Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1894-10-27

iather tell she got it natura, from
mothers mother She allers he'd j,
even when she an | was little. When
she grew up, the young iellers was
mostly scairt OF her At last jim
Lane come along; be was w.iewer
with little gal. Mandy, aout six
years DID, Jim made up to Prulictte.
An she seemed to kinder soften \SLe
didn't talk sharp to him nor TO the
little gal. at she wa, gentler with Us
all. Twas eli fixed, an they was 90
in to be married; but some of the
neighboro told Jim (he was strange
In these parts what name she he'd
fur beln a scold. 1t scairt him out.
"P'rhaps he thought shed ah~se
little Mandy. Bat she wouldn't hex
Sine was re.4 fond o; thA. ra! an
she'd alters hey treated her we'll; lur
changin' her likes and dishkes ala
one of P1uliettes faliin 8. Wa'al. jim
Lane kinder sneakei off, saS IL he was
goin ont West to git n ho.ne ready
fur her I guess he was scair; to
breuk II right of. after wnut he'd
heard tel of Pru!iette's 8 tongue. Size
looked iur hun To come ,,ack, an cot
r. .,,y fur the wcldin' i su>picionrl
how 'twould be, an so did father, vi
was livin' then; but we didn't like
sayln nothin to her. She KEEP on
waitin an waitiu', till sue saw herself
Le wouldn't come; an then all the
bit er come back, an she got sharper
than ever. She never speaks of him,
but sometimes she says somethin'
bout little Mandy"
He paused, but only for moment;
probably he did not have many op-
portunities of talking
81 think SHE'S alters he'd secret
idee of runnin' acrost jim an fndin'
he didn't mean to leave her. Ten or
twelve years ago neighbor, George
Harker, got some back pension money
an went out West to locate He was
goin to come back an get his wife ;
but he never did, an she most went
crazy. One of our older sisters,
Sarah, he'd married out n Kansas, an
| she'd ben writin Pruliette to come
out an visit her Along in the sum-
mer, after hnyin', Pruliet.e s'prised me
by sayln' she was goin. | heard she
| told Jane Harker she'd bring her hus-
| hand back to her OFF she went an
| she KEEP her word to Jane Harker.
She found George, reckless, an dead
broke, out in q minin' camp in Colo
rado he'd lost the money in some way
an want comm home); an she
| brought him back an handed him over
to Jane same's if he'd been stray
| cow
But, PrulIette, says | when shA
got home, why didn't We stay an heV
a visit with Sarah?'
81 did visit with :urah, says Pru-
| lictte; j got TO her house one after
she he'd TO tell. an l told her all / he'd
to tell so, there bein 40 need OF
stayln, | lef' the next mc-nia and
| went on West to find that sneakln
George Harker.
.'As Pruliette gets olaer an more
silent her tongue keeps Just as sharp
it 5 like razor. gettin' sharper, less
YOU use it. We hardly speaks. an
hevn't eat together fur years.
s'pose she'll alters live with me, and
Hiram sighed unconsciously: fur by
| fathers will she has right to n home
an a livIn' on the old place, an kin
| pasture six head of cattle on 1t, an
keep hens. It's bad fur woman. not
hevin a real home of her own. She s
got dreadful solitary. She won't
even hev' no cat nor dog-nothin' but
| tibet old blue hen thet she's got used
to, an likes TO hev round. It's 6
Gurus hen. fcllers her bout an never
| seems 10 want TO set. Soc tskes com
fort with it. l spose women folks hes
| got to hev' somethin' TO fuss over
1t was growing late: so We got uE
and bsde Hiram goodnight He.
too, rose and moved slowly Of toward
the house, as If IN no great hurry t.
reach il.
Poor Hiram" said Miss Larned
"his sister must be trial TO him.
suppose ned ike to marry and live a:
other men do OF course, no woman
Will marry him, knowing tina. Pruliet.s
has go, to live with them, and be.
fast getting to be al old man. Bu