River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-01-02

gate. and proceeded To uuDuckie she
girth and take of the s;ddle, which
he threw over the sence. \ pull az the
head-stalI removed the bride. and the
horse, with a snort of satisfaction. at
once lay down and rolled in the sandy
road The bride was thrown across
the saddle, and the little man opened
the gate slowly and hesitatiHgly- a
one who knows what things the tortur-
er Is preparing for him.
Il was a-comin'. MinerVy," he he
gan, but the striIeni voice interrupted
h,m-
Comm. Yes. reckin so. So Is
Christmas a-comiu, Here I've had This
supper ready one solid hour. an the
cofTee's not fit To drink by this time. An
the ole red cow q Peterses has been in
the corn again. ar nobody but me to
drive her out; bur its little you keer
what / hey to- suTer. SOS you kin go
10 town an SET roun' the stores an
tell lies with that nO-'count gang that
stays there. IN [ know Jest as we'll
as ef I'd a seen ii that you never brunG
that thread nor them piepans."
Il was a-goin' To git EN-. Minervy.
began the little man. meekiy, but they
was mp thar maxim upa company
Didn't know it, Jim Carroll. Didn't
] know il. lfcyer there was a woman
neglected an abused from one year
end to another. am that woman. Here
j am, slavin' an slavin' ftOm mOrnin'
till night, an never. KNOWN what IL
Is to get nowhere eXc"ptin' to preachin
Oucet "a mOnth-an' gracious knows
If il want for bein' Christian never
could stand this kind of life. an you
know that well enough; an here are
YOU. gaddin' about like IF you didn't
hev a kcer in the world. I'd jest as
soon he free niggrr an done with Il"
The red-facrd woman Withdrew into
the house. and the meek little man fol-
lowed her. lie hoped that the worst of
the storm was over. and he even ven
tured TO remark with a conciliating
smile:
Il never thought you'd he so mad
about it, Minervy.''
..Ther. il is" shriekei tn. now thor
oughly aroused lady. You kin tear
around his house an trcat me worse
than a Save. hut IL ever say a word the
fats in the fire. Things has come 10
a pretty pass il | can't open my mouth
but what somebody has to accuse me
o. bein' mad reckin' I'll hes to be
gagged after awhile. SOS can't say
nothin'. Ii ever / did see a dOnineer-
in. overLearin' man you're tibet man.
Here You Kin Insult Ine as much as you
please. but don't dare 10 Say my soul
is ms own. An when YOU now ed how
] needed that thread an them piepans.
an you 90 all the way To town. an then
come back without EN-, tn out an git
a armfuI o wood to git breakfast with,
j reckin YOU Kin remember that >
Gracious knows. If all the Lien was like
You the women folks would * a plagued
sight better off without 'em than they
air with EN-
The little man went out at the open
door ami around the horse toward the
woOdpile He paused there to draw
his hand across his perspiring forehead.
and t. make remark To himself. The
remark was simply: Nv hewl" but it
conveyed an amount of expression.
Then he picked up two or three sticks
of wood, and then he stocd up. look
ing off down the valley toward the town
whose lights he could just see glim-
mering taintly in the gathering t,si-
light
lie stood there so long. absorbed in
his own thoughts. that aH impatient
step began To resCund through the
2 hause, and sarcastic voice was pro
jected into the cleaning;
"Jim Carroll. air you a-eomiD' with
that wood. or air you a-goin' to stay all
night?''
The sound awakened him as from a
trance. and Re started so violently that