The record-union., 1895-06-22

them days. Flossie. AM mighty differ
what ye see now. Jest two little rooms
down stairs, an big, ,slantin'roofedb bed
room atop-its the ''ell' with the store
room an washroom now. Then there
was less than half acre O. ground in
stead % two-acre garden round about
with fruit acre over the road. Yes, it's
peaches as is ripe now-an' it's peach
lnarnlalade as Pm a-stirring' ever sence
ye come IN an afore, an it's mos done
too. Them little glasses yonder, three
dozen they be, will be filled and trotted
10 town one o these days.
Well, Caleb an me we was as happy
an contenled for time as pair O. birds
III nest, an rve often thought if only
the nestiings had come along we'd hav'
KEEP on without ali the troubles as came
pell-meil Que after the other, tit to take
yer breath away WI tellin' o. it. How
ever, the good Lord knows what is best
for us, am il he didn't give us no Achsah.
lie had His own good reasons be sure.
An II we don't need TO be lookin' about
for OthnleI for her, no more do we need
an Othniel TO help us add on TO our pos
sessions. Yes, FlOssle. L see His loyin'
Providence m0re'n more clear as | travel
on towards the promised land-Caieb an
l, hand III hand, as it were-an' | thank
They was for all the world like them dark
ages (midevil was the word as took hold
on me- yer heatheniSh beau was ii tall in
ot-an' talkin right over the heads o. yer
pa an yer ma too-that last evenin' as |
dropped in. All, yes. our mid-evil. days
air SO long past L can talk o. them Calm
like now.
But to go back. The first year all went
we'll. Caleb he served Farmer Nelson
faithful, and worked at our bit o. a garden
at odd times, while | KEEP our bit O house
trim an slick as IabDy's oat, an die q
heap O spinnin' an knittin besides.
Then, slowlike, no one could hav' told
how or when it begun, it grew kind O.
dull to hum evenin's, am Caleb he took
TO havin' errands to town after it was too
dark to work.
Ye see men folks air hard put to it
for pastme, there's no denyin' il, not
havin' anythin' like spinnin' an knittin'
an mendin' 10 fall back on to-more's the
pity. Deed, an | believe was boys
taught sech like ipd keep 'em out o.
harms way many an many time.
Why, lands sakes, I'd hav' got dull, too,
settin' wi hands folded. work done!
It's some better TO bang at peanny or
hold up book than TO do nothin' at all
that Pm wiilin' to grant ye, Flossie.
so little by little errands came along i'll
sech full force that mos ev'ry evenin',
done supper, Oft did Caleb trot, an them
cussed errands grew in size till it took
mos midnight to tend to 'em-an' Caleb
a workin' farmer as had to get up atore
day. An l was that luns0me after dom
up the supper dishes that | took to goin'
to bed right after, an then lynn awake
watchin' for his toot-tall or his whistle
with the click O. the gate followin', an
a-listenin' meanwhile to the tickin' O.
the clock an the strikin' o. the hours
many o. 'en. too, bein' told sharp-an'
fore long I'd Parned Calebs football an
whistle at long distance by heart.
Then came night remember it like
a nightmare-when l didn't recognize
the football as was apprOachin'. What
think ye? My Caleb-the chosen out o.
many-a-stumblin' like that, an a-hc-
cuppin', too! AM then a-comin' in all
cross am glarin'- eyed, till l was skeered
out o my seven senses! What? There
amt but five? Well. it don't matter
much now-'peared like L had bakers
dozen that night an all o. 'em a-Quiver.
But [ KEEP still, pretendin' to be fast
asleep.
Little by little it leaked out as how all
Caleb's errands for Farmer Nelson was
TO the alehOuse in town, where d lot O.
low fellows played cards am wasted their
days earnin's come night a-gamblin' an
drinkin' till mos next mOrnin'. 1t was
not till after much prayin' am wrestlIn'
WI cowardice that spoke up serious an
pleadn' WI Caleb. an he got so vio-
lent l jest gave in am never said boo on
the subject again. | was coward an no
mistake, to give III 50 easy, an, more
over, d demon took hold o. me straight
ways, an from that time on for many a
unhappy day L was jest plannin' an
plannin' as To how L could pay him back.
Neglectin o. my household duties was
out O the questlon-it would hav' been
a-punishin' q myself more'n him. AS |
see it sence; my house was my hobby
heap more n my husband; ay, p'raps had
l neg glected the one for maxim myself
more agreeable to the other things would
hav' come about dltferent-but the Lord
knows what is best in the end.
SO housekeepin' matters went on slick,
Caleb never comm in to mealtime as be
didn't find all the steamin' am we'll sea-
soned food as should be on table TO its
own proper season. Actually there
seemed no way O. spitin' him without
a-spitln' o. myself worse.
Then One..daysI made a discovery as
opened way TO revenge, an be sure l
laid on it, an with the wick eldest thrill OF
pleasure too. Y 9 see we'd put by little
durin' the year towards taxes, an also
hOllh IL NOulO grow ouOuRu III W Ouy lOL
OF land adJOInln' our'n, to square Off our
lopsided garden which troubled me
more'n [ can tell, alus likin' things on
the square. Them savin's we KEEP tied
up in a handkerchief on the top shelf of
little cupboard where | KEEP my few pre-
sarves-we couldn't afford much sweets
in them days. Well, L, chancin' to forget
jest how much we'd laid by, took down
the handkerchief to count over the money,
an, though l couldn't hav' sworn to it, l
was mos sure there was less than there
ought to be. 1t trouoled me some, an
for several days L KEEP close watch of
that handkerchief, an afore long l found
it was lighter still. Nov, Martha Tucker,
yer chance has come! Grasp itp' says l,
chucklin' right wicked to myself. There
is no fairness in Caleb's enjoyin' all the
savin's-fOr if he has worked to earn 1t,