Moses Bon- sons hoes? You ain't gone un' changed off yo ole hoe for one hisn, l hope? You
 wouIdn' do dat if he is a skin,her, n'you
 a member de church., 'Liah JNhnsing?"
 Miss Johnsing, you jest ten to yo'
 own business. Don you let me hear no
 mo, not one mo word, bout dat hoe. You hear mc?"
 With closely compressed lips Aunt Lucy
 completed the preparations for supper.
 She called in the children-siX, of all
 ages-and they sat down. " Liah Johdsing, ask de bicssing," she said, her usual intimation that all was ready for a start, but on this occasion
 accompanied with a look that said plainly | ''if you can.
 The meal went somewhat gloomily off.
 The overturcs of the younger fry to
 either parent were grumpily met. Sup per things being cleared away, young
 Sally sat down to the melodcon in the
 paror and played Moody and Sankcy
 songs for the Johnson chorus, while their
 elders sat in the porch and silently watched the young moon go down. each
 absorbed in unplcasing meditation. Suddenly. as bed time drew noaf Lah
 rose and went into the house, saying as
 he went, 'Got to go down to de store.
 Lucy. l forgot l got to mow Dawkinses fiel' tomorrow, an my whetStun's worn clean down to de bone an I've got to
 start off tomorrow fore sto's open" 'Liah had been gone hardly a minute
 when Aunt Lucy called in a tragic whis- per to Paul, her oldest boy, years of age, who was just then deep in "Only an Ar
 nor Bearer" You, Paul, you come here
 quick, by yo'self."
 Paul, used to obeying, came promptly,
 and was drawn close up to his mother l on the scttee. "Now, you Paul." con- tinued the tragic whisper, II wonder kin I trust you to do something for me-
 Paul, dlstrustful of such general de- mands, kept discreetly silent. II wish you's a little bigger, but de
 Lord will hor you up. Paul, you listen" A small boy could hardly listen more intently.
 'Whep yo' paw comes home from de
 sto' an when he's gone to bed an got to sleep, yo' hearn'. Paul?' "Ycsm."
 You get up stills mouse, an you go
 git dat hoe y6 paw brought home, an don you make no noise takin' It down,
 an you kerry dat hoe ober to Mr. Ben sons. You hearin', Paul? "Yes'm."
 "An' you put dat ho, whar he keeps
 his'n-you know whar his tools be, Paul?"
 ''Yes'm, right back de stable do." An you take de hoo datS hangin'
 dar,-dat's our hoe, Paul, dat hoo yo'
 paw left thar by stake you take dat hoe
 an bring it home an hang it up in the
 woodshed, an yon' you ncber tell yo' paw
 nothin' bout it. Thank goodness, Mir.
 Benson don keep no dogs An you be
 mighty still now. Paul.
 ..Now you go hacI'n sings louds you l kin. I do b'lieve dat's yo paw now in de
 kitching. He must ha' como in de back
 gate. Now you members Ise lyin' on yo' a good deal, Paul"
 '.Ycs'm."
 Luckily MT. Johnson chose an early bedtime to insure carly rising for the i morrow's moving. Luckily. because young Paul, exalted beyond measure by his mothers unwonted confidence, aid ! tho supreme delight of tho mysterious plot, bubbled over with sly winks and significant gestures, which wOuld infalli- l bly have led to a complete disclosure if his father had noticed them. 'Liah's guilty conscience did not bring about the provcrbial insomnia, but long after his snores had begun to resound 1 through the low chamber, Aunt Lucy $ | eyes were wide open, and her cars intent | on the slightest noise. She grinned un- | easily in the dark as she heard q slight rustic by the door, creak or two on the rickety stairs. Her heart leaped as the shed door shut with a loud bang, but l 'Liah slept on. Tho moments seemed
 hours. How she longed to go to the window, which commanded complete view of Pauls journey across lots to 1 Bensons! But she consoed herself by | remembering that it was pitch-dark, and she couldn't see anything, any way. At | last came tho longed-for creak on the | stairs, tho second rustic past tho cham | Der door, and Aunt Lucy, with a satisfied smile and muttered "Bres5 de Lord p went soundly to sleep.
 The first sun rays were shining in at
 the window through the morning glories,
 the ~carly breakfast was smoking on tho
 table the six young Johnsons were strag-
 gling down in various stages of sleepi- | ness, Aunt Lucy was bending over tho
 stovc and 'Liah washing al the sink.
 when loud knock was heard at tho
 kitchen door, which, being opened, dis 1 closed MT. Benson. By his side stood
 tho village constable. In his hands was
 an old and much battered hoo. 'Liah
 saw the hoe and his upper jaw fell. Aunt Lucy's gaze was also riveted in
 amazement on the same article. | "Goliath Johnson," said tho constable,