Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1890-05-29
PAMELA'S FACULTY,

death in the sewing circle. 1t was
very sad that he should have died.
So suddenly, too, ofpneumonia, poor
man. But Mrs. Calkins, at whose
house the society met that week,
couldn't help thinking that it would
have been a very dull meeting if he
had not; for since everybody had
found out just why Luke Judkins had
been obliged to mortgage his farm,
and DR.. Saunders marriage with his
-housekeeper had become an old story,
there was absolutely nothing to talk
about. 1t was also providential that
he should die just after planting was
over and before haying had begun.
He was growing very deaf, too, and
was always shiftless. Being a deacon,
OF course he was prepared, and there
was really not much to mourn for
except that now Pamely would have
to take care of herself, and Pamely
had no faculty. Ruthy Ann could go
son keeping school, as she had done
for years, and the twins, luckily,
were married. Pamely was the only
one that was left unprovided for.
Pamelv was one of the kind that
always was unprovided for-the kind
that had no faculty.
The farm was all run out; and if it
were not, Pamely wouldn't know
any better than to expect to raise
pumpkins on pea vine. If she was q
farmers daughter she didn't know
but what potatoes came up of their
own accord, ana wceded and dug
themselves. Mrs. Ichabod Badger
generally known as Mis- Ichabcd)
thought probable that she even 81. =
posed they washed themselves and
jumped into the dinner pot. And it
was evident that she set a sight
more by posies than she did by gar
den sass. She was always littering
up the house with weeds and stuff
out OF the woods, and she drew
pictures when she'd better have bee
drawing candles or making soap.
She took after the Spencers-her
mothers folks, One of them wasn't
half witted and wrote verses, and
another painted pictures and never
amounted to anything. And Pane
~ was headstrong; she never seemed
to pay any attention to good advice.
She was always as pleasant and
nmiable. about it as could be, but she
would go right on in her own way.
That was like her father; when they
tried to dismiss the Rev. Mr.. Cald-
we'll for unsoundness of doctrine,
Deacon Semple he wouldn't agree to
it. He didn't get excited and call
hard names, as the others did, but,
though they argued and argued, he
wouldn't be convinced.
Mis- 1chabod vas Of the opinion that
o committee of lislies ought to call
upon Pamely and advise her to go
and keep house for old Hiram Hutch
inson. He had IL large farm and two
invalid daughters, one afflicted with
gpinal disease and the other with
epilepsy so twas a hard place, and
of course she would keep everything
mt skies and sevens, not having any
faculty; but old Hiram was willing to
take her because he was very close,
and she wouldn't expect much. And
Mis- Hosea Blodgett added that as
Hiram was a widower, nobody knew
what might happen. He was over
fifty and hard to get along with, but
then Pamely couldn't be far from
twenty-five, and ought to be willing
to make a sacrifice for the sake of q
home. Ben Seaverns, who used to
keep company with her, had gone off
to sea five years before, and had
probably got drowned, to say moth
ing Of being a shiftles good-for-noth-
ing, and surely there was no man in
Brimbecom who wanted to marry q
girl without faculty.
Before the meeting adjourned, Mis-
1chabod, Mis- Hosea Blodgett andl
Miss Nancy Perkins, the postmis-
tress, were appointed q committee to
labor with Pamely.
There was no doubt about the zeal
ofthe committee. Bright and early the
next morning-so early, in fact, that
the breakfast dishes We're not wished
in any town except Brimblecom-the
three ladies presented themselves at
the front door of Deacon Semple's
late residence; front doors were re-
served for state occasions in Brim-
blecom. The committee, after con-
sultation, had decided that this was
an occasion which rendered the use of
the front door appropriate.
keturah Grant, who had beer
maid-of-all-work in Deacon Semple's
family for half n century, hobbled to
the door. and Admitted the,, In the