The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-08-07
rs MRS. TEETERS TELLS 1T.

Sence we was up 10 WISH my 1OikS Ii the
country, an Mr.. Teeters he amt got over
laughin' about it yet. 'Twa'nt no credit to
him that we went at all. From the very
first time 1 begun to talk about it. he was
for hangin' back an maxim as If he ruth
err take a whippin' than go. But Jaws,
mems all right if you only know how TO
take em, an I says to him:
g Nobody amt goin' to tease you 70 go.
You can just stay right here in Harlem
if you're afraid you'll git too farsighted
where you can see more'n five rod in a
direction I'm goin' up to the cornsrs for
week sometime before colo weather sets
in. If you'd ruther spend your vacation
smokin' on our fire escape, nobody amt
goin' to Interfere. I'll stay here with you.
But when you get through I'm goin UP to
see my family an git away from other
folkss elbows for while.
well, of course, Mr.. Teeters he made as
if he was goin' from a sense of duty to me
though I told him 1 want afraid of the
cows-an let him have his own way about
pretendin'. / knew well enough he wanted
to go the worst way, only he wouldn't let
on. He's up an ready to go again this sum-
mer, though, you better believe; and they
won't be no managin' needed, either. You
never seen such a man for jokes as Mr..
Teeters is. an I certainly did think that if
1 ever got away from the Corners I'd never
let him go back there so long as they was
friends and relatives of mine within twenty
miles.
1T Amt so much that he makes jokes him
self or that he laughs at the jokes other peo-
pie make a-purpose. 'Taint that. But he's
got regular faculty for findin' that people
are funny all benownst to themselves.
That's why he amt got through laughin
yet about the Gem terry association up to
home. You wouldn't think a Gem terry asso-
citation would be much to laugh at, now,
would you? 1 guess they amt, takin' 'em
as general rule. amt never belonged to
one myself, but the ladies up to home have
got this one / was goin' to tell you about
and Mis- Ruddick invited Mr.. Teeters and
me to go to it.
She's an awful nice woman, Mis- Ruddick
is; but she don't see the funny side O. things
any more'n turkey gobbler. Folks talk
about maxim a horse laugh; as if a horse
couldn't see a joke. Pshaw you ought to
have seen a horse pa bought once. 1 told
you about pa. His stable was a regular
horse asylum. One time he'd got cheated
just about as bad as any man with two
eyes could be, an the first time he took
but he'd have to get out and lead the poor
old thing But while they was crawlin
along at a mortal slow gait pa saw the man
that had sold him the horse comm along
down the road with a brisk new trotter
he'd got. Pa want the only one that seen
the man coming. The old half-blind horse
seen him, too. He kind o. turned round an
gave pa a look-pa always declared that
horse winked. Then he gave his tail a
flourish an If he didn't put off down that
road with as good a pair o. heels as you'll
see down here at the park any day.
Pa declared that the man was so dunn
founded that he clean forgot his own drivn'
an didn't turn out enough. an the man he
SAID that the old horse was blind an run
into him. AT any rate, they had an awful
smash-up, an the old horse broke his neck
an they had to kill the mans new trotter
Pa he sued the other man an the other
man he sued Pa, an / VOW an declare if
IA didn't git damages. You see, when the
other man got mad an said the old horse
was blind an couldn't see, Pa just Up an
remarked that he must ha turned blind
IN single night then, cause he'd bought
that very man. I guess that was the only
time Pa came out even on a deal, an he
always said he owed it to the cutsnsss q
that old horse. He had MIN buried in the
back meadow an wanted to put up a stone
but ma said he shouldn't.
"Speakin' O. buryin brings me back to
up to the Corners want very big plot,
an it gen'ally did look kind o. forsaken.
1t all grew up to tall grass an once in a
while some O. the men ID go over an NOW it,
They always gave the hay to the minister
if he'd send out from town for it, but some
times he didn't send, an it lay there till it
mildewed an almost killed the grass un-
derneath it. No, there amt any two ways
about it, that Gem terry want never what
you'd call invitin
''Well, two years ago Mis- Ruddck she
went out to Ohio to visit her married sister,
an when she came back she fetched the no.
ton o. havin' a Gem terry association to see
after the buryin ground The women took
a-holt O. the idea right off, an made Mis-
Ruddick president an the Wiley girls Sec
tary an treasurer. They're twins, you see,
an old as they are-they're goin' on sixty
seven-they amt many folks can tell 'em
apart. So, kind of for convenience sake,
and kind of because they had more relatives
in the cem'tery than anybody else, they
made the Wiley girls sectary and treasurer.
Mis- Ruddick told me all about it the very
first night Mr.. Teeters an got to the Cor
The men didn't take to the notion much
at first says Mis- Ruddck but the women
folks met at my house an were keen enough
after it. The Gem terry was lookin scam
d'lous then, an when I'd ben elected pres
dent 1 made little speech about what
more respect to departed friends. Some O
the women was real affected. Mis- Tandy
she had to git her handkerchief out, an
want one mite sorry, neither. Her first
corner an | don't believe she'd ben near
his grave sence she married again. I'd ben
up to the Gem terry that very mornin, kind
o. sightin' round to see what was what,
am if you'll believe it, that southeast cor
ner was so grown up to ras' bry bushes that
/ couldn't git anywhere near poor Joe Nor
rows grave. But l could peek through the
bushes an see that the headstun was so
tilted that I was most afraid to step heavy,
fear I'd topple it clean over.
WELL says / to myself, IF poor Joe's
stun don't look bout as upsyS old randy
imsef.''
1T did seems if Mis- Tandy might ha'
KEEP her first husbands MONUMENT straight
if She couldn't do as much for her second
choice in life. 1 guess it kind o come home
to her the same way that afternoon an to
the others there present, too. An, when
moved 'em that we hold regular weekly
meetings round to the different houses an
take steps for the Improvement of the last
home of our departed friends they wan't a
dissentin' voice. Mis- Rabbit she kind o
pursed up her mouth, though, just as I'd
been expectin', an | says to myself that
nights well git through with her firsts
last So says /:
g May we hear some expression from
you. Mis- Babbitt?"
. She was kind O. took aback. but she
folded her hands an looked round as plous
as a family Bible an says she:
"'''I dunno says she, las it's right Tor
us to be pamperin our human affections
when man is bat grass and as the flower OF
the field he perisheth. dunno as we ought
to be takn' money from the service o the
Lord to ornament spot where our hope is
not neither the spirit of them that's