Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-02-19

"I'M sITTIN RIGHT HERE AS CALM AS CATNIr.' y
ME, however, Is how Pm goin to act
arter | git there. You know how com
pany allus illustrates me. II three or
four Of the neighbors come In, I'm al
most sure to fall off my cheer or knock
over suntEin. How's it goin to be when
| git up there and meet hull pasture
full of angels? There'll be millions of
'em, Samuel, and they'll all be lookin at
me and wonderin who am, and I'll be
so upset that III fall over my own
feet"
She paused to wipe the tears from
her eyes with the palm Of her hand
but as she had asked no direct ques'
tlons Mr.. Gallup finished the bug arti
Gle and turned to one on the care OF
clotheslines.
81 don't want to be looked at and
p'inted out and made fun Of up there,
said Mrs. Gallup as she sat with her
eyes on the carpet. "All night long last
night l couldn't sleep for thinkin that
some Of the angels would turn up their
noses ut me and want to know what on
airth ] was doin there. You remember
Sarah Jane Bixby, who died two years
ago? Sarah was snippy and sassy. Ii
she went to heaven, 1t would be jest
her way to want to know why I'd come
fiyin up there, with my rheumatic and
back aches. I'd have to sass her back,
and then what would happen? Angelo
do sass each other sometimes, don't
they, Samuel?"
II Mr.. Gallup had ever given the mat
ter q thought. he was too busy to dis
cuss It. The statement was right be-
fore his eyes that 100000 miles OF
clothesline went to destruction every
year for want Of being hung up In the
wood shed when not in use, and he was
rejecting on the carelessness OF hu'
manity In general.
81 may git up to heaven In the night
when all the angels are asleep. and Sc
I'll slip In all right. hope thatll be
the way, because it'll give me chance
to kind O. git used to the place before
daylight. Do you think they have any
breakfast up therei Mrs. Watkins says
they don't, but | don't really see how
they git along without 1t. l know
should feel q goneness all day without
breakfast. And want you to look al
me, Samuel. and see II I'm the hum
bIyest woman ever born. | have read
that when we die we are changed as IN
the twinklin of an eye. | hope It's so
II 1t amt, then ! can't expect no good
times up there. Them angels will be
p'intin out my lop shoulder, my big
feet and my wabbly knees and whis
perrin to each other that I'd better staid
down on airth among the cabbages
Nobody as knows me can call me obstl
nate or sot. but III be summed II
propose to die and become an angel tc
be made fun of You'll be on my side
about that. won't you"
Mr.. Gallup heaved long sigh and
seemed about to speak, but no wore
came. He had finished with the clothes
line and struck an article about the
reasoning powers Of the crow. and the
most direct question from Mrs. Gallup
would have passed unheeded. Hel
tears fell for two or three minutes, and
then she asked:
"And how abont the beds up there
You know we've slept on a feather bet
ever since we was married, and Py'
allus bin particular to smooth 1t dowl
from head to foot. I've got used Il
feathers, and II changed of I'd jes
lay there and kick around all nigh
long. Do they hev beds, Samuel. or d.
they keep on fyin around all night Ions
and singin 1--WE Reached My CLONE a
Last" Seems to me that fyin ant
singIn all day wNuld be enough unless
I feel stronger than do now. Yol
orter know these things, Samuel, ant
you orter tell me so I'll know what t.
depend on. | might stand sass from
thousand angels but / do want m!