Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-08-22

hams?"
Yes" Abner was looking straight
ahead Of him. They was fer Colonel
Seth Barclay. I drv' 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 off'n 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 flalndoodle 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'
the thar. She said the cook was off
som'ers. an that old Niger Ned the
stableInan, was in the garden patch
'ersef. She actually looked like she
wanted to tote III the hams 'erse'f
ruther'n bother me- but you bet my old
bones hoped off'n this seat quicker'n
you could say Jack Robinson with yore
mouth open.
stand, fer fellers was a-scootin' by on
bicycles, but | tuck the hams to the
back porch an put 'em on shelf out
re'ch O the dogs. Then I went back to
my wagon. She follered me to the
fence, an l 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' on 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 l 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 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 belt it thar
fer 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. l told 'er no,
but her old skunk of daddy had acted
sech a fool that couldn't hold in. I
reckon l told 'er jest about what l
thought O i'm, an the more / raked
up agin i'm the better she seemed
pleased. 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
with you an didn't want no row
nuther.'
The horses stopped to drink at a
clear stream Of water which ran across
the road on a bed of brown pebbles
The brides were too tight to allow
them to lower their heads, so Alan
went out on the heavy tongue between
the pair and unfastened the reins.
When he had regained his seat. he told
the old man in detail all that had hap
pened at the dance at the hotel, ending
with the advice he had received from
Rayburn Miller.
Il don't know about that" Abner
said. maybe Miller could call halt
like that an go on like nothin' had hap
pened. don't say be could nur
couldn't; but it's fool. advice You
mought miss it. an regret it to yore
dyin' day"
Alan looked at him in some surprise
He had hardly expected just that stand
on the part of a confirmed old bachelor
like his uncle. The old mans glance
swept dreamily over the green fields
on either side of the road across which
the red rays Of the setting sun were
streaming. Then he took a deep breath
and lowered the reins till they rested
on the backs of the horses
"My boy" he began, '1'm a good
mind to tell you some'n' that hain't
mentioned fer mighty nigh forty yeer
I don't believe anything but my in
trust in that town gal an you would
make me bring it up. Huh! Ray Mil
ASA say Sou pass CA OFCl JcSl AS
eff you'd never seed 'er, does he? An
go on an pick an choose agin. Huh!
| wasn't as old as you are by five yeer
when the one I'm talkin' about passed
away, jest a week after me an herd
come to understanding. I've seed
women, women, women, sence seed
'er corpse that day amongst all. tina
pile O. wild flowers that old an young
fetched from the woods whar me an
er used to walk, but eff l live to be as
old as that thar hill I'll never forget
my feelin'. l kin see 'er right now as
plain as did then, an sometimes my
heart aches as bad. reckon you
know now why l never got married
Folks has poked lots O. fun at me-
an I tuck 1t as it was intended. but n
lots O. times what they said made me
suffer simply awful. They've picked
out this un an that un, from spring
CHICKENS to hays O. all ages, shapes an
sizes, but the very thought o. givin
anybody her place made me sick. Thar
never was but one fer me- l may be q
| fool, hut I believe I was intended fe1