The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1902-07-10
wish the pesky things had been IL !

"Iye a notion to wiring their necks
an have 'em for Sunday dinner moth
er'd say.
Don't you never let that notion git
any farther along says the old man,
pretty tolable firm. -.
"But mother was sorter firm herself
an that's how 1t came out tne way IL
did. It was plantin' time an there
was right smart q fencin' too, so we
| had to have two extry hired men ter git
! through the work an hands was
skeerce an hard ter keep. 1t come
! Sunday an fer onct mother had ter
| STAY ter home from meetin' an cook
! fer them men. The old man hitched
up an went an took me along with
| him. Comm back we see a buggy in
front of us that had broke down an
woman that was havin' considerable
trouble straightenin' out. 1t wus Mis-
Pakenham."
"The widder?" asked Baker.
eyes" answered Hancock, "the wild
der She had farm over near Bur
toms in Satterlee township, an run 1t
herself ever sence Pakenham died.
Closer'n the bark on a tree an sour as
them dill pickles o. Rufe's. Worked
in the field in short petticoats an sun
bonnit an did two mems work'sideS
her own, but when she wus dressed
fer mettin she rugged up like the queen
o. Shelby. Silk dress an gold watch
an chain and cameo brooch. That's
I.t 10 har I'M Nd nj bout NJ vim
her buggy, reckon-askeered o muss-
in her silk dress. Anyway, the old
man pulled up an got out an helped
her. Then, when she got through, he
asked her TO stop at the house an take
dinner with us, ben' as she hadn't
made mother visit for about a year,
an she finerly allowed that she would.
"Well, we got to settin' down TO the
table and there was a good nell
What Is ftp says the old man. Roast
goose says mother, lookin' at him
stiddy. I'll be ding swizzledn says the
old man, thumpin' the table with his
fist, madder'n hops. Mis- Pakenham,
she looked from one to the other kind
er curious, an the old man simmered
down, but it wusn't hard to see he wus
disturbed in hic mind. Mother was some
frustrated, too. An 1t wus that-a-
way through the meal. There wus
both Of them geese cooked, but we WIS
all right hungry, an Miss Pakenham
wus the hungrieSt o. the lot, seemed
like. She sent up her plate three times.
Finerly she said: 4 dunno when I've
relished anything like that, but Pm
powerful fond o roast goose. didn't
know as you KEEP geese, Mr.. Hancock
"'I don't says the old man. Them
two geese come to MS las February.
an what's the matter, Mis- Paken-
ham" She had showed back her
chair an laid down her knife an
fork an wus glarin' at him.
"'hbc Hancock, she says, slow an
solemn, 4 didn't think you was the
man to steal a widdcr womans geese.
| Them two geese at you folks have
! Jest ct wus my geese. They was
! taken from my place in febooary. |
| know they was taken, because they
was too much attached To their home
ter leave without help an I've ben
/ inQuirn' about 'em ever scncc. Why.
| couldn't go ter town but folks II
hollcr: "No, Mis- Pakenham, | hain't
seen nothin' q no stray geese" WI h
out me sayin' n word to EN-, | put
n piece in the Clarion about EN-. You
needn't tell me, Abe Hancock, that
| you didn't know whose geese thcF
was
Father tried hard To explain, but
she was one OF them women You cant
argue with, an then mother got mad
Finally she says: Well il It come to
| that. the geese Is ct an you've 81
| your good share o them. We're able
! to pay You what they was worth, II
! you've got the conscience to asl, it;
but | reckon YOU don't want ter take
the bones home with you. Wash, you
go hitch mp Mis- rakcnham's horse.
! She's gittin' anxious To go an don't
want ter keep her
"'I s'posc, says Mis- Pakcnham.
sortcr sarcastic, you throwcd away
the feathers.
mother colorcd up little more,
an then went ont an got the bag %
feathers she'd pluckcd from thern
| two geese. an Mis- Pnkcnham
wnltzcd OF with 'cm. an | want ter
| tell You that her tongue want still
about that untiI the day she died.
"Sccms like Mis- pakcnham ben
! inter town first after the geese left
| an she made scch "A doin's about II
| at none a. the folks felt much in
\ rliucd to help her find EN-, an then
! when the old man come in an seemed
/ 50 plague-tnkcd anxious ter find the
owner they WIS surtcr tickI"d an
! they KEEP the thing mp ON both sides.
II Jest happened at the old man an
/ Mis- fakcuhnm never run onto one
smother. It mighty nigh broke the
old mans heart to have Mis- paliru-
! ham guin' around sayin' that he'd
stole the geese"
ole WIS too honest" commented
the storcI,ccpcr,
That's So" said Wash 81 hNnryc
IN folks bcin' honest, but don't like