The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1899-11-16
Sitting up With hrs. jerks.

10 ulueISldDu.
George Smith had but to meet neighbor
in the road, and casu lly mention that
some one was i'll, and that he "reckoned .
it was IRON eaun' too many mus
cadines'' and before noon seven of the |
neighbors would have stepped over''
to see if there was anything they could |
do.
But the special delight of the Cross
Roads was to ''set up when any one
was sick. On the night when the peo-
pie ''set up at Mrs. Higgins residence,
her aged relative, "ole Mis- Jinks, being
expected to die, Miss Samanthy Teak !
wood took mental note of the assembly |
and afterward made scornful mention of
1t to her father.
WAS they enough of us?" she repeated |
with emphasis. well, | should hope !
so. They was me an Marian Smith
an ole Mis- Bolivar, an they wouldn't
none of the Higginses 60 to bed, they was
all so afraid Mis- links would die III the
night, they said; an So the whole room
full OF Ms set up there; an it shows the ole
woman powerful tough, or she would "a
died. "
Mr.. lockwood repeated these remarks
with much enjoyment at the store that
night;
lit beats all what a crowd O. women
talks about when they cit together" he
said thought1ully ''Samanthy toll me
all about what them women entertained
themselves with while they was a st tim
up with ole Mis- links. Bless gracious,
ii ever l git sick an a crowd like that
comes a-settin' up with me, jest send for
a cothn for me, and git ii over.
" How do you pear to be teelin' noN?'
Jane Higgins would say, tip-toein' up to
+l,o nd e., H.
So loud You could "a heard 'em over to
Zion.
Cow an yeaIlin' = snaps the ole wo-
man. What do l keer about any COW
an yearlin? If you can't talk sense,
don talk at all,
" Pore creeter, she's gittin' powerful
deet, says ole Mis- Higgins, droppin
down on to the sefy an vipin' her eyes
on the corner of her apron. She ain t
long for this wor' Well. there can t
nobody say that we amt done a good |
part by her. What that she was askin
fur? Is there anything l could git fur ye,
Mis- links, dear
. Some cold billed screechowl,' says
ole Mis- Jinks, a. raisin' herself lit
tie; an git it quick, with little less
gabbin''
'''An' she dropped back, an was a.
suollA pelole any pouS Coulu Say
word.
"'Good landn says ole Mis- Bolivar,
if l was a bit supersutious, Mis- Higgins
L d take that for warnin'.
Its a blessed thing | amt super
stitious, says Mis- Higgins. If [ had
a been, I'd > a been as crazy as lun-
attic with the warnin' | been a lavin' for
the past few weeks.
Land Anything out o common?' |
says ole Mis- Bolivar, edgin a little
closter.
"'WelI, l should say so! Only las
Sunday two weeks ago oophy was on
rollin her bangs by the glass in the fur
bedroom, an she hit the glass with one |
o. them long ELDERS o her'n, an down it |
came, an broke into a thousan' pieces !
l amt nowadays supersttious, but the /
minute il happened says, says |, They |
gon' to be death in thisser tam ~"
An ncw look - yonder"'
An that ain all that's happened, |
ma. says Jane Higgins; an Mis- Marsh !
hitcAei het cheer roun' leetle further
No, nor that ain the worst says |
ole Mis- Higgins. Las Sunday week, !
a whole cIc0d u folks come home with
lis from L On, an we got dinner fixed, an
got en- an down to- the table. an was
half through eatin' fore any of MS noticed
thar here was thirteen at he table,
"'ILIteen, screams Mis- Marsh
g Thirteen says Mis- Higgins in !
holler voice. An | knowed i'll a minute /
they was goin to be a death lest as well /
as if I a saw it. l ain t got speck o ;
superstition about me, but when things |
come as plain as that there ain no gittin' /
roun' en-.
IAN then every cheer drawed clo,ter, /
an you never see sech set o wild eyed I
skeerarows as them women was. They .
set an set; Samanthy says. lookn' like |
they was afeerd to breathe at las ole
Mis- Marsh says
They one more sign 1 amt never
knowed TO fail The day before my
little Pete was tuck sick we was all a
settin' roun' the fire one night, eatin'
goober candy, an a scIeechowl come
right into the yard an hoilered till
1t u'd d sent the cold ellis all over We;
an shore enough, Pete, he took sick from
eatin too much chat candy, an in less n
week he was cawpsen
amt heerd no screechowls yet,
Mis- Higgins was beginnin, when Jest
at that minute one broke loose right
at the wiuder, an give a long SILVER
in screech, an fore you could a
said Jack Robertson ever livin' woman
was in the fur bedroom, with the door
locked, an sech cries an walls a. corn
in out o there! Samanthy says she
went out in the yard an foun' that boy
o mine, that Jack, a-rolin' on the grass,
au' a laughin' like crowded house; but
whether it was Jack OF whether it was a
screech owl, the ole woman sgittin' well.
| seen her settin on the gal ry as | came
by there this mornin.' Funny about how
superstitious women is, amt it?''
''You can find no woman that aim t
got some kin O superstition said I'm
Gle Silas Benson, taking careful aim at
the box of sand, and missing it by a hairs
breadth.
'They won't star piece O work on
a Friday, OF they dropped the dshrag an
somebody's comm, or some kim o. tom
foolery; if it amt one thing, it's another.
Thank gracious, there amt no superst-
ton about me-
'No, nor me, neither" said Mr.. Teak
wood and Pendants aud Smith murmured
that they didn't know the meaning of the
word,
The idea O carr n on like that be-
cause dog howled, or a screechowl hol-
Tered, said Uncle Silas Benson scorn-
fully, reaching into a cavernous pocket
after his knife, the usual partner of his