Rock Island Argus., 1900-11-06

needn't beat around the bush at all,
| but tell her right out. She'll rather be
expcctin the news. She was over here
| this afternoon, and she said l was liza
bic to git my summons at any time.
I've got it all arranged with her about
the funeral"
Mr.. Gallup did not look around. With
calm deliberatiOn he spat on the whet>
stone, and with calm deliberation he
drew 1t back and forth across the
blade.
Yes. Samuel. my time has Gomez
sobbed Mrs. Gallup after waiting a
reasonable time for him to speak. "a
few hours hence and you will be a
widower, and q few days hence you
will be wearing Il red necktie and cam
term around after u second wife. When
you started over town. | was as happy
as lark and hadn't the slightest idea
of dyin. Ten minutes later when ]
went to carry the butter down cellar
there came seven knocks on that emp
ty cider bar'l, and as l stood there
shakin heard a whispered voice Assay
In, Hammer Gallup, git ready to be an
angel" 1t was my summons. and I've
got to go. Nobody kin hold back ag'in
wife shall you marry, Samuelf'
Mr.. Gallup had paused in his labors
and was looking absently at n robin in
q cherry tree.
You needn't feel at all delikit about
talkin it over with me-" said Mrs. Gal
lup as she dabbcd at her eyes with the
apron. I've allus s'pected you'd git
married ag'in If l should die, and
shan't howl and sQueal about 1t. Mrs.
Bebee says If her husband marries
ag'ln she'll haunt him, but you needn't
be afraid of me. I'd ruther you mar
rled ag'in. If you didn't, you'd be goin
to circuses and dogfghts and candy
pulls and become as wicked as Silas
Johnson. S'pose you've kinder had
your eye out hev'n't you, Samuel
that is. you've kinder made up your
mind about what sort of woman
you'd marry?'
Mr.. Gallup withdrew his gaze from
the robin and returned to his work OF
sharpening the sickle, and Mrs. Gal
lup's nose had grown very red with the
pulling when she continued:
There's the Widder Lapham, Sam
uel. and everybody says she's wuth
81 1000. but wouldn't want you to mar
ry her. She's too hity tity for man
of your age. While she was swingin
in n hammock she'd let the bread burn
up in the oven. She'd want you to go
of TO n picnic every day in the year,
and If you had any soft soap in the
house you'd hev to buy it. And there's
the Widder Davis. She's n good house
keeper. Samuel. as I'll admit. but they
say she gifts streaks on. One day she'll
be laughin and gigglin all day long. and
the next day she'll be as sulky as a
mule. She kin make a pound of tea
60 AS fur as l kin, but she told me
with her own mouth that she had four
pairs of stockin's last year. Could you
put up with sich extravaganza as that,
Samuel? Wouldn't you be thinkin of
how 1 allus got along on two pairs a
year,
Mr.. Gallup whistled softly TO himself
as he felt of the edge of the sickle with
his thumb. The whistle conveyed no
direct information, but was n whistle
in the abstract. Mrs. Gallup looked at
the back of his neck for 4 moment and
worked up and choked back a sob and
then said:
There's PhGbe Cousins, whom ev-
erybody likes. but she's an old maid
and sot in her ways. She never back
bites nor gifts mad. but she wants ev-
erything Jest so. II you come into the
house and throwed your hat down on