Birmingham age-herald., 1895-05-05
SECONDHAND STORIES.
Story No. 2.

Told by Very Old Lady, Who Had
 No Teeth.-You men think you are pow
 erful sharp, but femme tell you, when it
 comes to downright slyness any woman
 can work around you and not make
 bit of fuss either. That's the difference
 between a man and a woman; when
 man has done what he thinks is cute
 thing he's sure to tell somebody else, while a woman keeps her mouth shet, sometimes cause she's afraid to say any thing. Now, I'll tell you a story erbout two wimin who fooled the same man
 (but didn't fool each other), and see if ain't right.
 Twas over in Georgy, fore the war, and they wus young gels, daughters of
 my brothers Pegram he was middlin well-to-do; had a good little place of 200 or 300 acres of bottom land, erbout a dozen niggers and a two-story house, which sot on a hill outen reach of the chills from the creek.
 The gels was F and 20 the oldest
 named Lize and the youngest Sophy.
 Both was good-looking, but in differ ent way. Lize was as neat as CT pin ana looked as well in a caliker dress as she
 did in silk. Sophy could stand heap of dressin', and the more she primped ana Ir1ZZeu If1e DeIIeT, DuI SlS Weio POW- erful slattern and ontidy bout the house. goin' roun' most of the time in CT raggety dress and her head 1ookin' like a hurrahs nest.
 She never let Sam Bullock ketch her that way though. Sam used to ride over
 most every Sunday and pass the eVenin ], and we was all guessn' which one It would be. I don't blieve Sam knowed | himself and the gals was erbout equally gone on him. He was CT likely young | feller and his pap had plenty to start him right whenever he tuck the notion to settle down.
 One Saturday in the fall time, while | the niggers was all busy pickin' cotton. | Lize says to Sophy: This here house Is sin and CT shame, and there ain't nobody | to scrup itjbut men you; and its-got to | be done "S6phy pouted and grumbled, but | she give in. for she knowed as well as Lize that Sam was apt to be there next day So the girls put on couple of old slips, tucked em up high, and went at 1t barefooted. sloshin' and moppin' round, Sophy maxim half CT hand and Lize | doin' the balance. Long erbout O clock they got through. Lize went out on the front porch and sot | down on the steps to cool and dozed off, | bdn dead beat out. Sophy, she sneaked up stairs, intendin' to go to
 their room and lay down and leave Lize M | to git supper Howsomever. she fust went out on the gallery to git the fresh | air, and happened to look up the big road Then she tiptoed into her room. | Lize heard the gravel scrunchin' and | opened her eyes, and there was sam Bull | lock acomin' up the walk not 20 feet from | her. She give a little holler, grabbed up | her dress and flew through the hall. While Sam was standn' on the steps with the dry grins, down comes Miss Sophy in CT pink dress and her halr | combed and lookin' good ernough ter eat. iy, Mf, R11llock p she | what pleasant surprise. Just wait CT mint and I'll go in and bring some chairs. l It's so much cooler out here" So she | fetched the chairs and tuck 'em to the end of the gallery where the honey suclxIe vines was thick, and there they | sot and talked, while Lize was in the | kitchen fryin chicken and rollin' biskits | and cryin like her heart would break. | She was shamed to come to supper, ana when they got through eatin Sam and | Sophy went back on the gallery, and en- | durin' the time they was out there sam | ast her if she would have him. We'll they got married and Sam begun | to discover things, more than some men and less p'raps, than others. Sophy | warn't no sort of housekeeper and the | place got topsy-turvy in no time. Then | the children began to come pretty thick | and the poor little things was a-crawlin and a-sprawlin' round, half dreSt and | dirty as pigs.
 Iize would come over sometimes, look- | in like she had stepped out of bandbox | and she'd straighten up the house and l wash the babies and put somethin' clean | on 'em Oh, you hold on!. Sam would | come in to supper and cock up his feet and watch Lize out of the corner of his eye, and Sophy settin' there as pale as eu | sheet knowed jest as well what he was | a-thinkin' as if she saw right into his | mind.
 By and by Sophy fretted herself to | death. Sam waited a respectable time | and then he slicked up and went to see 1 Iize. He went on with long rigerma- I role about how she was the one he really | loved all the time; he couldt tell what | made him do like he did; but it wasn't | too late yet; the'd marry and be happy, | jest like sensible people, who warn't | too old nor too young to know what life was.
 l Lize kinder laughed and looked straight at him and says: Sam Bull | lock- I reckon you think I'm big fool" Sam knowed 1t warn't no use to say any | more.
 | So don't you never think you can be more cunnin' than woman. - z ~