Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-03

iered TO nm tor 500 he said we might
have his for 800, and he would throw in
stool and tune book and spread for 1t.
Cant you throw in a nice little melo-
deon?' says Josiah, for it sckened that
man to So see 'em go on To see man fall
round the biggest part of the day; was
there to dinner and supper but Josiah
didn't give him no decided answer. and
finally he went Off But no sooner would
one swarm go than another would come;
and before the week was out the house was
chuck full; you couldn't turn round with
out hittin' against q SEWN machine or a
plano or sunthin'.
And the felers a-comin' and goin' at all
hours! For a spell at first. Josiah would
come In and talk with EN-, but after
while he got tired out, and when he would
see one a-comin, he would start on run
for the barn and hide, and l would have
to stand the brunt of it alone One Teller
see Josiah a-runnin' for the barn, and he
follered him in, and josiah dove under the
barn, as / found out afterward. / happen
ed to see him a-crawlin' out after the Teller
drove off. Josiah came in a-shakin him.
self. for he was all covered with straw and
feathers and says he:
do" ' '' e0'' '"e III st Aa'o WORK
Says l, Il would be ashamed of myself,
Josiah Allen. guess it haint no harder for
me than II Is for you"
Wall was a-calculatin' to make 1t easier
for you. What do you suppose l was a.
goin' to shootin' 'em for? 1t would help
you as much as it would me to thin 'cm off
Says I. Josiah. to say nothin' of the
wickedness of it, it wouldn't do no good.
Don't you remember the fox in the bram-
bles? Let the old swarm remain, for If you
drive 'em off. hungryer set would come
and then l should be utterly devoured'"
Wal, this took place about noon. 1 had
q awful headache and L told Josiah, says
/. How am goin' to tussle with them
agents this afternoon. l don't know, en-
joyin' such poor health as do today
When / felt well. ] could get along with
EN- better, but IL didn't seem to me as if
! could argue with em all the afternoon,
feelin' as did, and Josiah had got to go
up into the woods to work.
Says Josiah, IN fix 'em. I'll set a trap
jest outside of the gate and ketch EN- in
Says l. THAT won't do no good, Josiah:
for If You should disable 'em, l should only
have 'em to take care Of; and if you should
ketch one In it, the rest could get over the
fence"
Says Josiah. Cant tx the clothes line
so 1t would trip 'em up"
Not in the daytime" says I. depressed
sons. and load 1t with beet juice and shoot
EN- with it, and make 'em think you have
drawed blood"
There haint no beet juice" says !, in a
gloomy tone. And II there was. how could
l take aim, with my head II is today"
wal says Josiah. II have got TO go
anyway: You lock Up the house and SO TO
bed, and mebby you can keep 'em out"
And so j did, as soon Josiah started
on. fet'down the curtains ana locked the
doors, and laid down. l heard knockin' to
the door good many times, and a con-
siderable movin' and stampin' round the
house. but l never stirred till Ii was time
for Josiah to come home and then / -oust-
ed up and thought l would hang on the tea
kettle. Wal, l jest histed up a corner OF the
window-curtain, and | could Jest see q pair
n Ghinin' hpnfS of ba orla IL
/ went to the other window and there |
could see the hull on him. 1t was that
piano man. l went into the kitchen Jest
as still as | could, and | heard a talkia' on
the piazza. and | peeked through a hole
in the curtain, and there sot two of 'em:
one SEWN machine r.an, and the other
organ; so they was friendly to each other.
and sot together.
AS l stood there, the organ man spike
up.
They must be 10 home pretty soon, ana
/ guess that piano Teller will find that can
stick II out as long as he can" says he
Yes" says the other Teller, land l guess
that t'other Teller will find that he can't
tucker out me, if he should stay here all
night"
Thinks 1, ''Mebby l can slip out the back
door and fill the tea kettle but I'll be
hanged II one didn't set there on the hack
stoop, lookin' down the road that led TO
Jonesville as close as a cat would watch
rat hole.
l went back to my room again, wore out
and depressed, and / wished Josiah would
come / peeked out of the windcr toward
the barn. to see if could see him. and hap
PENN to cast my eye down toward the
ground. / see one of his boots stick cut a
little ways from under the barn; then l see
that he had got as far as the barn before he
see EN-. and then he hid I knew there
wouldn't be no gettin' him into the house
till the enemy had dispersed but yet 1t
was a satisfaction to know that my COM
panion was so near to me.
Wal they never went away, so Josiah
could come out of his hidin place and |
could get supper. till shutdown, and | had
to get supper and Josiah had to milk after
dark. And says Josiah, as We was eatin'
supper after bedtime
Samantha, as for standin' it so much
you down, and l am sp'ilin' my clothes a.
crawlin' under that barn so much, to say
nothin' Of film my hair and mouth with
dirt, and straw and feathers" He helped
himself again to the cherry pie and saws,
with gloomy expression onto his face
There has got to be change"
How is there going to be changer"
says I.
I'm tell you," says he, in whisper, for
fear some on 'em was prowlin round the
house yet We will get up before light To-
morrow mornin', and go to Jonesville and
buy a organ right out"
fell in with the idee, and we started for
Jonesville the next mornin. We got there
jest after the break of day and bought it
OF the man to the break fast table SAYS
Josiah to me afterward, as we was goin
down into the village:
Lets keep dark about buying one, and
see how many of the creeters will be abe
settin' on us today"
Says /, You must love to be haunted by
EN- better than l do"
Says he, I'D love to fool EN-
Says l. 1T is jest about such foolin' as
the little boy done that let his father whip
him through a mistake, jest to fool his
father" But SEEM that my companion
looked disappointed, l told him that ut
wasn't my way to tell everything / knew
/ should say nothin' about havin' bought
one"
So we KEEP still, and there was half-a-
dozen fellers follerin' round all the time
Almost, into stores and groceries, and the
mantymaker's. And they would stop us on
the sidewalk, and argue with US about their
organs and planes. One Teller, a tan, slim
chap. he never let Josiah outen his sight a
minute. and he followed him after he went
after his horse, and walked by the side of
the wagon, clear down to the store where
was. a-arguin' all the way about his piano.
Josiah had bought a number Of things, and
left 'em to the store and when We got there
there stood another one. the organ-man,
by the side of the things. just like a watch
dog. He knew Josiah would have to come
and get EN-, and he could get the last word
with him.
Amongst other things, Josiah had bought
barrel of salt and the plano-feller that
had stuck to Josiah so tight all day offered
to help Josiah on with il. And the organ
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