Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-08-01
MRS. GALLUP'S FEARS
SHE HEARD A SOUND AND DECLARED
 THE END WAS NEAR.

MT. G. Few Parting Instructions and Says GOodby-Ga11up's Serenity UndIs- turbed.
 It was o'clock ill the evening. Mir. Gallup sat by the sitting room table, looking over a farmers almanac which the drug store man had given him as he came up to supper, and Mrs. Gallup was ripping apart the skirt of an old brown dress which she had planned to dye jet black and make over as good as new. For the last ten minutes she had been humming as she worked, but all of sudden she ceased to hum, drop ped her work and exclaimed:
 Samuel Gallup, do you hear that?" MT. Gallup hadn't heard anything out of the routine. The clock was giv- ing out q monotonous ticktack-the cat was purring as she licked her paws now and then the wind breezed up and rattled the blinds
 ''It was that speckle bullet of ours trying to crow !'' whispered Mrs. Gallup, with awe and fear in her tones. Every hen has bin on the roost for an hour and half, and yit she tryin to crow same as if it was dayight-same as if she was a rooster There she goes again. MT. Gallup let the almanac down on his knee and listened, but refused to commit himself He wasn It going to lay it on a bullet when the clock or the cat might be to blame
 "You heard it, didn't you, Samuel?" whispered Mrs. Gallup as she rose up "You are sure that it was our speckled bullet, ain't you? Couldn t be anythin up stairs or down cellar? If the vinegar barrel had busted, it wouldn't sound
 like that, would it?''
 MT. Gallup lifted the almanac, rear ranged the spectacles on his nose and dismissed the matter from his mind. He didn't know that Mrs. Gallup walk ed over and fell upon the lounge and pressed both hands on her heart and looked around for something to wipe away the tears which would presently flow.
 "It was the bullet, Samuel" she presently continued, :'and you needn't try to argue me out of 1t. She s bin tryin to crow for the last week, and only this afternoon T throwed potato at her from the back door, She has finally sue ! cccded. She has not only crowed, but crowed after dark, and of course you know what that means? Samuel, one or t'other of us will be in the graveyard afore the week is out.
 Mir. Gallup did not start up. On the contrary, he settled down in his chair | and became deeply interested in an ar ticle descriptive of the finding of num- Der of four. eyed potatoes ill a cellar in the ruins of Pompeii. Mrs. Gallup's tears were at hand, and fortunately there was piece of dress lining within | reach to use as a handkerchief. She | made vigorous use of it, and then, in a voice broken with emotion, she said: 1t will probably be me, Samuel. | Mrs Taylor might have lived 20 years | longer if she hadn't heard a hen tryin to crow at night. Poor old Mrs. Latham | was all over her rheumatism, and the doctor had got through comin when hen crOwed at night, and she was dead before sundOwn next day. My own sis | ter, who was one of the wellest wimin 1 ill Madison county and never had a pain or ache, woke up at midnight and heard a hen crow, and next day she fell ill the well and was drowned. Samuel, we might as well talk things over and git ready. If I had dropped the dishcloth | four times hand runnin, it wouldn't be any wuss than this'
 MT. Gallup moved his right foot over | against leg of the table and rubbed ill
 a gentle way to get up a friction and ease an itching spot on the instep, but
 he seemed to be entirely oblivious of | Mrs. Gallup's presence in the room. | The piece of cambric slid over her nose and eyes and was only dampened in spots by the tears, but Mrs. Gallup's thoughts were elsewhere.
 II could be mean and stingy about l it, she said as if talking to herself, but I shan't, If my time has come to go, then I'll go and have it over with. I did want to rip up that skirt and dye it and make it over for a Sunday dress,
 but if I'm sent for I won't hang back on account of an old dress. I also want 1 cd to clean out and whitewash the eel lar, but s'pose you kin hire it done after I'm gone. There was cellars to whitewash afore I was born, and | there'll be cellars to whitewash long
 after I'm playin on golden harp. | Don t you want to come over and sit by
 mo while die, Samuel?"
 | INIT. NTdlluI1 lltlH TSIIE. HIOD-
 ably realized that she was talking, but
 didn't understand that she had asked a | direct question. Besides he was reading
 an article about the Russian hog and
 giving it all his attention. Mrs Gallup
 wept copiously and wiped her eyes with
 liberal hand, and when MT. Gallup had
 been allowed reasonable time she said:
 ''I allus did hope that mother would
 be here when died, but if she can't be
 I shan't raise no fuss about it. Perhaps
 it's better she ain't here, as she's
 great hand to have mysteries and carry
 on. You can say to her that I died
 happy and went straight to heaven, and | if she don't feel too bad you kin let her kind O boss the funeral. I know she
 feels little put out with you because
 you wouldn't let me git false teeth, but
 she'll forgit it when she hears that I
 have passed away at last. I confess I
 was sorter sot on havin false teeth, but
 it's jest as well didn't git 'em. Idon't
 know whether angels have teeth or not.
 If they do. I s'pose I'll be purvided fur,
 same as the others, and you won't be
 anythin out O pocket. Samuel, shall
 you wait q hull year afore takin sec
 ond wife? I don't keer anythin about it,
 of course, but bein I'm dyin thought
 I'd jest ask. If you want to marry agin
 ill six months, don't hesitate on my ac
 count I'll be up ill heaven, f1yin around
 and playin on harp, and of course I
 shan't know about it. y
 MT. Gallup reached down with his
 left hand and scratched the heel protrud-
 ing from his slipper-scratched it softly
 and lovingly through the woolen stock
 ing-and at the same time he finished
 the Russian hog and discovered all arti-
 cle on the medicinal value of artichokes
 "I've sometimes thought I'd come