Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1901-07-20

he laughin n glSSllu ali Jay Io"e'
the next day she'll be as suiky as d
mule. She kin make a pound or tea
10 rs fur rs ! kin. but she ola NE
with her own mouth that she had Iour
pairs of stocidn's last year. Couid you
nut up with sich extravaganza as 'ha'.
Samuel? Wouldn't you be thinklh OF
how | allus got along on two pairs u
year"
Mr.. Gallup whistled softly to himseil
as he felt of the edge of the sickle WIN
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 a moment ana
worked up and choked back a sob ana
then said:
.There's Phoebe Cousins, whom ev-
erybody likes, but she's an old ma'd
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
the floor or pulled your boots off In the
parlor in the evenin, she'd raise the
awfulest kind of a row. | guess you'll
hev to marry a gal, Samuel. You are
old huff to be the father Of any gal
around here, but | don't see no other
way. Hev you got any pertickler gal
in mind? l was thinkip of Sue sablns
the other day. She's 20 years old and
a great hand tn work, and mebbe you'd
be happy with her. Her mother says
Sue likes to be petted. You've never
pettcd me. but mebbe you'll change
when l an gone. No, Samuel, can't
remember a time in p years when
you've pulled my ear or patted me on
the shoulder or poked me In the ribs.
~
The remembrance that there had
been no shoulder patting or a pulling
during all those long years brought a
fresh outburst Of emotion, and for two
minutes Mrs. Gallup sobbed bitterly.
Mr.. Gallup laid down the milestone
and the sickle and picked up the paper
Of tacks and balanced 1t on the point
Of his finger. but he was oblivious of
his surroundings.
IL don't complain, Samuel" said
Mrs. Gallup when she could control her
voice again. "When I saw that you
was no hand to pet, | let it 90. I'm old
and wrinkled and scrawny. and | can't
look fur pettin. 1t will be different
with a gal, however. If you don't pull
her ear at least nee a week and call
her angel, she'll git sulky and finally
run away with a tin peddler. Mrs.
Rebee was sayin that Bertha Williams
would make a good gal wife fur you,
and Mrs. Williams says that you could
not do better than to marry Mary
nobody fur you nor find fault with
your choice. All I'm goin to do Is to
die and become an angel and let you
do jest as you want to. I've got jest
one leetle favor to ask
The lump in her throat and the tears
in her eyes checked her speech for
half a minute, and during that time
Mr.. Gallup put the lacks down and
lifted up the sickle again.
cts only this. Samuel. You needn't
no weepin fur me when I'm gone.
and you needn't hang over the gate
and try to look all broke up over my
You kin 60 right to .)layin check
ers ms oon as the funeral is over. but
night. later on. when you are all
alone in the house and the crickets
are singin, | want you TO remember
that | had my good p'ints as well as
my bad. | want you to remember that
| used a clothes bilcr with seven holes
in the bottom fur nine years without
mendin and that | hain't had a new
fur 'leven years. Our teakcttle
is over o years old. and I've made n
set of cups and sassers last us since
was married. That's all. Samuel,
md now I'll go in and die. and You kin
be lookin around fur your second
She rose up with a sob and retreated
INTO the house. but Mr.. Gallup knew
nothing of it. He hung the sickle on
l nail near the door. put the milestone
md lacks on a shelf in the wood shed.
md then walked down the path and
closed the hcnhouse door and cast a
-0ok INTO the pig pen. When he re-
turned to the house. Mrs. Gallup was
ookins at her bowl of emptyings under
he stove and humming the air of II
Want to Ee IN Angel" She had had
Ter. lamentation and got over it. and it
would he three or four days before she
would break out again. NJ, QUAD.