Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1892-05-05
IN LOVE AND WAR.

story of its store.
That wonderful place where the mail
and the molasses flow from a common
source. so to speak-where your inner
and outer man, your mental and phys
ical self, must get all their stimulus is
the epitome of all the diffusely written
history of the lives that cluster around ii.
What the store man cannot tell YOU Of
every. passer by and every customer you
are not likely to learn yourself. except
by unusual fortune; and all he does tell
You has the delightful piquancy Of hav-
ing passed through the medium Of a
rarely shrewd mind, gaining more than
one beauty spot in the transit.
That was what was thinking as | sat
in 'Bijah's store, with the mingled odors
of calico print and dried apples, coffee
and the straw that crockery is packed in
fighting for supremacy in my notice.
'Bijah's broad back was turned to me
and he was sorting the days mail with
comments that made me as wise as him
self regarding its contents
s'Mis' Mi-randy Beal,n said 'Biiah:
"that'll be abaout her pension, / guess.
Ruther efficial lookin, thet is. Mr.. Asy
Fowler; his son John-gone down to
Pochemouth-he writes ter him nigh
onter every week-en a nice, clean hand
he writes, does John. Here's a letter
fer the schulema am Now thars
han'writtin fer yel Putty ez she is, an
jest as simple like"
The latch clicked and the door opened.
'Bijah looked over his shoulder and
grinned. was shut out from sight of
more than the visitors legs by a slack
line Of dangling towels, aprons and
socks; but they were steady, reliable
looking legs, straight and strong, clothed
in heavy boots and blue overalls.
Bijah neither turned nor laid down
his letters. He stood there grinning,
and whether the person in the doorway
was grinning also, Or plotting my assas-
sination in pantomime, was none the
wiser.
The heavy boots shuffied and turned
about, stepped outside and the door
shut. 'Bijah chuckled to himself and
looked back to his letters again.
"Them papers is for young Thomp-
son. He's th' editor of our paper. He's
alive-alive an kickin. He's been out
west fur spell, an he thinks were all
dead an buried. An he has made d
great change in The Bugler, l tell you.
Folks say he'll be made ter smart fur
the way he muses. raound inter peoples
affairs; but its lively, it's lively"
The papers went into separate box,
and 'Bijah resumed the letters.
tMehaly Hopkins; she's got heap of
money. Main haow fond yer folks is
of ye when yer got pile and amt no
heirs Of yer buddy. She's good fer EN-
though; she's cute 'un."
81 suppose it is unusual for any one to
make much more than their living away
up here, isn't it, 'Biiah?"
'sHumphl yes, fer any one. Not fer
some on 'em though. Some ON EN- is
smarter N creased lightnin"
He put his head on one side and
squinted at the letter he was holding.
''Him, now, jeremiah Wilson, he's a
keen un. Nobody ever got the best o.
tn ole man but jim. You saw Jim
came in here jest naow; amt no 'tater
bugs on jim; when he gifts up he's up
fer all day."
'Bijah grinned and wagged his head.
Jeremiah Wilson, he remarked,
and slapped the letter into its pigeon
hole.
The latch clicked again, the door
opened and the same pair of legs APP
peared in the very same spotwhere 1 had
seen them before.
'Bijah grinned
Presumably the unseen grinned also,
for there was too much of Bijah's grin
not to be offensive, if it were otherwise.
'Whut chu want:n
'sNothinn
eve don't keep that; or, if we do,
were jest aout of it"
The big boots turned about slowly.
"Sure ye do want no lamps, are ye?H
Goals so with 'em?'
''Not in this shop"
''Thct settles it, as fur as I'm CON
cerned," and he went away and closed
the door again
'Bijah looked after him and chuckled.
whats the joke, 'Bijah."
''Dono' ez Id orter say an'thin, aout-
side, but you know how it is, Mr.. Carson,
you never seem no stranger"
Hand over your story, you old gos-
sip" answered. ''Why. it would burn
your tongue off if you tried to keep it
in"
'Bijah laughed heartily at this polite
sally.
'.Well, take fer my tex, as Elder
Slocum says, that beautiful axum, All is
fair in love an war
He came around the end Of the counter
and sat on an unopened sugar barrel,
with his legs crossed and his rough
hands clasped around his knee.
9Th ole man, jeremiah Wilson, that
I mentioned back spell, he's a Tartar.
He do know nothin but his own way; an
Mis- Wilson, she never know'd nothin
but ter gin it to him. He's got trick
or turnin redfaced an lookin like he was
agoin ter bust, an Mis- Wilson, she wuz
SO neat, she couldn't bear ter hev her
house mussed, so she jest gin in to him.
'sTher was one ga1-Malne her name
=szz--an Jnsy Dc5n tnougn5 slgnJ or
her. She want no more like neither NV
them then nothin at all, and they both
tried projecks with her.
Her father wanted her to be boy,
an he alluz felt as eff she done him when
she want. He wanted ter make law
yer out NV her; he's dead in love with
lawin, ole man Wilson is; but yer might
better try ter make a hossrake out of
whalebones an gristle ez to make law
yer c5lter Name. What tn ole man said
wu1 Gospel, though; she felt sorter like
she better not make him no more hard
feelin, after not bein that boy he wanted.
Her mother meant her ter be good
housekeeper an put up p'serves an make
pickles; an Name would stan at the
winder an sing an fergit all abaout her
mess till twas clean split.
sAfter Mis- Wilson died, though,
Name done better round the haouse.
Mebbe ef TIL ole man wuz ter die she'd
take ter lawn. Ye can't tell; she kin
do most an'thin.
s'Jest abaout then, Jim Lane began
ter sleeve raound with Name Wilson.