The morning call., 1894-12-02
DEACON AND SCHOOLMA'AM.
A Rich Country Farmers Wooing-=A Very Unex-
peCted Answer.

"You can't make butter and cheese. o.
course"
"But you could learnP"
"Undoubtedly," said Miss Pellew. won
dering what the deacon was driving at.
"And you don't believe in being waste.
full, do yOH?"
Certainly not. I consider economy a
cardinal virtue"
'Im mighty glad TO hear you talk so. D
said the deacon with sparkling eyes. "And
now. how do you like living in the coun-
e"
"How would you like to live In the
country all the timer"
81 think | could content myself to do so.
see the grass and grain ripple In the breeze
and to hear the kline low in the fields, "
said Miss Pellew. dreamily.
Like TO hear the kline low?" said the
deacon. puzzled. 1.-THE kline low? don't
quite git your mean-oh, yes, yes! / IN
heller! Wall. yes, it is kinder nice to
hear 'em. that is, if they don't heller too
much. I've got an old COW that belIers
purity much all of her time. | broke a
mllkstool over her head Yesterday tryin G
to make her stop, but it didn't do no good.
SIGH big mss of milk. don't s'pose you
"Ob. do"
"But you could learn"
Miss Pellew regarded her slender fingers
doubtfully. swell. l don't know. 1t may
be among the Utilities"
| ION, It's easy to milk, very easy" cried
the deacon. eagerly; "and it's fun, too.
the biggest kind OF fuG. Betsy Jane was
clipper TO milk. She could milk three
cows to my two. All, she was a treasure,
! Betsy Jane was!'
~ have heard her highly spoken Of"
| "Hev you? Wall. l shouldn't wonder.
/ She was purify poplar in the nsighbor-
hood"
SIT is very sad for man to lose the
PARTNER of his soul" said Miss Pellew,
turning her spectacles sympathetically
| upon her companion.
Deacon Puffer groaned dismallv.
ITS pervokin', terrible pervokin', Miss
Pellew."
i presume you miss her very much?"
"Oh, dreadfully. When she was alive
she took of my. shoulders lots OF leetle
| jobs around the house and barn that have
to do now. She wasn't one of your show
wimmin, You know. but ginooine help
meet. She bore her share of the burden
of life. aud she bore it willing is,
after I'd p'inted out to her that it was her
duty to do so. You don't believe in
these show wimmln, do you, Miss Pei
| lew?"
81 don't know as 1 understand what you
mean by show wimmiu,"
Why. wimmin that amt good for
nothin' at all except to look att
No; DO not believe in such women"
81 felt sartain you didn't. Ny two gals,
I'm sorry to say, amt a bit like Betsy
Jane-and you. They're CROWN up in to
show wimmin. They ne ed ma to Pint
out their folly to 'em. Wouldn't you like
to be their ma, Miss Pellew?"
| This question was totally unexpected bv
hn
feet, with very red face, she cried, en-
phaticaliy:
"No. iudeed!'
The old deacon was as much astonished
by her answer as she had been by his
question.
She turned to go.
He caught hold of her gown.
Hold on minute" he entreated.
II need wife worse'n the gals need
ma. Eve got to have somebody in the
house to see to things, and that, too, right
along"
That is nothing to me. Deacon Puffer."
but it's something to me. And it would
be something to you. too, if you'd onIy
look at 1t right. Come, now. be sensible,
and promise me that you will be Mrs. Puff
fer just as quick as your school is done
with"
81 shall make no such promise"
you must be out of your head! Why,
I'm the richest man in the whole town Z"
Miss Pellew's lip curled.
'And you're poorer'n Jobs turkey-so I
hear?"
Miss Pellew's face flushed.
"And / felt certain that you'd hmm at
mel"
Miss Pellew's eyes glinted scornfully.
what reason can you possibly nave for
refusin' such good offer?"
Il have the best reason In the world.
Deacon Puffer-I do not love Won. Good
a har
the grasp of her sutton Miss Pellew de-
parted with her spectaces turned skv-
ward. The deacon followed her with his
eyes.
"Beggar on horseback he muttered.
He fell to scratching his head. The opera
ton set his brains a-jogging.
II didn't go to work about it right" he
declared. IL can see that now, when It is
too late. Her mind runs 10 love and poetry
and SIGH nonsense, and l orter have
humored her, 1n spite of her sp4ctacles
and grammar talk and the hifalutin' Way
she carries her head. she's just as sappy as
she can be. and L orter have spread the
! softs0ap right on to her. l orter have told
| her that she was as pretty as a pictur and
that | couldn't sleep nights thinkin' about
her, and that II she would only marry me
she Nigh. have it all her own way afterward
wear the breaches herself. Promises don't
cost nothin'. OF course. after I'd got her
fast Pd-(here the old rascal put his finger
to the side of his nose and winked his off
eye). / believe I'll stop her tomorrow
when she goes along and-wby. she's CON-
ing back!"
"Ha! hal! she's changed her mindV
cbuckled the deacon.
~ forgot my book" said Miss Pellew as
she came up.
The deacon's jaw fell. She picked up
the book from the pile of boards and
turned to go.
Hold on a minute" cried Deacon
Puffer. grasping her wrist. II s'pose you
think that because l didn't say anything 10
you about love that don't care anything
for you, but l do care a heap. | can't
sleep nights thinking about you, for you
see you are As purity as a pictur-yes. a
darn sight purifier than any pictur / ever
sot my eyes on. Why, Betsy Jane would
look like an old scarecrow side of you'll"
deacon Puffer. you ought to he
ashamed of yourselfI How can You talk
so about your dead wifew and the Young
girls spectacIes blazed with indignation.
"Wall, l s'pose l orient to use SIGH
languidge about her. but then you see Pm
carried away by-by-pasnun. You see
your purity face, makes my buzzom bile
like VOlcanerV said tho ,iaaooo