Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1898-01-12
BETSY GASkIN.'
lobe Sleeps i'm che spare Bed-The
Dream

L
sleep and walked not until broad day
lite. Imagine my surprise, when
walked, to find that durin all that long
mite / had been the sole okepant of
that bed. The piled of which lobe,
my dear husband, had slept for over
thirty-four years had not been teched
that mite, and, for the fust time in
thirty-hve years next corn huskin,
Betsy Gaskins had slept alone. felt
skeert. 1 felt as though some awful
calamity had or would occur to me,
With a heavy heart ariz and put
on my skirts, all the time feelin as if
I'was about to choke. Everything
was silent and still about the house.
Could it be possible that my dear lobe
had dide or been kidnapped, or what?
hurried into the room-no lobe
there. went into the kitchen-no
Jobe there. I fastened to the spare
bed room. The door was closed. l
stopped, / rubbed my hands together,
studyin what to do all trimPlin.
Certainly the deaf and life1ess corpse
of my dear husband was in there cold
in death, driven to it, of course, by the
cruel words of his 1ovin wife. There 1
I-stood stock still, not KNOWN what to
do. I must have stood there some
three or four minutes until came to
myself. All at once I says, says I, out
loud: "Betsy Gaskins, what are you
about? Raint you alters been looked
upon as a woman of good Judgment
and fearless in the face of disaster?"
At that I marched up to the door and
flung it open.
Now what do you suppose found?
lobe was not there, but that spare
bed had been okepied that very mite.
There it was that I realized that the
two old parties, as it were, had been
divided-divided for one nite-on the
money question. Yes, lobe Gaskins
and his wife Betsy, Dimicrat and
Republican, had slept beneath the
same roof and in separate beds.
While 1 stood there, contemp1atin
what next to do and where Jobe might
be, heered him come onto the back
porch. 1 met him with smile as he
come into the kitchen.
Says 1: "Why, Jobe, where have
you been?"
"Feedin-feed, of course says he;
where do you suppose I've been?'
1oekin at the floor and wa1kin past me
AFTER reflection thinks 1, +" 'Tis best
to say nothin to him about the split
in the two old parties until a future
: date" So jist went about it and
i prepared the mornin meal, thinkiu al
: the time of a dream 1 had that mite
S some time between bedtime and dav
I lite, while l lay there all alone, while
: spare bed.
Well, while Jobe was partakin of hi:
= mornin repast, saw all the time tina
he wanted to say something. 1 never
e said a word durin the whole meal
n neither did lobe. We jist set and ca
: eat in silence.
d When Jobe was done he pushed bac1
o and tipped his cheer agin the wall
k I knode he was going to speak. HI
e cleared his throat like, and says, say
# he:
y "Betsy, don't want you to say an.
more to me about what you read il
e the newspapers. I'm wi1lin to lister
{ to ANYTHING else under the sun, blu
5 don't let me hear any more about then
9 Popu1ist ideas. 1 want to talk sens
{ to you, and you talk sense to me
Il Now how are we to raise the money t
> pay the interest by the fust of April?
Says I: Gland a goodness, lobe
how do know? Goodness knows
d am wil1in to do all can to help yo
h raise it. had dream last mite; i
2 that dream was true might tell yo
/, how to raise it,
l. 1 stopped.
e "'Well," says he, arter studyin
It mint, "what was your dream?''
IS Lookin at him kind and gir11sh like
$ says I:
{ ''Jobe, wont tell you what it wa
unless you make me promise"
lobe actually smiled. Says he:
> go ahead; what are your promises?
= "We1l," says 1, srnilin, 'the fus
promise is that you sleep in the sam
- bed do to-nite."
At that LATED out loud. lobe h
II did too. Then says 1:
"The second promise is that you Wi
listen without comment until tell
D ALL"
Jobe he studied.
= "Do you promise7" says I, girls
. like.
e Yes, 1 PROMISE" says he; "g
| ahead"
= "You promise to sleep in the sam
bed you have for these nigh ont
- thirty FIVE years?'
q Eyes, yes" says he, lookin hal
S guilty.
n "And you will 1isten?" says I.
I" Eyes, yes, I'll listen, says he.
y So, arter c1earin away the dishe
: and scrapin eff the crumbs for til
e chickens, and putin some dish wate
>, 20 11;1o Sof dawn On the other side .