The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1891-05-16
WINDING HER BUSINESS.

"Eha WhatP" cried the Widow
Scarsby, hastily adjusting her ear trum-
pet, @you a-thinkin' O. gsttin married az
this time O. dayi"
Miss Naomi gave a sniff Of exceeding
great derision.
who spoke O. marriageP Not 1, nor
! guess the squire. We're outen our
first childhood, and we amt got to our
second, calculate--not yet, at any
rate
The widow looked disappointed
Then what do you mean ?" she said,
"Why, continued Naomi, "the squire
he has leased the old farm. I'd got to
let it to somebody. What between the
taxes, the interest, and repairs, it was
too much for awoman to look arter.
But the COWS and the poultry is to re-
main, and Pm to run the dairy and egg
business. Ten per cent commission I'm
to have, and the use OF the old house.
And I've set out lot Of new strawberry
roots, and some of the offshoots of Hes
ter Brine's sweet smellin' English vic.
lets Pm goin' to earn my livin' if be
/ a womanl"
"Vrlets and Strawberries John
hain't no faith in that sort O. thing.
ut don't matter to me whether he has
or not, !" curtly answered Miss Nutting.
"A woman never yet made farmin'
pay, the widow remarked.
Anyhow l mean to have try at it.
My expenses won't be much.
The widow shook her head.
Better give up the notion, said she.
Not if know it. Pm pretty certain
l can make good butter, and always
took natural to hens and chickens. l
know can market them Strawberries
at the summer hotels on Cherry
and English violets brings 90 cents a
dozen at the New York florists in Janu-
ary and February. Give it upP No,
ma'am, don't
YOU'RE runnin' great risk, sighed
Mrs. Scarsby, in genuine Jobs comforter
accents.
"There's always the poorhouse left, if
don't succeed, " sarcastically remarked
Naomi.
And Mrs. Scarsby went away to tell
her news throughout the whole neigh
borhood.
upon my word, said Mrs. Doctor
Plumb, "the woman has plucki But of
course she won't succeed; women never
do
u never was so fat in all my life, :"
said Mrs. Scarsby, "as l was when ]
heered Naomi say she was going into
partnership with Squire Bagshot. /
supposed, of course she was going to
marry him. F"
"Well, 1 don't know why she
shouldn't. said Mrs. Plumb. "The
squire amt young, but he's likely
man enough.
He marry Naomi Nuttingl" said Mrs,
Scarsby. "A poverty stricken old maid,
with ole foot in the poorhouse. p"
Folks used to say your John was
partial to her, " shrewdly observed Mrs.
Plumb.
! @That's all mistake, said Mrs.
Scarsby.
Then she took herself and her ear
trumpet off to the next house, while
little Ellie Price, Mrs. Plumb's bound
girl, who had been Ii tening through
the dumb waiter, bre..t thlessly scampered
to the grocery for the ounce of powdered
cinnamon which she had been told half
an hour ago to bring, and there informed
Mrs. Peppersauce, as profound secret,
that Miss Naomi Nutting and Squire
Bagshot were about to be married.
II don't believe it, said Mrs Pepper
sauce.
"Iheard 1t with my own ears, said
Ellie, glowing ell over with the im-
portance of her news.
An old maid like thati" said Mira
Peppersauce, scornfully.
"She amt 80 yet" said Ellie. u
heard misses tell Mrs Scarsby so. Z"
Ill news, they say, spreads fast; SO
does good news. Which of these heads
Squire Bagshofs engagement comes
under is hard to specify, but certain it is
that the morsel of gossip spread like
widfire through Cherry Village
"Me engaged to Naomi Nuttingl"
said the squire swell, it's the first I've
heerd of it f"
%N"omi going to marry that old wild
ower!" said John ScArsby. "What nom
sense. You told me yourself, mother,
that she denied it up and down.
"Ye7, said Mrs Scarsby, little
doubifully, ~but that's what they always
do. 1t would be good thing for Naomi
Nutting.
"Pll never believe it, said John.
The old love affair between him and
Naomi Nutting was dead and gone long
ago, but something in the prevalent at.
mosphere seemed to fan the faint spark
OF its ashes into new life. john Scarsby
remembered how black and bright heI
eyes once were, and what trim figure
she had While the squire, nIeditating
on the perfect, dazzling cleanliness OF
Naomrs dairy, and the efficiency with
which she had set out the violet roots
and the strawberry creepers, said to him
SELF
Il don't know but that might dC
worse. To be sure, she's poor, soli
tary, friendless creetur, without any
property except that old mortgage rid
den farm. But can't get no hired cir
short of $11 month, and it is sort o
lonesome settin' on the stoop Of evenini
all alone. Shes been brought up eco
nomical, too, and won't want to spend
more money than she can help That
q great thing.
The squire brushed his lank hair more
carefully than ever over the glossy dome
Of his bald Uranium, and considered
seriously the propriety Of dyeing hi
grizzly beard.
"Mother, said John Scarsby, thai
day, lit isn't right for you to do all tn,
housework by yourself It's too mucl
for you
"La, John. do hope you amt thinkin
Of hirin' helpl" exclaimed Mrs
Scarsby, in dismay. "of all the shift
! less, idle, wasteful things
We've got to do something, mother,