The Portland daily press., 1895-12-26

81 couldn't help laughin to myself
little fer all it hurt mighty bad, when
1 thought o. Marthy Jane Holly an
| Cynthy talkin O. managin him. I did
try to better things at first There was
SO much hard work. You see, there was
nine in the family, countin the two
hands, an allays eight Or nine COWS to
milk, an chickens an the garden, an we
women he'd all them to tend to, an
says one day: If you'd let the girls hev
part O. the butter money for themselves,
don't you think they'd like it? Girls
wants a little money sometimes. He
jist gimme one look out O. them steely
eyes O. his, an says he THE butter :,
eggs has allays bought the groceries
You better not be putin fool notions in
them children IS heads, an his mouth shet
down like rattrap, an you better
know hushed up, but I KEEP a-thinkin.
Wimmen will, you know, All | thought. !.
He calls 'em children. Well, ken tell
him they're past that, an if ain It fool
ed Emily II show him pretty soon, fer I'd
see her an one o. the hands together a
good deal. He was nice enough young
man, SO ] didn't meddle. What'd ben
Fthe use? Well, after awhile found out
that Barbary wanted organ awful bad,
an the school miss that taught the dees-
tric school, where the three boys went to
school all winter, he'd got the spring
term, an wanted TO board at our house,
an said if Barbary he'd organ she'd
Parn her to play fer her board. So I
thought I'd tackle him agin, an was
as cunnin as I knowed how to be. I said
how good Barbary was, an how she could
sing like bird, an how we'd all enjoy
music, an it wouldn't t cost much. But,
laws, might as well talked to the wind
He sot that mouth O hisn an says, says
he: My girls can play on the washboard
That's the insterment their mother he'd
an I won't hev no finniky school misses
boardin here, putin things in their
! heads. There's leetle more o. that now
than fancy.
That's hit at me, you see; but,
laws, I didn't care. guess was too
old to be in love when I married, an
somehow he didn't make me feel very
sentimental, as they call it. sot out to
do my duty, though, an tried to do it.
I told Barbary it was no use talkin bout
organ, an she cried an said IF pap
was pore man, I wouldn t want it.
But he's rich, an he might let us be a
little like other folk, an ma,' she went
on. if my mother hedn't he'd sich a
hard time l believe she'd ben alvin
yet, but guess pap didn't mean it. I
ought to be ashamed. An she wiped
her eyes an went up stairs. Well,
things went on the same way, but was
gettin to think lots O. the children. The
boys was rough sometimes, but I allays
liked boys an never told tales, an when
Steve wanted me to praise his colt-fer
his pap he'd Civ him fine one-or Bob
wanted me to Civ his calf more'n its
share O. milk, or little Tom wanted any
thing I could get fer him, allays hu-
mored 'em, an knew they liked me if
wasn't their own mother.
s'We he'd an awful lot O. work the
summer year after went there. He
put in big crop, fer he said he was
bound to pay fer 20 acre pasture he
he'd jest bought, an SO we he'd to be up
airly an late. You see, he got two more
COWS an hired another hand, an I de-
clare it was like big hotel, only I be-
heve it was harder. An / thought he d
work hisself to death, too, fer there
wasn't lazy bone in his body, an the
boys-I was sorry fer the little fellers.
It seems to me folks thinks children
never gets tired Why. I've knowed Bob
to be that wore out that he'd crawl up
stairs at night on his hands an knees,
but couldn't do nothin only be good
to 'em.
"Well, one day he fell out with the
hand that I'd seen Emily liked, an turned
him of-right in harvest time too. An
that didn't help matters, fer Emily sulk-
ed, an the man was a good worker, an
his place couldn't be filed. An SO the
squire was cross as bear An him an
Emily had several fuses, an at last she
told him she was goin to marry Sam
White-that was the felles s name. Ny!
I'll never ferget that time But it's no
use talkin it over. Emily faced her pap
to the last. an me an Barbary cried An
it ended in Emily packin up her things
an goin to one of the neighbors. An
must say don't believe what came aft
erward would have happened if Emily
hadn't aggravated him the way she did.
"Of courss it wasn't any easier on me
an Barbary after Emily was gone, though
do say the hired men was awful clever,
helpin us whenever they could, an I
says to Barbary one day, Don't you fall
in love with any one O. them boys, fer
| can't spare you' An she laughed, an
her faee turned red. An you could "a
hpsot me with a feather when she says,
tried like: L won't, ma. I'm engaged
10 Phil Thomas 'Barbary Hillyer,' ,
says I, you amt no such thing' Yes,
am, ma, she says, but we're goin to
wait till he's O. age. He's only turned
20 now Dear me, thinks I, what
will the squire say?' You see, never'd
thought O. Barbary carin fer anybody.
All the young fellers in the neighbor.
. | nA4 %<11I II L. I. 1.