The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1897-09-08
CHAPTER iii.
CUT OUT.

The farm adjoining Mr.. Boone's on
the south belonged to Mr.. Porter.
Mrs. Porter was Mrs. Boone's sister.
Mr.. Porter had built near the north
edge of his claim, and Mr.. Boone near
the southern boundary of his, SO that
the two houses were quite near to-
gether.
On the afternoon following the Or
ganization of the singing school, Nan
ME stopped at her aunt's on her way
home, with abeaming and excited face.
"You can't guess what kind of an
errand I've come on" she said, sitting
down in the doorway and tanning her
flushed face with her sun-bonnet, ut
terly unmindful of poor Dick, who was
plowing in the field across the road,
and who had stepped close to the fence
when he saw her coming.
"Wall, no, I can't say as I can, not
bein' very good at guessin', replied
Mrs. Porter, drawing her old-fash-
ioned rocking g-chair up to the door.
els it an arrant for our folks?"'
cts one for you," answered Nan
ME. "Mr. Wayne wants to come here
to board"
Fer goodness sake!" exclaimed
Mrs. Porter. "What on sirth 'u'd we
do with him if we took him, I'd like
to know? We don't go in fer style, an
amt us't!to livin' as he'd expect to, an
then, SIP posen it was all right, an
father was willin', I don't know what
Samanthy'd say"
'Oh, you'd get along with him we'll
enough" said Mamie, confidently.
"I know you would. He wanted to
come to our house, but I knew we
couldn't make room for him. I knew
you could, andI knew, too, that he
couldn't find neater place; and as
you had only Uncle Porter and the
hired man, with Samanthy to help you
with the work, T thought you could
take him without putting yourself out
much. I promised to see about it
and let him know tonight, at sing
ing-school."
IT don't know as I hev any pertick-
ler objections eff father hain't," said
Mrs. Porter, after thinking the matter
over. "What do you say, Samanthy?"
Samathy was Mrs. Porter's cousin.
and acted in the threefold capacity of
hired girl, companion and household
dictator. She was "smart as steel
trap an awful capable" Mrs. Porter
told her neighbors, ''an' takes right
holt an goes ahead with things as well
as I could. She us't to make us all
stan round" Mrs. Porter was wont to
affirm, years after Samanthy had left
her, "but we was us't to her ways an
didn't mind her bossin' us, she was so
handy an willin'. There wa Mt a
single lazy hair in her head, an we
never had nobody work fer us that be-
gun to airn her wages as Samanthy
Peters did-never!"
"What do T think about what?"
asked Samanthy, coming in from the
back-room and leaning on her broom,
prepared to listen and advise or object,
as the case might be.
"The singin'- school man wants to
come here to board" explained Mrs.
Porter. "What do you hev to say
about it?"
'Tain't fer me to say anything as I
know on" said Samanthy, in reply.
IT s'pose there's plenty of room fer
him, an we can git along 18th the work
we'll enough; but I'm free to say I
didn't take much of fancy to him, and
wouldn't keer to hev him round
more'n six months to time. But
mebbe we can stan it while he's teach
in, an you can turn my bill to singin'-
school on his board, eff it s any accom-
modation."
ITO be continued.