The times., 1897-07-04
SQUAN CREEK FOLKS.

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this way by anything in pertickleT2''
Il do, Aunt Mary" ue ser, as he bushes
clear down 10 his Chin
rs it POHy2'
1T is I'm in love with her, and I
want TO ax IL 1 kin hev her?"
"Abuer,' SCI I , Is I mOshuHs him to
sot down, .'luyin' a gal is one thing
and puryidiu' fur u wife is another.
How you goin' to support a wife? Polly
has got big appe ute, and it viii take
bar'ls and bar'ls o. nCuT and pork and
'taters to pull uer through. She's as savin'
as most OF EN-, but she wants a new par
o shoes every var, and the dresses aud
stockins and fixin's all cost money How
you soin To 90 it, Abner2''
"ketChln' lObsters, ser he, as he turns
pale clear back 10 ms ears
KetcniD Holsters is all right, Abner,
as fur asst goes, same as tOngin' fur clans
and oysters, bu1 thar's nuthin' sure bout
it, One day you may keJch a dozen, and
everyone Will be whopper, and then agin
you may NOS 81 Oas fd- three OF four days
LobstersiS queer critters. and lobster mar
riages can't be rgckoued on fur happt-
ness"
I've found a powerful big cIam-bed,"
y
hopeful as he saidit.
I'm favorin' OF CLANS as far as frituers
| go,'' sez 7, but II ole man never made
| dollar a day when Claunmin' I haiu't
nuthin' agiu ye as a young man, Abner,
1 and everybody in Squau CreeE speaks well
| o ye, but 1 guess you'd better sort o
/ sheer off till YOU hev got at least hun
/ dred dollars ahead to start on
4 F.ar =.
/ dred,'' he asks with a gulp in lis throat
| said he could, and fee!in 10 pity him
/ I cut him half q pumpkin pie rnd got him
a drink o. hard cider and sent him home
| feeIin' a l-eule more chirS That sams
/ night I said 70 Polly.
| I've bIn talSin' with Abner. and he's
to marry you when he gifts hundred ,loI-
/ lars ahead Don 20 10 weepin' around
now and wedria' out your haHdkzTchiefs
/ a-pulHn yer nose. but hel o ire 10 make thdt
soft-soap, and trust To luck Ir 4bnrr has
/ any git-Gp in him he'll be claimIn' ye In
/ side o three months
/ Wall, one night about q week later
had mighty Gurus dream. I kuuwed mat
/ Abucr had sOiue lobster pots out, but 1
didn't know jest whar'. I seen 'em in my
dream, however In one Of the pots mar
81
pin big Teller aud looked To he fifty
/ years Old He had sutEin' shiny in Bis
claws, but I couldn't make out What it
was l seen that critter or a lOo,t-r fest
as plain as I see that door, aud when I
/ woke up cO-Idn.J skasSIy believe 1t was
q dream. Next night 1 dreamed me -ame
| timing gin, audin tine ul1rnin- seeA Dner's
/ father passin' by and sez to uim:
1 fish a-runuiu' these d. VS.
No fish 10 speak Of, Aunt Mary, sez
he
rs Abner doin' any great with his
| Iubster-pots:"
Cant say that he is, as he hasn't bin
| out fur two OF three days"
Then l told him to 20 and tell Abner TO
20 out ana fish up the pot furJheSt 20 the
south and take keerfuI look a the big
lobster, and he said that he'd do il and
Went along home That evenin' I was
/ windin' carpet rags ana Polly was sewin'
when somebody opened the door without
| l1uOCsin- and 1 looked up to see Abner
Reed. His face was all agrin AMI he
couldn't keep his heels on the fIoor, and
l had 10 AK MIN If his mother was dead
or the cow had got mired on tbs. marsh
before he said.
Aunt SiaFy, I've cum fur 70 say that
men PollyU he married next wrek,"
"Mebbe We will" sez 1, but that : ac-
cordin'. Did ye 20 out to heIcbster-pots
today"
i did
And ala ye find a thumpin' big feIler
in that last pot TO the southe''
] I dill" he ser with an vful grin.
TT.r1
in his claws, and If We hain't run asin
a post aud knocked the sense outer Yer
head Ia like to know what il was
1t was diamond ring, and I've sold
II fur SIeO and here's the cash! That's
my hundred dollars and sunthil' TO spare,
and l had yer word fur It about P0uv. -
/ was never 50 nigh knocked out in
all my life, and IL was six or seven uniuits
before l could git my breath. Ia drempt
OF that lobster and seen thar ere diamond
in his claws, and that Abuer should "a
out thar and find 1t all so and make
eaFtIoad OF money seemed so strange
that my feet got numb and chfls went
over my back Polly she busted uut
cryin', and Abuer cried and danced around
and 10 was ike a ,suI -meetin fur awhile
Bimeby I sez to Abner.
uoh beileFe Ee Nh IlUti lJ N any
hist'ry that the Lavvd has auythin- "a
do with Holsters, but this ere is proc
that he does and il would be sinful fuI
me to stand out agin iu. was inspired
to dream Of that big lobster. and YOU
was inspired To go out and nud tha
diamond ring he'd picked up sumwha
on the bottom. Polly. ar ye sure Y,
lUv Abner almost to death, ana that
yen hang yerseif to that bed-ros1 II II
can't marry him?"
I'm sure" sez she.
And, Abner, ar ye aIIus coin' 10
Iuv, honor and cherish, and wash N,
dishes when she's got n Headache an
mind the young 'uus when She want
TO run over to see ma Tout what's good
fur the cuiCken-LOX aud whUCpin ,-c0ugh?'
He promised everything, and we al
Sorter wept some more, and they 90
, married the next Tuesday. TIey main
either one o. 'em melted away irom 10
much happiness yit, but they Is as we
off as most folks, and they feels as
. Go that the hull thing was Siud o. fINe
upin heaven. Yes, lObsterSiS curious Critser
! mighty curious, but the Lawd made 'eI
! that way and / guess it's all right
CoIored Artist in the Lnxemhou II
Henry o Tanner is a young colored ma
who was born and educated in PhIadc
phia and who was one OF the favOriI
{ pupils of the late Thomas HOycudcu at III
i . M