The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1897-02-11
4 LAZY LOVER.

/
flattening his nose against the grimy
window pane and peering out into the
storm. Jest look at it a-comin down
He'd "a know'd we was a-goin to hev
it like this, you'd a seen me a-leavin
home--you'd "a seen me a-leavin
! home"
The old man thoughtfully stroked his
/ bushy beard. He felt that he had met
/ but just retribution for coming to the
store to loaf. When, an hour before, he
/ had awakened from doze i'll his arm
chair, picked up his stout stick and
hobbled to the village, the sky was clear
and blue. Not a cloud was visible any
where and the sun was blazing down
on the fields of yellow grain that he
overlooked from the porch of his little
house on the hill But the storm, as
storms do in that mountainous part OF
Pennsylvania, was gathering its force
unseen behind the neighboring noun
tains, piling black cloud ON black cloud,
and then, like an army charging on
sleeping enemy, it swept forth from its
hiding place amid the flash of light.
ming and the crash of thunder and del
uged the valley.
My oh, my" muttercd the old
man 1T serves me right. | ought tG
"a know'd better Whenever | runs
down here for minutes loaf, it rains.
Never team comes along to give me a
lift home, an hcz TO paddle back in
me leaky ole boots
He hobbled to his chair by the empty
stove, about which were gathered the
men of the village, despite the fact that
no fire blaZed within and cold weather
was far ahead.
II hope the company hahn t displeas-
in, snapped the thronic loafer. He
knocked the ashes out of his pipe, refill
ed and lighted it and sprawled out upon
the counter, pillowlng his back against
a pile of calicoes.
mot at all, at all It's the loafin ]
hate | never could loaf, J" said the old
man. CHANGING at the PROSTATE form.
The chronic loafer made no reply save
faint "Huhp'
"Jest because fclly sets around the
stove hahn t no sign he's lazy, = said the
miller warmly.
Fur be il from me from sayin so,
| boys, fur be IT, " said the patriarch,
stroking his beard. But, as was sayin
awhile ago, don t want to git inter nc
sech habits as Absalom Bunkel.
ABS lom Bunkel - Bunkel-Bunk-
el?" repeated the shoemaker, punctuat-
ing his remarks with putfs of tobacco
smoke.
"Bunkel-Bunkel?' said the store
keeper inquiringly, tapping the end OF
his nose with his pencil
"Who the heck's Abs lom Bunkel?'
the loafer cried.
"Absalom Bunkel was man as was
nat rally so lazy it was credit to him
every time he moved the patriarch
began. You uns knows the ole lawg
house thet stands where Big run crosses
the road over the mountain It's all
tumbled down now. They amt no
daubin atwecn the lawgs. The chin
bley's fallen; the fence hez gone, an the
lots choked up with weeds. It's for
| lorn place, but when | was lad it
was Jest about the ssckest thing along
the ridge wander That s where Absalom
Bunkel lived an his pap lived before
him. Absalom's pap was stingy man
so stingy he'd squeeze cent tell the
Injun yelled Consequent when he died,
he left Absalom fortune of 300. 1t
was fort nate thing fer the son, fer
he d much ruther "a set on the porch
a-listonin to the birds am watChin the
bees hummin over the suntlowers with
the pangs of hunger a-gnawln tMoo his
insides, than to "a worked
"Now, Absalom was afore my time,
but heard all about him from my pap,
an what my pap said was allus true
true as gawspcl, it was. When ole man
Bunkel died Absalom was 30 year old.
He didn't go off spendin his fortune.
Not much. lie jest set right down on
rockin chair on the front porch an let
his sister Nancy tend the house. Nance
MIXED the cow, Nance made the gar
den, Nance done the homework an come
! to store. He done nothin-absoluto
nothin
"He was never outer bed afore sun up.
Eff it was warm he'd set ON the leetle
porch all day lookin over the valley,
watchin the folks goin by an the birds
a-swoopin along the fiels or throo the
trees, listenin to the bees a-buzZin aroun
the garden, to the dreamy hum of natur',
fer to do him credit he loved natur' IF
it was cold, he set all day be the fire
place a-bakin his shins. Once in awhile
Nance d fergit to leave him wood when
she went out fer spell. Does he cut
some? Not MIN. He jest goes to the
nearest possible fence rail, kerrys it in
ter the house, sticks one end inter the
fire an keeps a-pushin it In as it burns
off.
Nov, it happened tibet when he he'd
ben Twin this way tell his forty fifth
year ole Andy Crimmell TUX the place
about mile beyant his. One nice aft.
ernoon, as Absalom set a-dozin on his
front porch, Andy's dotter, Annie May,
como trippin down the road on her way
to store, lookin as pretty as IA pictur' in
her red sunbonnet, swingin basket an
singin melancholy piece: Absalom
woke with start as she stepped outer
the woods above the house, an he got q
sight of her pink checks afore she duck
ed under her bonnet, fer when she seen