River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-05-09

| BrltisherS found out that the folks
on this side of the water meant bust
ness when they sot up for themselves.
Other folks since then has he'd o de-
clare independence, and fight fur it,
too. I've got a story to tell along
that line.
1t all come through them turkeys.
Ieastways they was the cause Of the
declaration, other things hayiu' bin
leadin' up to it fur a long time
The question wuz about pardner-
ship. What air pardners? Kin man
an a woman be partners, when the
woman is pardner only when she's
got somethin' worth sharin', while
the man is pardner the hull Hvin'
time? That wuz the pint that both
cred me 1t don't bother me now,
though
The way of it wuz this: Ne an
Enathan Jacobs (the grandson of old
Parson Jacobs, that Jacobsyille wuz
named fur hey bin married a leetle
over 25 year We didn't hey an acre
TO start on, but we rented a farm,
an by hard work airly an late, we
got a bit ahead every year, till we
bought farm fur ourselves. Elnathan
wuz stiddy an industrious, while
wuz wiiIin' to work, an Willin' to
pinch, an did my full share of it,
Them wuz happy days, in spite Of
tiredness an poverty.
The fust shadder of trouble wuz
small in the beginnin', but it growed
tin il shut off a lot of sunshine
Eluathan, he got so in the habit of
Gavin and pinchin', he didn't seem
10 think we could do any other way,
lcastwise in the house, even when we
vuz putin money in the bank every
season. lie could buy farm machin-
cry, an fine stock, but there the
spcndin' stopped. We wimmen folks
could do without, when conveniences
WIZ talked about.
But l started out TO tell about them
turkeys. You see, when we begun.
the eggs an chickens an butter went
to the store fur groceries an clothes.
That Nuz all we had to buy 'em with,
an / wuz glad to do that way. As
we got forehanded, | felt as if I ort
TO hey the chicken an cry money.
seein' as how ! TUX all the care Of the
chickens Malyiny she's our girl, an
a mighty purity, clever one. il do say
it, as I ortn't to-wanted leetle fNin's
sech IS other girls he'd The young
fellers liked to shine mp to her, an l
didn't blame 'em a mite, but she wuz
that spirited she wouldn't ak
'em in TO our parlor, it wuz so bare
an old-fashioned
II wouldn't care, ma" she said. "ef
pa WIZ poor, an couldn't afford any
thin better. But everybody knows
he is maxim money, an I'm ashamed
to hey folks see sech a loollin room"
why, Malyiny." says 7, more to
comfort her than anythin' else. fur
wuz a good deal of her way Of think
in the parlor carpet wuz new two
year ago, an it's real bright an cheer
ful lookin'. It's got some of your
Grandma Jacobs dresses in it. a strip
OF your Great-aunt James apron. an
a scrap Of my weddin' dress. l should
think you'd put considerable store
by it,"
''Pahaw, MAJ" she spoke up. Il
don't think much of putin the relies
OF our ancestors clothes under foot
70 be walked on. There's some sense
in putin EN- into a quilt. but not
into rag carpet They're all right
in their place, an real homelike, but
not in the parIor. like to hev beaus.
hut ! won't ;.X 'em to come in, so I
guess tn stay at home, an live an
die an old maid
Now this made me feel powerful
bad. / telled Elnathan about il that
night, an begged him to let me buy
a store carpet fur the parlor He sots
so much store by Malyiny tibet
thought her a,wantin' it SO bad would
fotch him if hnythin would
Foolish pride! foolish PRIDE" he
said. why that carpet is nice
enough fur anybody / want to buy
that quartcr-section OF Baker, an
won't hey no money to spend on giru-
cracks. Malyiny viii be glad enough
if / can leave her an Jim each a nice
farm The fellers worth hayin' viii
look at that more than a fixed up
room.
knowed it want no use to say any
more, but ! did a mighty lot Of think
in. If Malyiuy could hey a pleasant
home an nice company while she wuz
young an lively, 'twould do more fur
her than farm when the bloom an
Joy She missed out of her life he'd
made her old, an soured. an lone
some.
Then another thing happened. We
went TO church in Jacobsville when
il wun't too cold, or too warm, or
the horses hcdn't been workin' too
hard The wimmcu he'd sewin' So
ciety, an | he'd bin to il onc't or
twic't, an liked it very much. But
one day, in the fall, the parsons wife
she said to me, says She;
'Sjster Jacobs. Some of us has bir
r tol>in', and vishin' we could hey ths
society out AT your place, some time
We love 70 20 into The country onc't
in while
! WIZ struck all in a heap. This