Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1890-12-12

had kept house tor %grandther quite q
spell. She wasn't overly young. and he
didn't want TO spare her, she made such
nice griddle cakes.
He was very fond Of griddle cakes.
He hadn't teeth to eat nothing hard, and
she male 'om for him for breakfast, din
ner and supper. Sometimes she made
'em plain. sometimes sweet. Sometimes
she rolled ieli up into EN-. Sometimes
she put hash into EN-. They vas a great
variety, and they wac always good. SO
when Jabez Chow purposed. and Corr.
anna accepted him, %granther said NO"
and said how he'd cuss her it she dis
obeyed him.
Now, Corianna could have done what
she was q minter for all Granther Peeks;
for. as | said, she was risen thirty. But
she was a pious gal, ard she felt as if
her granther's cuss would sort OF blight
her. so she told Jabez she couldn't marry
him nohow until granther either died or
CIV in, only she wasn't able to help her
self from meetin' him after granther had
gone to bed-just where the punkin
patch jined onter the blueberry meddor,
and the old poplor grew. Well, some
mean sneak or other went and told
granther about it, and he got mp ont Of
his bed and follered her one night, and
found EN- kissin' each other.
He was a real bad tempered old gen
tleman, Grantler Peeks was, and when
he seen that he Just mp and cussed her
my way and drove her home with his
stick like she was n pig, after hitting
Jabez Chow over the Eead with it. ia
bez didn't burst Init back on account of
his age, and granther knew he wouldn't.
Home he drove Corianna, and when he
got her to hum there was the old boy to
pay, you may be sure Corianna wa
sobbing as Of her heart would break.
''You cussed me, granther," she kept
a-sayin'; land now it don't make no mat.
ter what l do. Seem I'm cussed, III
jest marry Jabez Chow any way. Whats
the use of not doing it now?'
Well, Granther Pcells he felt he'd
made a mistake and he kinder coaxet
her up a while. and said he'd take the
cuss back, and got her to go to bedquiet
But when she walked up next day, mean
ing to run away and marry Jabez, she
found granther had been before her
He'd nailed and locked and barred the
whole house up as if it was q prison, ant
left Just a little hole in the kitcleI
shutter for her to see to cook by. The
front door he kept the key of in hi
pocket, and he was grinninS like u mon
key to see how smart he'd been.
Il guess we wont have any nor
meetin's by moonlight, my dear" say
he, sardonic and unpleasant as eve
could be. when stores is needed Il
go out, and you've got a pump in til
kitchen"
You don't mean to lock me NJ tn
way for good, granthery' says Corianni
81 shall die Of want of air and exercise
So viii you."
"I guess / Kin stand it" says granthcl
when you want fresh air you kin site
your head OUT Of that there a%ppychure i
the shutter and draw it in, and today
want pancakes with rawsberry jell int
UNI and lots Of coffee. l worked re-
hard last night putin up them faster
ms and / want stren'thenin', C%orianna
She Jest looked at him when he said tina
She didn't burst trust herself 70 81
nothin'. She had ideas that she WI
skeerful Of putin into language, seei
she was speakin' to her mas pa, and |
risin' eighty. But all she got by tn
was these here cruel words:
Don't google at me, CoTianna. II
worse than sassin'."
SO while she was a-fryin' the cakes 81
kept sayin' over and over to herse,
"Now / lay me-, and Twinkle, twink
little star" to keep back her nat'r
wickedness. She'd shaved for that o
man and she'd been fond of him, al
this is what had come Of it. She told
all this through the hole il tho shuttle
We got kinder scared, you know, seei
the house shut up, and went to call, b
didn't get let in; but arter a while, VIII
we'd Knocked and knocked q spell to t
front door and the side door, we we
round to tine back, and there was pc
Corianna's face a-stickin' out of the hC
in the shutter. The tears rolled dOY
her cheeks as she told us the story, a
we had to cry, too, me and Miss Pinnt
and Miss Peters and Maria Brow
Maria Brown she was just propos
breakin' down the door and carryin' pc
Coriln1l off when a upstairs SHUT
opened and Granther PeeEs poked
head out.
"See here, folkses," said he, "a IN
has a right to keep his house shet
open rs he pleases, and to order his wi
min folks as he sees fttin'. You te
bolt, or bar, or lock, or hook onmy pre-
ises, and I'll shoot you down fust a
have you took up for burglars afterwal
and I'd hev the law on my side, II
Then he showed rs n big boss pistol. a
gays be. FITS loaded" and we s~catter'
But / wrote on u piece Of paper, ''Ill
Jabez," AMI give it up TO Coriaana. p
tendin' to kiss her good-by. And neN
was / 30 thankful that l ollera carrieJ
pencil in my pocket for new recip
For she needed comfort, and 1 gu
them words gave her a little. kept
promise, and that night Jabez pranS
about the house, but couldn't get a p
at her. No more he couldn't for a c.
pie Of days. But at last he thought
tootin' througha fish horn. Hthere '
anything Granther Peeks liked it
fish. So he says to Corianna, "Peek @
Cory. and see eft that's shad; shad's
season"
O. n1a -. III - -