Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-08-21

soft soap, Samuel, fur you're a great
hand to wash up, and you'll miss the
pickles, fur you love sour things, but
will you miss me-"
Mr. Gallup held the paper In his left
hand and reached down his right to
scratch his heel through his sock, but
he was dumb. Mrs. Gallup looked at
him through her tears for a time and
| then cboked down n sob and said:
"Well, IL you don't miss me 1 can't
help 1t. I've ailus had hot water ready
when you wanted to wash your feet,
and you've never found me without
stickin salve fur sore fingers. I've
nursed you through collie and sot up
with you through fever. You've never
had to tell me my bread was heavy or
the biscuit tasted of saleratus. And
when Pm laid away. Samuel, you'll re-
| member that wore the same bonnet
/ and shawl fur 81 years and that
allus made a pair of shoes last three
years. Haven't l done purity well all
things consideredT
Mr.. Gallup might have agreed with
her, but If he did he didn't say so
aloud. He crossed his legs the other
way and scratched the other heel, and
when Mrs. Gallup could restrain her
tears she observed:
81 amt leavin this house the way
some wives would, Samuel. When
am gone, you'll find your shirts and
socks and everything in the usual
place, and you won't have to sew on a
button. I'll even scald out the teapot
and scour out the dishpan II I have
time. If angels can look down from
heaven, then want to look down and
see that I've left everything in order.
/ want to ask you about angels, Sam
uel. Are they all old or young angels,
or are they sorter mixed up? Will I
be set back 30 or 40 years, or will he
an old woman angel"
She looked directly at Mr.. Gallup
and waited for a reply, but he was
reading how to make hammock out
of a -four barrel, and he paid no heed
to the question.
"And are all angels purity, Samuel"
she continued after awhile. "Tve new
er been purity since was baby and
fell out of the winder but II I've got
to be an angel I want my face made
over as soon as get up there. I'm not
goin to be pinted our fur my homeli-
ness as fly around. If was, know
I'd make UP faces at some of 'em.
Will I be changed in the twinklin of
an eye and made as purity as the rest
of 'em?'
Something like a smile fitted over
the face of Mr.. Gallup, but 1t was prob
ably caused by the article he was read
ing.
"And about the music, Samuel?
can't play on no harp without lessons.
have never even seen harp. When
we was first married, / used to play
on the accordion fur you, but 1t was
sick of 1t. Is 1t goin to be expected
that ! kin fly right up to heaven and
begin playin on d harp the very first
thing? If 1t is, then i dunno as l
want to die. never could a-bear havin
folks laugh at me. And the singin,
Samuel-the singin! My voice is crack
ed, and sing through my nose, and is
that goin to do up there? / s'pose
could walk around with a robe on and
talk and visit, but I can't sing nor
play, and they needn't expect 1t. Sam
uel, shall we talk about whether you'd
better take a second wife or not 7
Sometimes think you had, and some
times / think you hadn't. What do
you thinkT
Mr. Gallup turned from the ham
mock article to one on natural gas In
Ohio, and he extended his legs again
and prepared to digest 1t thoroughly
1t might have occurred to him that
Mrs. Gallup was In the room and that
she or some one else was talking to
him, but he answered not. Ten min
utes had gone by when he finished the
article and looked UP and around as II
he had suddenly missed something
Mrs. Gallup lay curled up on the
lounge fast asleep, and in the cor
ner Of each eye still glistened big
tear. M. QUAD.