Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-08-10
JONAS AND [.

seldom find all OF them in one human
being. Some talk of a good memory,
others rather pride themselves on lIav-
In none. / have got good faculty
for remembeTin' some things. IL l
know the contribution-boXi is goin' to
be passed, l Dever can torgit my purse.
I've tried II of md on a number of
times md rather envI1d the folks who
could forgit so conveniently. I've even
gone so far as to hide my port-money In
the pocket or an old uTeSs, that hangs
In the closet upstairs, off the north
room, where nobody ever sleeps, 'nd
nobody ever goes, 'cept in house-clean-
in', SO that I'd fo-git Just over contrI-
button day. Forgil why, l couldn't
any more forgIt than nOthin'.
HOwsomeveT, though forgitter
amt one of my common possessions,
md in no way can be counted in
amongst my other cardinal virtues, |
have got as good a grudger md hater as
anybody In ali the country 'round. md
this partly consoles me for not havlu' a
good f0rgitJer. If forgot real quick
md easy-llke, why thea I'D forgit the
mean things folks do md say. Likely
as not I'd git over this grudge I've held
on TO now for some five md thirty
years. l wouldn't git over that for
nothin'. It's such a comfort to hate
somebodSl 1t affords lots OF smuse-
ment, too. If anything happens to the
one you've got grudge against. Be-
sides all that, 1t sorts o. sends the hours
skippin' along light nd alry-like when
you can sit down md knit md think of
all the mean things you'd like to have
befall the one you bale. Knittin' is
nice work for such meditations, for it
isn't very absorbin' 'cept IN the heel md
toe md instep, unless you happen to
drop a stitch, OF get TO thinBin' 80 hard
that by mistake you knit over seam;
then you have to tend to your knittin'
tor little md no mistake, but ON tie
whole 1 think it's good work, when You
want to sit down md heV a good time
a grudgin' 'ud hatin'. Now I'm lcetle
peculiar; | don't spend my time envyin'
my nabors, md grudgIn' 'em their good
things. don't spoil my nature by di-
vidin' 1t permiscuOuG-like among
good many. l just bile it down liks |
do my Jelly, so 1t won't take up much
room, nd yet have 1t tart md solid Ill
its own place.
l don't hold no grudge against no.
body, but Just Jonas Perlwiukle. Hin
do grudge nd hate with all the force
I've got. He treated me mighty mean
when | was a slip of girl bout eight
cen or twenty. You see twas like this,
md hain't never got over 1t, neither,
md don't intend to. Him md me,
We kept company for two or three
years, off md on. Though was
Eighty piece of property mi liked to
oh off, I 4 ii
store by him, md he knew it, too. |
wasn't quite 50 steady md stout ike as
some of the girls. though 1 could get
round pretty spry md 'complish Just as
much as they did md it did'nt take me
oil day to do it.
One Monday l was washin' md Steve
Pratt came along with bran new top
buggy md span. He drove up, md
says to me: ''I'm dIivin' out 10 show
my new belonging, Esther, can't you
come alOng"
always was fond of goin', md that
top-buggy did glitter, md shine IN the
sun, md the cushions did look so
temptin', so 1 says: "I'd like to go
fiTst-rate, Steve, but l haIn't got quite
though my washln'."
"I'l Just come in nd walt" he says.
red the starch, md help hang the clothes
up, md while We was haDgtn' 'rm
up, who should 60 along but jon as
Periwlnkle. Steve bowed awful polite
but Jonas walked straight past, as if he
didn't see US, but he did, md l found 1t
out afterwards.
went for the ride, md it was a nice
one, too. The apple trees was all
a-bloomin' md ths air was as SWEET as
June morning could make it. Steve
really was the incest fellow around md
he was pleasant md agreeable. We
got hoL<e just as dinner was ready, md
mother asked him in, nd sure enough
he stopped, md staid md talked with
father after dinner as though neither of
'em had anythln' to do.
The next time l see Jonas he was as
uppish as could be. Finally we had
real downright quarrel bout Steve.
'spOse we were both eXasperated. |
told him if he wanted girl that would
always stay at home, md never go no.
where, he could look farther, md he
told me if l couldn't be satisfied v 18th
one mans heart, stead of bre" KIM
every one 'rOund he would look farther
md he die. / didn't think he treated
me quite fair. but 1 wasn't goin' to be
bOssed round fore | was married. So
he took to goln' with one of the other
girls. md Steve PTatt's buggy stood at
our door pretty often. l kept tbinkin'
Jonas md / wOuld make mp, but we
didn't, md we never have, nd | s'pose
never will. We've lived nabOrs for a
good many years, md though l see him
md his'n 1 always hate him ike. |
can't see cow or horse, or even
pig or a chicken of hissen without
a-wishin' somethin' wouli happen to
it.
l married Steve Pratt, md nobody
could a lived with that man without
lOvin' him, I'm sure. I lo7ed him to
the last day Of his life. He WAS al
ways good md bright, md even on dark
days he made the house seem Ike
there was sunshine IN it. We raised
some children, but one bv one they
died, md then Steve died. l wished |
could die, too, but L s'po5e 1 haiu't
lived out my 'lOtJed time yet. I'm
a lonely woman md bout all the c,m-
fort l take i5 in helpin' the majors
when they ara sick, nd in trouble, md
in haLin' Jonas PeriwinkIe
Steve md 1 aIlays seemed 70 prosper
IN our undertakin'a but Jonas didn't;
he worked hard, his wife was good ma
tured, but sort OF shiftless-like, nd lie
never made much headway. She died
a couple of years ago, md their little
'leven-yedr-Old girl has been tryin' TO
do the best she can. she's puny lit
tie thing md won't hold out much
longer, I'm a-thlnkin'.
Somebody's comm Tunnin' mp the
walkl Why, it's Susy PeriwinkIel
'"rhere, you've run till you've tuck
cred yourself all out. Sit down mi
rest yourself md tell me what's the
matter. Is 1t the bread that won't rise
or the butter hat won't cone?''
Susy, al out of breath with runnin',
said: "Come over quick; the horses
have run away, md pal don't know
but he's deadl know you always go
when folks are sick, md so come here
lrst."