Warren sheaf., 1896-12-24

December night pairing and cutting up
q great, knobby, sweet pumpkin, for
pies. ''I'll be dinged to gosh ct l
wouldn't give milkin' of the Jersey
cow fer ther eyester stew termorrer
down ct the church jest ter know what's
ken over thet boy Jake Of ourn. He
bain't seemed like hisself fer year
past; not thet am perticalor anxious
thet he should, fer ef ever a youngster
he'd change of heart and manners
withouten the help of revival be-
lieve cts him. He hessant given me
sassy word fer weeks end Almost git
me off short er snatch me up sudden jest
ter hev the chance ter say sumthin' ag
gravatin to him and call him an ongrate-
full scamp thet don't know when he's
well off and continner riling him end
not low him ter sass back, cos I'm his
father. reckon the boy hain't always
he'd a picnic and frosted cake and linn
ming aid livin' end workin' fer me eff
I am his dad, end me es should be his
best friend end show him thet love
him the best next ter you. He made me
ashamed O. myself end Jake's honestly
greater then he thet taketh a city, es
the Scripter says, fer when he ken gov
ern his temper round me, es see myself
now, he's got the stuff in him wuth hev.
in. Somethin' s kun over him-there's
no blindin' yer eyes ter thet. He seems
ter be livin' outside of hisself-fer other
foxes hke-fer me end you most per-
ticulerly-es if ct were pleasure for
gettin' of his own wants and notions.
You've noticed, Dorothy-of course you
hev-fer I've hearn you thank him a
dozen times-how yer wood-box is al
lus filled without yer askin' end the
water drawed, end the back stoop swept,
and the chickens drinkin' crooks kept
full, end the aigs fetched in, end the
sour milk kerried outen the cellar, end
snarl O. things done fer you what
afore you alters he'd ter do yerself er
nag Jake and argy end coax till you'd
druther ten times over do it yerself,
end liker es not you'd hev ter then when
alls said'n done.
He's cheerful end chick about his
work es a cat bird cheemering round
her nest in alder bush, es if he were
gain continually onto Christmas din
end brown gravy. Tother night hearn
him talkin' ter the cows when he didn't
suspicion there was nobody aroun', end
he told old Boxy thet he'd never kick
her again eff shed fergive him end said
lot O. things to the 'tother ones thet
I cudn't hear, ner didn't want ter hear,
fer felt like was stealin' list'nin'.
eyer night saw him end the Eaton
boys end the schoolmaster settin' on
the bridge over sogger run. They was
power busy talkin' about sumthin,
specially the teacher, and when KEN
up they looked kind of upset like end
dandered off about the criclx end the
crops end corn huskin', end eny gump
could see ct wasn't what was onter their
minds.
"a spell back-end not long spell,
either. I'd sed they's a-plannin' some
onruliness, some chice mischief that nd
make folks swear es air in the habit of
swearin'. Some one would like es no find
ther two-hoss wagin onto the top of ther
barn termarrow mornin', er her smoke
house onto ther front stoop. But hahn t
a-worryin' now. Them youngsters he'd
eumthin' onto ther minds besides lark
in end cussedness, end we shell see,
mcbbe, what we shell see, es some cute
fcller sed.'
And with the last ring Of pumpkin
pared and cut up and put to stewing in
the big pot on the kitchen stove Uncle
6luman took down the wooden boot