Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-12-20

"Of course it was o miscue, and it
mighty nigh paralyzed Ellie when she
found out she'd let her high toned
friends eat without no butter.
"She wuz in for sendin' Jennie-that's
our waiter girl, and ez nice little body
ez you'd want to see anywhere-a pack
in without minit's notice, but jest
put my foot down agin that Jen's dad
and / WIZ old chums, and 1 don't 60
back on my friends nohow.
cts jest like pullin' eye teeth to go
again Ellie, but wnz bound tnat gal
should have fair show, and even if she
did forgit once nd awhile l recon God
Almighty haint created the purson yit
that don't, and Ellie she know'd it
'ud do no good to say anything more
about it.
"I've noticed yer partial to Jane,
(she always called her Jane since she
got to Twin in our big house, SEE she in
that high-up freezin' way she'd got
lately. She's more to your taste than
my friends
That wuz the most unkindest cut of
all, and I took to stayin' out nights. and
l reckon was about the miserablest
Teller that ever wuz. Ellie she didn't
pear noways too happy either.
Every evenin the butter was gone
and Jennie she declared she put it on
the table, and Ellie fretted and fumed
about the carelessness Of some people,
and things We're gettin' sort O. lively.
So I jest made up my mind to see what
it meant anyhow. hid myself in the
room off'n the dinuin' room that wuz
only used on stated occasions and jest
watched. Well, bimeby Jennie kom in
with the butter, and, poor girl, she sot
every one Of them little plates down all
filled up you know as ii she was max
in her last will and testament aud then
she went outn the room lookin' be.
hind her to the last mint to see eff
everything was all right. She hadn't
no sooner n got her back turned, how
sumever, till I heerd the curtain what
hung over O the doors move and YOU
jest ought to have seen that Their dog
steal out n behind them.
"Ye kin jest bet 'et about that time
Id got sort O mighty interested and 1
watched purity close.
First lie elm in ono chair and then
another and Tapped the butter slicker
'en q whistle out of each plate till he'd
finished the job.
well, l hadn't word to say, was
that surprised. But you could q
knocked me down with feather, when
Ellie, at my elbow seq, 'haint he the
KNOWN est dog you ever saw?'
Shed bin watchin' too, but want
in no humor fur jolSin', and I seq, sez I,
KNOWN be burned, and grabbed my
hat and rushed out n the house. tell
We, stranger, it's most awful aggravatin'
to hev your wife ez patient ez all that
with pesky dog and payin' no sort O.
tention to you day arter day.
Il jest vowed I'd never go inside that
house agin and then got to thinkin'
and thinkin'. SEE to myself, Jake
Smith, what was you anyhow that Ellie
should throw over the rich young squire
fur We, when she was the purtiest and
smartest gal in Jolellee County? What
could she see in great hulkin' Teller
like We to care fur, and didn't she go out
West there when meny anuther woman
would cried and raised calip, and
didn't the dear girl laugh and sing
and love We through it all? And right
then and there 1 couldn't help but to
see that come mighty nigh to bein' in
debt to Ellie for all the sunshine and
love that he'd come into my life, and I
felt sort O. meek, I kin tell, when re.
membered Jest what fuss I'd made
cause she wanted dog.
Everyone that knows Jake Smith IL
tell you that he comes mighty nigh bein'
fair and squar'. After I'd balanced Ell
lies and my account and see how
stood jest made up my mind that eff
there was any how I could even up
was goin' ter do it.
Il hadn't bin at home fur two days,
and jest let me tell ye, friend, no fellar
knows how green he kin feel till he
gifts ter his own door AFTER bein' off like
that without nary an excuse but his
own cussedness.
Il sku]ked round the back way and
went through the kitchen to the dinin'
room to sort O git my courage up, but
never felt so ticklish in my life, kin
tell you, till seen Ellie.
"There she stood in the dinin' room
in kaliker gown and the cutest little
white apron, like she used to wear out
in the mountains, and there was an
old-fashioned table set old fashioned for
two and some cane-seated cheers. I
didn't take more'n second to see it
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