The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1901-01-03

opened the kitchen door an come IN,
says she: II thought I'd run over
see what time you was 'a-goin' in
the mornin'." Then she sees Lucy;
she. don't like Lucy a bit better than
l do. an she amt her husbands sis
ter. So she didn't waste much sweet
ness on her.
I did hope Lucy hadn't noticed what
Sister Meachem said about me goin',
fur even if a man isn't just as thought
full as he might be, a body don't want
his folks to know it, but that woman
did hear what you didn't want
her to, an alwus managed not to hear
when it didn't suit her to. So as soon
Sister Meachem set down. she turns
to me an says she: "Wus you allowin'
to go anywheres tomorrow" An says
Sister Meachem, afore I could stop her:
Land, she's all ready to go to town;
she's allowin' to start airly in the
Caleb looks at me that astonished,
an says he: who's ready to go?
Maria? Well, it's the first I've heard
of her goin' anywhere"
I jest looked at him. an says I:
"Why, Caleb Larrabee! I told you
all about it last week, an you sed
All right an you mailed the letter
to Maria Ann yourself"
II mind of mailin' a letter. says
Caleb, 'but it's the first I've heard Of
you goin' to town."
Lucy smiled, oh! sech a sarcastic
smile! and says: HAS my comm he'd
anything to do with your sudden no.
ton of goin,?"
Well, if Sister Meachem he'd jest
KEEP quiet, or if she'd a-gone home ]
might ave smoothed things over, but
she he'd to hev her say. She's knowed
US all so long, she uon't care what she
says to us. An says she: eff I was
Maria Ann Larrabee, I'd give you two
a piece of my mind"
If she'd a-bin my worst enemy, she
couldn't have done a worse thing, an
Lucy wasn't slow at SEEM it. She
jest looked over at Caleb, an says:
Caleb an mes took many a scoldin'
together, haven't we, Caleb?"
Says I: II mind lots of scoldiu's
you got him into when we all went to
school together, an you generally
managed to slide out of blame an
leave it all for him"
Caleb jest jumps up, an says he:
II declare to goodness, I forgot all
about them horses; they haven't he'd
4 drop of water" An he went out
of the kitchen as if sometime was
after him.
An says L: "'Tisn't every man
your visit"
Says I: 81 can't go any ways;
there's them peaches an plums."
well, of all the men that ever ]
knowed of" says Sister Meachem.
An, says, I: "'Tisn't every man
that's as good as Caleb about provid.
in" D.
Lucy give the hatefullest little
laugh an says: 81 allow you'd a-bin
willin' to do without all he brought
you this evenin'."
Says Sister Meachem: 81 do think
Maria has more to put up with than
any woman in the neighborhood. If
jeremiah Mcachem was as fergitful as
Caleb Larrabee, I don't know what in
this world I'd do"
You see, without meanin' it, she was
forcin' me to disagreein' with her be-
fore Lucy. An says I: Caleb a lit
tie fergitful at times"
But Lucy broke in; she hardly ever
waits till a body's through with what
they're sayin', an says: 81 think I'll
go e to Cousin James in the morn
in, an give you a chance to git at
your peaches"
A hadn't counted on her helpin' me
she never was n fur helpin' any.
body-but Sister Meachem looked at
her kind of dazed, an says: "I'll
come over an help you tomorrow"
Then she went home, an Lucy went
to bed, an I set there a-wonderin'
what to say to Caleb, an jest come TO
the conclusion I'd say nothin' till after
Lucy's got away, an so I didn't.
=. Well, she went to Cousin James, an
Sister Meachem came over. Caleb sed
he jest had got to go over to Cross
Roads that very day. Queer I hadn't
heerd about it before. Sister Meach-
EN- got at parin' peaches, an I KEEP
thinkin' of Maria Ann a-lookin' an
a-waitin' fur me. I didn't say moth
in to her, an I was a-wishin' she
wouldn't say nothin' to me, but that
isn't Sister Meachem's way. So after
a bit she says: 81 was jest tellin' Jere-
miah what a mixup Caleb he'd made of
things last night"
jeremiah Meachem, indeed! a man
that's that mixed up all the time he
can't be trusted to carry a pound of
soap across lots. I didn't answer, an
she went on: "Seems to me I'd be so
put out at him. I'd try to find some
way of gettin' even. Jest to think of
you settin' here parin' peaches an
Maria Ann a-waitin' an a-watchin' fur
you, an all OWN to his glakitness."
Says I: 81 allow he didn't know, an
1 did say I wanted peaches last week"
Says she: can that Lucy! You'll
hev her here fur a week. Land, a day
of hers more than I can abide. She
didn't get rightly started last night,
did She?"
Well, I bin feelin' pretty blue all
mornin', jest thinkin' of that very
thing, an I says: "Lucy's kind of ex-
asperatin'; there's no denyin' it,"
I tried to talk about somethf1' else,
but Sister Meachem's that's going
to make you look at the black side of
things whether or no., an says she:
Seems to me it 'ud.a bin as little as
Caleb could do to hev stayed home an
helped git this here truck ready to
can"
I'd bin thinkin' the same thing my
self, but her sayin' it was somethin'
different, an it seemed as if I couldn't
stand anything more. An says I:
Sarah Ann Meachem, if a body's got