The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-09-02
Selected Storm.
An Apple Woman's Story.

pick of the bar'l, an as sound as ever
growed. Thank ye, sir. Am / doing
a good business? In general, l do
there be hapes of folks comes to these
offices, an they buys liberal, but to-day
it's dirty an sloppy, an they're all in
hurry. It's a good stand have, any
way, God be praisedl an av / wor
taken sick l have enough in the bank
to nurse am bury me daycent, without
AKIN charity. An my good luck all
KEN suddin.
1t must be an interestin' story?
Well, dunno; but don't mind tellin'
av you care to listen. You see, Mickey
McAvoy an l had been married six
years an we had but one by, but he was
a fine one, an we were doin' well.
Mickey was sober an industrious, an
ambitious of ownin' a farm out in the
West, where they do be givin' 'em
away, av you've the names to stock thin
an git to thim-for he'd been brought
up on big farm on the ovid sod be-
yant. But it wasn't to be. The by he
tux sick wan day wild the dipthery, an
in spite of all the doctor could do
sorra the little they kin do when yer
times come-he died. The heart was
bruk O. me, but Mickey TUX it harder,
an that's sayin' a dale, SEEM that /
was the b'y's mother. The day after
the funeral Mickey had to go to work or
lose a job, an, whether it was wild the
sorrow or what, poor Mickey's fut
slipped on the ladder, an him nigh to
the top, an they brought him home
dead. We'd saved somethin' betune
us--he wild the hod and l wild the
washin'-but what wild the funeral-an'
illigant it was, twelve carriages an
cashkit, to say nothin' of lashin's of
the best at the wake-I had but tin dol
lars an some cints left, an l cast
around to do somethin' to kape the life
in me, for l was too worn out for the
washin'. So got basket an filled
it wild apples an paynuts an whit
round to the offices to sell 'em. AM
did we'll, too. The young clarks'd buy
the apples sometimes, an the janitors
an office b'ys the paynuts, an made
out to pay the rint of my room an to
get the bite an the sup.
Wan day whin l KEN home Mrs. Fin
nerty, who lived on the flure below, an
whose husband is brick-mason, SEE
to me, SEE she: odd you hear that
noise las night, O. groanin' in the room
back o. YEP" ~ didn't" SEE 1, &c av it
was in the night, for 1 Shape sound"
WE'LL" she SEE, 6" it's the gerrill that
runs the sewin' machine" she SEE, san
she's sick, an I've been there to-day, an
will we help little tonight" she sez
"for I've the baby to mind" 81 WILL"
SEE 1, an 1 did. The gerrill's name
was Cherry Bashford, an dacent she
was, for lone, dissholute orffan, an
kept herself alone, an meddled an
made wild no wan. The doctor KEN
an she soon got we'll o. the cold an the
faver, an she an l got quite friendly
though she was lady bred, poor as she
was, any one could see that, an as fol
beauty, the ladies we see in them car
riages on the strates couldn't hould {
candle to her. AM she always called
me Mrs. McAvoy. 1t was never
Biddy" wild her, sir, which is not the
way to spake to a widely wild a goot
character
We got quite frien'ly, as I said, an
wan day 1 said to her, SEE I, "Mis;
Bashford, you do be lonely up there il
yer ROOM" l SEE, " an what'd all W
about movin' your machine into my
room-there's dure between US, ant
ye'd be company" SEE l. "But," Sc:
she, though Pm much obliged to we,
won't; but We'll kape the dure open il
daytime, an I'll kape an eye on you
room whin yer away" So frien'ly die
we git, an she born lady as l said be
fore. Wan day L KEN to this very
buildin' wild my basket, an in l goes
to wan office an another, an in to Mr.
Gaskell's, him as owns the buildin'.
was known by the clarks, who Away
bought from me, an Master George
the masters only son, though he was {
sort of head clerk, would buy like tn,
rest, and he had great habit of jokin
wild me. But that day the ovid gen
tleman happened to hear him in his of
fee, an he KEN out in high timper an
SEE he to me, "You kape out o. her
wild your basket, for you demoraliz
the clarks from their business" ga
you place, sir" SEE 1, bowld enough
o. my pocket, an out | wint. Master
George he was angry, an gev me
quarter, an said he'd buy of me Will
ried wild the cantankerous ovid gintle
man-but it's good man he is, for al
that-that dropped cross that kee]
dDOuI llo LUZ luCh-lb htuu lTOlu hOIu
an was blessed by the holy father him
self-an' 1 niver missed it till l 60
home. had just got off the dishe
from the table, an was clearin' up fror
my bit of tay, an Miss Bashford, VIII
had come in from her room, was talkin
wild me, whin Their was rap at tn
dure, an whin l said Come in" VIII
should march into the room but George
as bowld as brass, wild my cross.
"You dropped this in the Office" h
SEE, "an' as [ knew where we lived
thought I'd bring it to ye, an" wi
that he stared like stuck pig at Mis-
Bashford, an, we may behave me, viii
looked at her she was as white as tn
wall. "Cherry!" SEE he. "Mr. Ga
kell," SEE she. AM they began to tall
an a-clatterin' the dishes an droI
PIN the knives so as not to be KNOWN
to their discoorse. But l gethere
enough to know that it's lovers they
been, but she he'd drapt him bekase b
IL. l. Il. .&. H..