The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1903-08-13

Iegs."
till he stops. Yes, you are jest my
! sort of a Christian. You believe in
breathin' fresh air into yore windpipe
thankin' God with clear eye an good
muscle an ta1in' what he gives you
an AKIN i'm to pass more eff it's han
dy. You know the Lord has sent you
a invite to his table, an you believe
eatin' an drinkin' an maxim merry,
| jest like you'd have a body do that
was stoppin' over night with you. Yes,
| wanted to say some'n' else to you.
AS l got to the Wilder Snowden's
| house, mile this side O. barley, she
came out an axed me eff I'd object to
deliverin' couple @ smoke cured hams
to a Teller in town that had ordered
'em. Of course that's what old bach
like me S heer fer, so let 'er fling 'em
in the back end.''
| The speaker paused and smiled know
| ingly, and Alan noticed that he slowed
his horses up by drawing firmly on the
reins as if he feared that their arrival
at the farmhouse might interrupt what
he had to say.
"Well," said Alan. you delivered the
hams?'
| YES" Abner was looking straight
ahead Of him. "They was fer Colonel
| Seth Barclay. l driv' up to the side
gate, after I'd helloed in front till
was hoarse, an who do you reckon
come trippin' out O. the dinin' room?
1t was her. Eff you hain't never ketched
'er offn her guard round the house,
you've missed a treat. burned eff
don't like 'er better without hat on
than with all the fluffy flamdoodle that
gals put on when they go out. She was
as neat as a new pin, an seemed pow
erful glad to see me. That made me
bless the Wilder Snowden fer sendin'
me thar. She said the cook was off
somers, an that old niger Ned, the
stableman, was in the garden patch
behind the house, so she was thar BY
'erse'f. She actually looked like she
wanted to tote in the hams 'erse'f
ruther'n bother me, but you bet my old
bones hoped off'n this seat quickern
you could say Jack Robinson with wore
mouth open.
Il was afeerd my team wouldn't
stand, fer fellers was a-scootin' bv on
bicycles. but 4 tuck the hams to the
back porch an put 'em on shelf out'n
re'ch O the dogs. Then l went back to
my wagon. She follered me to the
fence, an noticed that some'n' was
wrong with 'er. She looked so funny
an droopy about the mouth, an kept
a-talkin' like she was afeerd I'd fly off.
She axed all about Adele an how she
was a-makin' out down in Atlanta. an
said she'd heerd that Sis was mighty
popular with the young men, an from
that she axed about my craps an the
meetin' goin' Oh at Big Bethel. Finally
she got right white about the mouth
an said kinder shaky that she was
afeerd you was mad about some'n' her
pad said about you, an never seed a
woman as nigh cryin' as she was WITH
out DOM of it.
II told 'er was at the fust of it. but
I'd noticed how worried you've looked
heer of late. an so l told 'er I'd been
afeerd some'n' had come betwixt YOU
two. Then she put her head down on
the top rail O. the fence an helt it thar
fer a good minute. After awhile she
looked up an told me all about it an
ended by AKIN me eff thought she was
to blame in the matter. told 'er no,
but her old skunk of daddy had acted
sech a fool that l couldn't hold in. I
reckon I told 'er jest about what I
thought O i'm, an the more l raked
up agin i'm the better she seemed
pleased. 1 tried to pin 'er down to what
she'd be willin' to do in a pinch eff 'er
pa continued to hold out agin you, but
she was too sharp to commit 'erse'f. It
jest looked like she wanted to make up