Smyrna times., 1901-09-18

'tiAu Olu hldL, anu some t0lkS don't like !
the smell of neither, but the WALLER
and green looked pretty. and it wus
all ready for the company when they
cum hum from church.
We that knOwed things felt that we
could see marks of innard torture on
poor Mrs. Virgins face, and we felt to
sympathize, fur she wus naturally a
moral woman and pious one. and
she'd been driven to sin by the mean
ness of her pardner. You see, she wus
one of them women that lives fur their
children. Eff she'd been a pelican. she'd |
hev took all the feathers out of her
buzzim to make 'em beds, and she'd |
sackerticed herself fur Melindy. She |
looked kinder better when she cot to |
church, but our minister he wuS young |
and hadn't married nobody before, and, |
bein narvous, he commenced fur to |
read the burial sarvice instead of the |
marriage sarvice, and we, bein all stiff |
with hOrrer, hadn't presence of mind |
enough fur to stop him until he'd actil- |
ly buried Melindy as fur as words
could go, and Mrs. Virgins wus in
high strikes.
However, she got over 'em, and the
minister he said he didn't know after
all but it wus providence to keen us
from bein too sot on the things of this
! world and reminded how short life wus
and went back and married 'em proper.
| And so we did get back to Virgins.
only, Mr.. Virgins hevin been too mean
to get the wagin mended, the wheel
come off, and they wus all split out and
eenamost drownded gOin over Slabside
bridge that amt got no railin. Mrs.
Virgins, poor dear, wus soaked, and
when we TUX her into our wagin she
kept sayin, "Jedgments-jedgm
Judgments is comin!' We knOwed what
she wus thinkin Of, and we tried to
cheer her up.
Well, when the folks wus dried and
dressed over we all went to supper, and
we praised it up as much as we could.
but Mrs. Virgins sot down in her place
like a ghost, and folks began to talk
and laugh and help everything. But
she didn't smile.
She passed the chicken salad plates
to the help, and the help gave 'em to
the folks, ana we all tasted it, but it
didn't relish. Still we tried to eat it fur
her sake. Most of US done it, too, and
the coffee wus good, and we cheered
up some. Mrs. Virgins didn't eat no
salad herself, so she didn't know how
it tasted. After supper we all went in
to the parlOr and sOt around. and ST
Barker wus tryin to git up dancin, and
l did hope things would end happy,
when all of a sudden folks began to
look pale and say they wuS p'isOned
So they seemed to be. One arter the
other wus took sick, and they all said
. the same thing-it wus the salad. l
l felt very poorly myself, and so did my
Obediah. The minister had gone home
sick. and there wus a regular panic.
There wus one doctor there and he
sent fur another, and old Miss PEBBLES
said it wus like old cholera times. 1t
wus awful, anyway, but jest as We
wus at the wust, we ladies lyin about
i in the up stairs rooms expectin to die
and feelin sure it wus arsenic, Mrs
$ Virgins appeared amongst us.
"Friends and feller sinners" she said
eve air all on the pint of death, and
here, before you all, 1 make confes-
e sion. l am a thief and a robber, and
L shall never be pardOned. 1t wus me
X that robbed my husband, and, more
: than that, l stole the chickens to make
:, the sallad-One of 'em from each of my
good friends and neighbors. Judgments
, has fallen!
d "You wus driv to it, Mrs. Virgins,
II sez 1, "by your pardner's meanness
II We all knowed 1t, and none of u:
d blame you"
d "You don't know ALL" said Mrs. Wig
d gins. "MOre'n that, l went to the stor
Y and TUX my chances ard stole bottl,
If of lie The recipe said to make the sal
is lad dressin with lie. I'd never mad
ID none. stole the bottle. Oh, l shan
rs never be forgiven. l shan't never be for
1T given! | TUX Il bottle of pi'son of som
" sort, fur it wus in the drug department
II where lies is kept. and I'm a muI
W derer"
k "Oh. ho!" says the doctor. Bring m
r the bottle. Mrs. Virgins, and | CUES
a. I'll find out how to cure 'em."
Mrs. Virgins fetched it; doctor h
id tasted it.
ne '"This amt ptson. ladies'. sez NJ
le 'Thcre amt no great harm done, only
s. don't suppose the recipe mentioned cas-
a tor oil for salad dressing. 'Tisn't usua
anyhow. Nobody is goin to die thi
in time. Mrs Virgins, unless it is yo
ez yourself. You lie down and quiet YOU
tn self"
IS. Poor Mrs. Virgins. she dropped o
at her knees and prayed right there fu
nd thankfulness. and we all fined in. an
rs, as soon as folks knowed they hadn
1T TUX arsenic they all got better. Mr.
Virgins solemn and distracted look
er and her not eatin any had made thel
Ir. that wornt in the secret think tht
nd she'd gone crazy and done it a-purpos
he which scared 'em more.
Lh. A.l 4l.o-- ln CIV Mr. Wi00inS ain