Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1896-01-24
Tht Story Teller.
MRS. GALLUP'S TRIBULATI0NS.
BY NJ. QUAD.

, two hours, and Mr.. Gallup was dream
, ing of log chasing him down hill,
when something happened. Mrs.
Gallup sat up in bed and looked and
listened for moment, and then she
elbowed Mr.. Gallup in the ribs in a
way to make him sore for week and
hoarsely whispered:
, "Samuel Gallup, git up n light the
, candle and then run over and tell Mrs.
, Watkins that I hain't an hour to live y
Mr.. Gallup lodged the saw 10y OF
, his dreams and came back to earth
sufficiently to open his eyes and realize
that Mrs. Gallup was speaking.
"You heard it, didn't you Samuel?'
f she continued as she rubbed her band
across his bald plate. ~ know of at
least five wimin who woke up with
that sound in their ears, and everyone
of 'em were dead inside of "a hours.
I promised Mrs. Watkins only last
week that if ever died she might be
the one to hold my hands and boss
things, and now the time has come.
Just knock on her bedroom winder
and tell her that my summons hev
arriv'."
Mr.. Gallup heard her first four or
five words and then returned to his
dream, though now he was falling off
the roof of barn instead Of lodging
a saw log.
II was never sleepin' sounder in my
Il;co cid Nrc G,1l,,n ohn nca6 her
elbow again. II might have been
dreamin', though I don't remember,
when I heard that sound-soft, low
music, followed by voice right out
side of this winder which said: Come
up higherr Yes, it said that, Samuel, ,
and afore sunrise you will be widow
er and lookin' around for a second
wife. I dou't want to make no fuss
about goin'; but 1 wish you'd run over
and git Mrs. Watkins. She under
stands all about my dyin' habits and if
she has to stay to breakfast, she won't
put in any extra coffee or ask why we
hain't got any white sugar in the house.
Do you hear me, Samuel ?"
In his dreams, Mr.. Gallup slid off
the roof of the barn and struck on his
head, but he didn't wake up to reply
to her question. He simply drew up
his legs and began to snore, and the
tears were streaming down her cheeks
as the dying wife hitched up to brace
against the headboard and continued !:
"Wall, you needn't 60. 1t was
selfish in me to ask you to put your
self out jest cause I was dyin'. You
just lay right there and snore and
grunt and sneeze and gasp, and I'll
take keer of myself. It's fashionabler
to have folks around you when you
expire, but woman who hain't had
new bonnet for % years hain't particu-
lar about fashion. I've allus kinder
thought I'd rather die in the daytime (;
but it don't make no difference, l guess.
If I'd hev waited till after the Sun
day skule picnic, but we can't allus
have our own way in this sinful world.
Samuel, will you hev the funeral on
Saturday or Sunday?"
She felt she ought to ask the ques-
ton; but did not expect any reply to
it. By this time she was "enjoying a
good cry" and had Mr.. Gallup reused
up she would have been put out.
"Whichever day is the handiest will
do for me % she sobbed as vision of
a funeral procession came to her
through the darkness. "Jist git threw
it with the less bother you kin, and
then 20 to coltin' around and lookin'
for number two. When Mrs. Sam
Robinson died she asked her husband
not to marry a young gal for his sec.
ond wife; but 1 hain't goin' to say
anything about it. III be sailin'
around on my golden wings up in
Heaven, and so why should l keer?
Samuel, how long dou yo s'pose it
takes an angel to learn to fly? I've
been thinkin' it over for the last two
weeks and 1 don't think l kin fly as
we'll as our old black hen. Don't
you think kin walk around up there,
instead of fyin', or couldn't hev
roller skates or velocipede?"
Mr.. Gallup's answer was long
drawn snore, and Mrs. Gallup wept
softly for a minute and went on
II wouldn't ask you to 20 up and
see my grave, Samuel, 'cept the nay
burs would all talk about it if you
didn't. You'll hev to 60 up once in
awhile, even arter you've taken Sec
ond wife. I s'pose you'll tell her, as
you stand lookin' at my tombstun,
that 1 was the alingest person in this
hull Stait, and that no week passed
that I wasn't taken with sunthin'
new? Yes, I've been sick a good
deal, Samuel, but I heven't bin to
blame about it, and I've allus bin
willin' to die and stop the expense.
Your second may be sick twice as
much as I've bin. Some folks would
hope so, but 1 don't. shan't bear
her no grudge, even if you buy a cro-
quet set and hev skeeterbars at all the
winders. Did you button the hen
house door afore you went to bed? /
thought heard a hen yell out as if
skunk had got hold of her."
"I want you to look out for things
when I'm gone, Samuel, even if you do
colt around and learn to swear and 60
to the circus. The rain barrel wants