Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-14
HER HUSBANDS FUNERAL.

can this said Mrs. Peak of Way Back.
Massachusetts, one hot day last August,
as she turned the leaves of her huge red
plush photograph album in entertainment
OF her summer boarder from Washington.
this Is the likeness of her that was Me-
hitabel Johnson. She lived with me quite
spell afore she got married. an she GER
| tainly. was the handiest critter at gettin'
| UP big dinners for barn raisers, an harvest
| hands, l ever see in my life.
"Hain't 1 never told you about Mehita
| bers husbands funeral? Do tell! 1 thought
| everybody'd heard that. Well, this Is him,
John Hicks" pointing to the opposite page.
IAN he began to spark Mehitabel when
she was a livin' with me. l hated dread
| full to have him keepin' her company, for
| though. for ALT 1 knew, he was good
| enough as men go, was dead sure he was
| after Mehitabel. She knew 1 didn't like
it. too an used to say to me:
Don't you fret Mis- Peak. John Hicks
| d never make a good husband If he lived
to be thousand years old. That's my
| idee of him.
IAN the time, though, that she was
talkin' this way. she was maxim up piller
| cases an sheets. an knittin' yards an
yards of tattin'. an sewin' it on under
| cloes; an one day when 1 heerd from Mis-
| Stevens, who had it from Mis- Perkins,
| who got 1t straight from Azuba Hicks,
| JouH own DfOtner wire, Inat hleH1ta-
bel an John was goin' to git married.
come Wednesday week, SEE to Mehitabel.
| SEE I, here you be gon' to marry John
| Hicks, when I've heerd you with my own
| he wouldn't make good husband
| "Mehitabel only looked awful solemn, an
| said In a kind of tomb-lilSe voice. AN I
| think so STILL
| Land, 1 dunno what she married him
| for. What does anybody marry anybody
| for? What did l marry pa for? Pa was
this vaconteur's helpmeeO the taste folks
| show in gettin' married, is one of the
Gurus things of this life, that guess no.
| body'Il ever find a reason for, not even
| them that's done it.
| well, Mehitahal was right, John didn't
make a good husband. He let on to be
| teamn' it in Fall River. an took her off
| there to live, but he that shif'less
| that let alone not workin' while he was
a Twin, he didn't even live out half his
| days. but died last summer for nothin'
| else in the world. as I told pa, than that
he was too shif'less to keep breathin.'
| 'Mehitabel mailed me postal card as
| soon as he died, a-sayin' that she was ago
in to bury him here in Way Back, an that
| the procession made up of the preacher. the
! undertaken. Johns kin folks, an her. Mehit-
| abel, would stop at our house on the way to
the church. long enough to git dinner.
| never got the postal card for a week after.
| The mails here amt very reg-lar," and Mrs
| Peaks face grew serious.
The summer boarders countenance, too
| grew sympathetic, she likewise having suf-
fered from the fact that Way Back was a
| Star route office.
But if I didn't git the postal card. got
] the folks fast enough continued Mrs. Peak.
| They come on me unexpected, Jest when
| was beginning to do up the dinner Dishes
| after eighteen thraShers (you couldn't git
| soul to help you last year in harvestn' for
| love or money!. when everythin' in the house
| was ct clean up, an when l was that wore
out, an het up, could have dropped in my
| tracks.
| ho1 1teI,oc
was jest pourin' the hot water over 'em.
| when 1 peeked out of the kitchen winder
| careless like, an there in the backyard, If
| there didn't stand a hearse an crowd Of
| mourners. I declare. I was that beat, you
could ha' knocked me down with feather
| Pa! yelled I (he'd come back to fetch
me in some oven wood he'd forgot. Pa! If
| there amt hearse drove up to the wagon
| She'd and then 1 went on, I knew 1 was
most dead with work. but didn't think
| was so near gone as all that, but IL it's come
for me. l guess I'm ready to go and with
| that dropped into kitchen chair, as weak
| as cat.
| by the time pa got to dousin' water on
| me to fetch me to, Mehitabel an the rest of
| the procession was at the house explainin'
things an helpin' sop up the water that had
gone on the floor, more'n it had on me.
| Il don't wonder 1t scairt you.' says
| Mehtabel. a wrrgin' out the mop-never
| gettin no word Of Johns sickness even
| an then all Of a sudden SEEM that hearse
| But you Jest go an lay down Mss Peak,
an I'll see about this dinner an. with
| that II she didn't hustle the preacher out
| into the garden after green corn, an the
| undertaken after potatoes 1--WE was only
| diggin' em from day to day. as we n. eded
'em. since they want ripe yiD an set
| Johns sister a slcin' salt pork, an his
| cousin a washin' the dishes I'd begun an
| left. an his aunt from Lowell settin
| the table. while Mehtabel herself begun
to roll out some baktn' powder biscuit.
| Yes, 1t was sort Of queer way for
| mourners to act but dunno but it was
| jest as good anyother. for it kind O.
| took their minds off their grief. an l cal
| clate they must have forgot their sorrer
| some. FIR ~ had splendid appettes-et
| every last thing up.
well. when they'd got the dishes done
| up after that meal of vittle 1t WAS time
| taker hitched his team into the hearse
agin-yes. they'd left the corpse out In the
| hearse-pa put old Doll an Bett into the
| carryall Q'd got rested enough to go too
| by that time), the mourners got into their
buggies. an Off we went, stoppfn' only
long enough In front of Mis- Simpkin's for
| Mehltabei to run in an borrer her long
| mournin' veil an bonnit. Mehitabel come
| out with 'em on an lookn' real tasty
| after that. of course there want moth
| In but the preachin' an the buryin'. Me-
| kttahci, ~. az the hull of the mourn
| ers took on awful both at the church an
| they would. SEEM how cheerful they was
cookin' and eatin' that meal of vittles,
but likely enough doin' that sort o dis
| tracted 'em.
| But never shall forget, no, never, not
to my dyin' day. concluded Mrs. Peak
| turning the album page preparatory to
| beginning another Renaissance, my feel
1 ms when l peeked out of my kitchen
winder, near dead as 1 was from cookin'
| for them eighteen thrashers, and see that
| hearse standin' in my own back yard for
| all the world as II it had come for me-"
1T WAs JnAnEn