Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-01-18
my father is Big Pet Wander Walt .
Tant' Sannie said solemnly, eyes,


J ing up spasmodically, "can off sad.
de-"
Eyes"
| He seized his hat and disappeared
with rush through the door.
II told you so! I knew itr' said.
Tant' Sannie. "The dear Lord doesn't
send dreams for nothing. Didn't tell
you this morning that dreamed Of q
great beast like sheep, with red eyes,
and killed it? Wasn't the white wool
his hair, and the red eyes his weak
eyes, and my killing him meant mar
riage? Get supper ready quickly. The
sleeps inside and rooster cakes. We
shall sit up tonight"
To young Pet Wander. Walt that sup-
per was a period of intense torture.
There was something oyerawing in
that assembly of English people, with
their incomprehensible speech and,
moreover, it was his first courtship.;;
His first wife had courted him, and
ten months of severe domestic rule had
not raised his spirit or courage. He
ate little and when he raised a morsel
to his lips glanced guiltily round to see
If he were not observed. He had put
three rings on his little finger, with the
Intention of sticking it out stiffly when
he raised coffee cup. Now the little
finger was curled miserably among its
fellows. 1t was small relief when the
| meal was over and Tant' Sannie and
he repaired to the front room Once
seated there, he set his knees close to.
gether, stood his black hat upon them
and wretchedly turned the brim up and
down. But supper had cheered Tant'
Sannie, who found it impossible longer
to maintain that decorous silence and
whose heart yearned over the youth.
Il was related to your Aunt SelenA
who died." said Tant Sannie. INV
mothers stepbrother's child was mar
ried to her fathers brothers step.
nephew's niece"
Yes, aunt" said the young man. II
knew we were related"
1T was her cousin,'' said Tant' San.
ME, now fairly on the flow, who had
the cancer cut out of her breast by the
other doctor, who was not the right
doctor they sent for, but who did it
| quite as we'll"
Eyes, aunt" said the young man.
eve heard about it often" said
Iant' Sannie. "And he was the son OF
che old doctor that they say died on
Christmas day, but don't know il
that's true. People do tell such awful
lies. Why should he die on Christmas
day more than any other clay ~
Eyes, aunt, why 2" said the young
man meekly.
| Did you ever have the toothache z,
asked Tant' sannie.
mo, aunt
Well, they say that doctor-not the
son of the old doctor that died on
Christmas day, the other that didn't
come when he was sent for-he gave
such good stuff for the toothache that
II you opened the bottle in the room
where any one was bad they got bet
ter directly. You could see it was good
stuff" said Tant' Sannie. ut tasted
horrid. That was real doctor! He
used to give q bottle SO high" said the
Boer woman. raising her hand foot
from the table. You could drink at
it for month and it wouldn't get
done, and the same medicine was good
for all sorts Of sicknesses-croup, mea-
sizes, jaundice, dropsy. Now you have
to buy a new kind for each sickness.
The doctors aren't SO good as they
used to be-"
No, aunt" said the young man, who
was trying to gain courage to stick out
his legs and clink his spurs together.
He did so at last.
Tant Sannie had noticed the spurs
before, but she thought it showed
nice, manly spirit, and her heart warm-
ed yet more to the youth.
did you ever have commissions when
you We're baby?" asked Tant' Sam
ME.
Yes" said the young man.
t'Strange!" said Tant' Sannie 81
had commissions too. Wonderfully that
we should be so much alike!"
aunt" said the young man explo-
sively, "can we sit up tonight?"
| Tant' Sannie hung her head and half
closed her eyes; but, finding that her
little wiles were thrown away, the
young man staring fxedly at his hat,
she simpered, Yes" and went away,
/
to fetch candles.
In the dining room EN- worked at
her machine, and Gregory sat close be-
side her, his great blue eyes turned to
the window where Lyndan leaned out
talking to Waldo.
Tant Sannie took two candies out OF
the scupboard and held them up tri-
umphantly, winking all round the
room.
Hes asked for Them" she said.
"Does he want them for his horse,
/! rubbed back?" asked Gregory, new tt
up country life.
NO" said Tant' Sannie Indignantly,
"we're going to sit upn' and she walked
off in triumph with the candles.
Nevertheless, when all the rest of the.
house had retired, when the long can,
die was lighted, when the coffee kettle
was filed, when she sat in the elbow
chair, with her lover on chair close
beside her, and when the vigil of the