Amador ledger., 1901-01-04


needn't beat around the bush at all,
but tell her right out. She'll rather be
expectin the news. She was over here
this afternoon. and she said was liza
BILE 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 elaboration he spat on the whet-
stone, and with calm deliberation he
drew it back and forth across the
blade.
Eyes, Samuel, my time has conner
sobbed Mrs. Gallup after waiting a
reasonable time for him to speak. "a
few hours hence and you will be
widower, and a few days hence you
will be wearing red necktie and can
term around after a second wife. When
you started over town, 1 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 whispered voice Assay
in. Hammer Gallup, git ready to be an
angelP 1t was my summons, and I've
got to go. Nobody kin hold back ag'in
a summons. What kind of second
wife shall you marry, Samuel"
Mr.. Gallup had paused in his labors
and was looking absently at a robin in
a cherry tree.
you needn't feel at all delikit about
talkin it over with me-" said Mrs. Gal
lup as she dabbed at her eyes with the
apron. eve allus s'pected you'd git
married agin If 1 should die, and l
shan't howl and squeal about it. Mrs.
Bebee says If her husband marries
ag'in she'll haunt him, but you needn't
be afraid of me. I'd ruther you mar
ried 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 hewitt you, Samuel
that is, you've kinder made up your
mind about what sort of a woman
you'd marryT
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 Wilder Lapham, Sam
uel, and everybody says she's with
$1,000, but l wouldn't want you to mar
~ her. She's too hity tity for man
of your age. While she was swingin
In hammock she'd let the bread burn
up in the oven. She'd want you to go
off to 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 Wilder Davis. She's a 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 pound of tea
go as fur as 1 kin, but she told me
with her own mouth that she had four
pairs OF stockin's last year. Could you
put up with SIGH extravaganza as that,
Samuel? Wouldn't you be thinkin of
how 1 allus got along on two pairs
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 a whistle
in the abstract. Mrs. Gallup looked at
the back of his neck for moment and
worked up and choked back a sob ana1
then said:
There's Phoebe 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 eY-
erything jest so. If you come into the
house and throwed your hat down on
the floor or pulled your boots off in the
parIor IN the eyenin, she'd raise the
awfu1est kind Of row. I guess you'll
hev to marry gal, Samuel. You are
old huff to be the father of any gal
around here, but l don't see no other
way. Hey you got any pertickler gal
in mind? was thinkin of Sue Sabins
the other day. She's 20 years old and
great hand to work, and mebbe you'd
be happy with her. Her mother says
Sue likes to be petted. You've never
petted me, but mebbe you'll change
when I am gone. No, Samuel, 1 can't
remember time n a 'Xears when