The broad ax., 1897-01-16

nails. that Josiah and me looked as Il
we wuz settin in a calaco tent. And
what COVE the room a more gloomy and
melancholy cast. found when l went
! to lite s,Ie lamp at mite that the kero-
sene xuz all gone-and bein out oV
candles. l made for the first time In
M fife what they call a "clut''-which
is a button tied up in a rag and put
/ in a saucer ov lard, u set fire to the
, rag. and il males lite which is better
! than no lite at alias a slut is better
than no woman at all-in that way
suppose 1t DERIVED its name, but II
haint a dazlin lite. nothin like so gay
and festive as gas. /, beet out with
work and watcher, thought / would
soak my feet before went bed, and
so l put some water in the mop pail
an set by the side ov the stove with
my feet into 1.-THE thought had come
to me after had put my mite cap on.
Josiah set behind the stove rubin
some linsment into his back-he wuz
barefooted. with his coat and vest off.
Josiah wuz Jest speaker 2 me and SEE
he
II believe this linyment makes my
back feel easter Samantha, | do hope
shall get little rest to mite"
SEE l Il hope so too Josiah" Jest
az sed these words, without a minutes
warnin, there came a knock-and the
door opened at the same time-and In
poured what seemed to me at the time
to be a hundred and so, men women
and children, headed by Betsy Bobber
Josiah so wild with horror and amaze
ment that he forgot his lameness for
the time. leaped from his chair, and
backed up against the wall between the
back door and the wood box. rose up
and stood in the mop pail. 2 stricken
with amaze and horror to get out of 1t
for the same reason heedin not my
mite cap, which was cut Sleeps head
fashion.
We have come to surpriZe u SEE
Betsy Bobbet sweetly. My tongue Glove
TO the roof ov my mouth-no word
could speak for l wuz speeches., but
/ glanced at EN- with looks which |
suppose filled EN- with awe and dread.
fer Betsy spoke again in plaintive ack-
cents
Wont you let US surprize you?"
mo, No. SEE / wildly-for then my
voice came back-"I wont be surprized,
u shant surprize us to mite. We wont
be surpriZed, Speak Josiah" SEE ] turn
ing to him in my extremity. Speak!
tell her: Will We be surprized TO nite?"
NO nnpn he in Grrrn uarliEa
tone. as he stood backed up aginst the
wall. mo we wont be surprized."
~ see friends" sez Betsy to the
crowd-"she wont let us surprise her.
We will 60" So she headed EN- of
but she turned at the door, and SEE she
in a reproachful ackcent, 'Mebby it is
right to serve a old friend in this way
Il have known a long time Josiah
Aliens wife"
Il have known u plenty long enufI'
SEE / steppin out Of the mop pail and
shetten the door which they left open
pretty hard.
Josiah came from behind the stove.
pushin a chair ahead of him. and walk
in by the help ov 1t, and SEE he
Darn the suprize parties; and
darn"
Don't swear Josiah" sez I. Il should
think wuz bad enuff on without
swearin."
81 will say darn Betsy Bobbet, Sa-
mantha. Oh, my back he groaned.
settin down slowly on his chair. II
cant set down, nor stand up"
~ jumped up lively enuff when they
came in" sez /.
Throw that in my face, will u, what
could du-and there is a pin sticking
into my shoulder. do get it out Saman-
came, only haint sensed II till now"
WALL" sez l in a kinder soothing
tone, as / drew it out ov his shoulder
il must have hurt him awfully had he
not been crazed with fear feel it
sez less be thankful We are as well
on as We be, Betsy might have insisted
on stayin. Ill rub ure shoulders with
linyment agin. and guess ure back
will feel better. Do u suppose they'll be
mad. JOSIAH"
II don't know. nor / don't care" seq
he. "but l hope So" And truly his
wish came to pass, for Betsy Bobbet
haint spoke to me sense. The rest did
Mt seem to care but she was awful mad.
which shows that IL makes a differ
ence with her, who does the same
thing, for meetin with a disappoint-
ment here, they went that night right
from here to surprize the Editer Of the
Gimlet, and II come straight to me, Ce-
lestine Peedick told Miss Goweley and
Miss Goweley told me, he turned EN-
out Of doors and shet the door in their
faces. The way 1t was, his hired girl
had left him that very day. and one Of
his twins was taken sick with the
collie. He had just got the sick baby
to sleep. and laid II In the cradle by
the fire, and he had give the other one
some playthings and set her down on
the carpet. and he was washin the sup
nar dfahaa with HE olaa-o- =.