The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-12-21

rapgement for the wife was an excellent
cook and laundress. The husband, how
ever, as the husbands of SO many hard
working women are, was lazy, and never did
anything that he could shirk; still, he was
a man in the house, and that was something
Mrs. Hance was pretty good overseer, and
she got along fairly well while this arrange
ment lasted, but that was not for very long.
One stormy winter evening she was sit
ting alone in her little front parlor listening
to the pattering OF the rain on the tin roof
of the lean-to across the hall, when she
heard stumbling step on the piazza, and
then a thud, as though some heavy body
had been thrown against the front door,
The cat that shared the genial warmth of
the fire with its mistress, sprang into the
corner and arched It's back to the limit OF Its
skin, while Mrs. Hance dropped her knit
ting and stood as if rooted to the spot She
was entirely alone in the house, Martha
having been called away by the illness OF a
daughter and Daniel having gone into
Reek lesstown to make some purchase, the
next day being Sunday.
Mrs. Hance was not as great coward as
some women, nor was she as brave as others,
and she told me, in narratiDg the incident,
that il was several minutes before she could
make up her mind to go to the door. Even
then she had not the courage to open it. but
called out in her most Impressive voice,
who's there?" There was sound of
something heavy rolling about. She re-
peated her exclamation, and then thick,
uncertain voice replied:
Its Dan'l, your protector"
At first she was inclined to leave him out
side in the storm, but her humanity got the
better of her judgment, and she opened the
door, whereup0n her ''pr0teetor" rolled in
upon the mat-the most thoroughly intoXi-
Gated man that Mrs. Hance, with her linz
tied experience, had ever seen. 1t took no
little ingenuity and strength to get him into
the lean-to, where she locked him up as Sc
curelv as the primitive faStenings permitted.
Then, trembling in every limb. exhausted
and thoroughly alarmed, for she did not
know what man in his condition might be
capable of doing. she locked herself in the
parl0r and sat there throughout the longest
night OF her experience.
With the first breaking of dawn she
stepped out into the hall, where she was
greeted by the deep, heavy breathing of the
intoxicated man in the lean-to. Putting on
her SUM- bonnet she went out over the wet
grass to the barn, and there. hitching old
lesstown for the constable. That function
airy returned with her, much against his
will, and with the assistance of another
man got Daniel into cart and drove him
to the town-house, leaving Mrs. Hance for
the time being without protector.
1t was about a week after this episode
that she heard of Amzi Crow. He is the
salt of the earth" said DR.. Bloodgood, who
recommended him to her, land he has the
great merit of always seeing the bright side
of things" Mrs. Hance had about made
up her mind that she would never have an
other colored protector" but what she
heard of AMI was so attractive that she
determined to send for him and see how he
impressed hei.
He came up to the farm one day after he
had 'tided" himself up bit after hard
days work. He had on white trousers that
were very tight about the thighs and very
loose about the ankles. They did not reach
the tops of his calfskin shoes by several
inches, and as socks were luxury he
did not indulge in in summer there was
a good deal OF brown skin exposed to
view as he walked. His coat might have
been almost any color originally but it had
faded to an olive green. On his head was
well-worn derby of a low-crowned, wide
trimmed pattern, which had once been the
mode. II was battered and greasy beyond
description, but, almost defaced by contact
with Anzi's wool, the name of fashionable
New York halter could be made out in the
crown. Perhaps it was because some one
bad told him that this makers name was
good one, or because the hat had been given
him by DR.. Bloodgood's brother-in-law, a
New York man, that Amzi was so much at
tached to it When he came into Mrs.
Hance's kitchen he removed this hat care
fully from his head and held it tenderly in
his hands while he talked with her.
She was favorably impressed by him at