The Monitor-register., 1896-04-10

high oven, and soon after dinner that
would huff up and be made into ~loaves,
and what white bread it wasl Pa had
dyspepsia, and thought he could eat no
other bread.
Aunt Lois lived there too, and she was
a martyr to the dishwashing on those i'm.
portant days.
She started in promptly after breakfast
to wash dishes, and there would be an
additional pyramid from the baking
department every now and then, until at
half past eleven she sometimes saw the
thickest of them cleared away.
Mrs. Somer's daughter Jane was put.
ting the house to rights, and after a little
would come to iron with the baking fire.
for firewood was never wasted In that
house.
The three sons were up on the farm, a
mile away, tending to the hay and mend
ing the fence, and at moor would come
down, as hungry as sharks, in view of
which a big kettle of boiled v~ictuals was
being prepared, but with all the work,
there was a babel of talking. Cousin
Liza did not know anything about the
newcomers from the city, SO everything
had to be explained to her.
Spa, how many calves did you say had
to be killed by the butchers in the two
villages when the Sloanes were getting
ready for that tally-ho party from the
| city ?" called out Mrs. Somers. .They
must have calves head jelly, you know,
and, positively, they expect that cream
flows almost in the streets here. It is all
right to sell to them, but you can't sell
what you want yourself, at least I'm not
| going to- ratified on Mrs. Somers, never
waiting to answer any questions.
Mr.. Somers reused himself and spoke
up:
"What are you women always bother
ing your heads about those people for ?
Why don't you let them alone2 What
has started you nowP"
"Why, pa, don't you know about our
invitation? You must get over your
ague before night if you want the honor
of paying a visit"
"What now ?" asked pa.
"Martha Shafer stopped here going to
her work in the tailor shop, and said that
| she had been directed to ask all the
neighbors to go to Mrs. Sloane's to- night;
we should call round any time conven-
lent; that we were to see Mrs. Sloane in
bloomer Dress"
Aunt Lois explained to Cousin Liza
that Mrs. Sloane was a big, fleshy
woman, and would look about as grace
full as a COW in boomers.
"Pity, isn't it, such people don't have
some work to do, SO they wouldn't make
themselves so ridiculous getting up
thiDgs!" was another of Ma Somer's wise
sayings, as she added more, and more to
her store of baking.
In the afternoon the neighbors dropped
in to Mrs. Somer's as a sort of head
quarters, and talked over the whole
question of dress, and of city people
thinking country people did not know
anything.
They decided they would not go near
the house,
ibid you hear the joke on Mrs.
Sloane 2' asked one of the neighbors.
mo, what was it ?" all exclaimed.
swell, she was at the Corners. and
asked if there was q library here. Joe
Green, of course, was on hand, and
he said, yes, he believed there was, and
that it was in charge of the cobbler, over
the way"
Mr.. Forbes, the cobbler, told the rest
of the story the other day. He said she
came and asked him, and he said he
reckoned there were some books in the
cellar. Seems the old library that was
started and failed was moved around to
get it out of the way, until it was put in
the cellar there of the old house where he
has his shop. He got a candle and told
her to come on in the cellar and not fall
over the old stairs, and then he put his
hand into an old cheese safe and hauled
out two musty books-the "Life of
Washington" and life Among the
Mormons." "And will you believe it'll
she took home Life Among the Nor
mons.' What did she want of that, do
you think r
Mrs. Somers suggested that Mrs.
Sloane just wanted to see what they had
there, and by and by would make out
they were sort of heather.
Pa Somers tried to quiet the jargon by
saying that the city lady seemed very
kind and nice to him.
But he was silenced by a volley of
words from his wife, who said that
Martha Shafer and pa seemed to be
champions of the new people, and must
be they expected pay for their trouble.
However, pa ventured once more to
say that MI. Sloane talked Of buying the
Burr place, and if he did that he would
likely do something nice for their town
if the women did not make it too uncom-
Portable for his family.
"What if we write an anonymous
letter to Mrs. Sloane, and tell her We
have aome sense and don't need to be
invited to see her in bloomers p, said one
Of the afternoon visitors.
Grandma Somers, a lady of the old
school, sat in the corner mendiug, and
calm as a June day. Nobody remem-
bored to have ever seen her stirred no.
In the Civil. War days, whom there were
war meetings and people were excited,
she would say, "0h, this is nothing like,
the time Of the great alarmw Her
memory went back to that time, She
! seldom ioined IN tha convays.tfo, -