Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1897-10-21
CHAPTER xr.yr-(Continmcd.)


"lors. chile. dat amt muffin tall!
Not as | knows any thing bout it: but
ole Aunt Cybele say. wait till dc cloth
is drawn al de wine put on de table,
will You? Den you tink ole Nick an
al his inips done broke loose. Least
ways. so ole Aunt Cybele say. an she
sought to know. Which It's my belief
as dat Is dc reason why ole marse neb-
Der married. 'caase. you see, he knew
berry we'll how no wife would cher
put up long o. such high-jim-be-lung
goings on in de house! Listen to dat.
now said Venus. Indignantly. Us the
sound Of wild reyelry rolled in upon
their ears.
Astrea felt shocked and outraged.
Astre3 felt shocked and outraged.
As the evening passed On the orgies
grew higher and more furious. From
loud talking and boisterous laughter.
they soon reached improper jests and
anecdotes and ~bacchanalian songs of a
character quite unfit for woman's ears.
Now, jes' listen TO dat dare chorus,
honey, Amt dat 'nough to make any
decent body go dere head right
into de ashesy" said Venus.
II am not listening, Venus. as l pre-
fer not to hear such r~ibaidry." replied
Astrea, in a tone OF rebuke that ST.
fenced Venus for the time.
1t drew near midnight, and still the
orgies gave no intimation of subsiding.
Il gwine try 10 fasten up dis yere
room: deed is L; cause | done got
sleepy. an dere's no tellin' where dem
dere debbils wander to when dey get
blind drunk: dey won't know dis room
door from lie front door or de back
door. an dey'l be as like to stumble
into here as any other place said We
nus, al she looked about for some
means of securing the room against
Intrusion. But she had no better sue
cess than Astrea had upon n previous
occasion.
Well, / do think how dis is a down
right 'barbarious 'trivance of ole Nick
hisse'f! Ebery key took out'n de locks,
an no bolt on de doors. an oil de doors
swingin' outward, SO you can't even
pile UP anything agin 'em to keep EN-
fast exclaimed Venus, in a rage.
MY good woman, Ii o are tired.
Just close the doors and go to sleep. l
shall sit in this chair and watch
through the night. I could not. in any
case, trust myself to sleep through
this night" said Astrea, kindly.
We'll honey. it do seem funnclly
selfish in me for to go to sleep an
leave you a-sittin' up by yourself;
Ieastways ii would seem SO If l could
help of 1t. which l couldn't to save my
life, An when de sleep do come OH
me | can no more keep my eyes open
dan muffin tall; an l couldn't IL de
house was a-fire." said Venus, opening
her wide mouth in an awful yawn that
n~hsI.ftn1 an lx.sN a.<..oI .L.,x~< sa.-f
BILE to contemplate.
1T Is a very pardonable weakness,
Venus; pray, yield to it Mt once said
Astyea, gently.
"Deed, / gwine to, honey answered
the woman, kneeling down to say her
short evening prayer. After which she
yawned again fearfully. crcpt under
the bed to her Mattress, and was
soon fast asleep. Waking up, howey-
er, mt til erolling In of an unusually
uproarous chorus, she started, put her
head out from under the bed, and said.
de Tors. If I didn't think robbers
had broke into de house! An 1t amt
muffin tall but dem riprates a-roarin'
OF dere songs. Well, l try 1t once more!
An, honey, mind. If you is 'sturbed In
de night, or frightened or anything, an
l asleep, jest you overturn q chair or
somethin' an wake me up. cause l
shan't sleep so berry SCUM no ways.
Well, goodnight. honeyr'
And so saying. with another ire
mendous yawn. the oma once more
drew In her head. tumbled down upon
her mattress. and resigned herself to
a sleep too profound to be again dis
turbed by the most noisy outbreaks Of
the dining room orgies.