The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-04-03
ONE WOMAN'S EXPERIENCE
AS AN OLD MANS DARLING
At First She Played a Feminine Aphonse to His
CASTOR, but His CASTOR Was Killed
by the Steers.

would prefer romance rather than read
bagism. So believing, Ill turn this
week to brighter side of life, and tell
a story Of love, courtship, marriage and
the happenings that spoiled the romance.
1 don't propose to have but one hero and
one heroine in this story, but number
of characters may drop in, as the nara
tive proceeds.
Once upon time, need not say where
or when, l knew a widow who was fond
of talking about the past; and it the
reader will agree to ask no questions, ii
tell some of the ludicrous things l used
to hear her say of her young life, hei
marriage TO a widower. with seven chill
GIen. and how she spent her welded life.
Il had plenty of beaux,'' she said;
mice young fellows and / loved 'em
every one. and 1 hated any girl that
either of those boys would fly around. OF
course didn't expect to marry all OF
them, but as 1 didn't know which one
/ loved best. nor which one might ask
me to marry him. I couldn't hear the
idea of seeing any of them paying atten-
ton to other girls. Yes. was as ieal
Gus as 1 could be, and sometimes l was
just that miserable / couldn't say my
prayers, but for all that l would carry
high head, for I was too proud to let
anybody know that 1 cared straw for
any fellow.
Il was not a day older than twenty
years when a widower, with seven chill
dren, turned up. He was as old again as
l was; mighty nigh as old as my father.
l saw him at church one Sunday, just
about the time he'd begun to spruce w
after his wife died. l almost killed my
self laughing when some one tod NE
that the old widower had been talking
about counting me. But it wasn't long
before he came, and he popped the ques
ton so sudden it liked to have taken my
breath. OF course / didn't intend to
have him, but as those young chaps had
not asked me, / thought | could f1lrt
little with the old man, and may be
tha. would hurry them up to say some
thing. If they didn't, why 1 could have
a good time anyhow. i didn't know as
much then as l learned afterwards Oh
1 never would have gotten into
the scrape l did. Some of those boys be-
gan tC tease me about my old beau,
asking me when I and the odd grand
father were going to get married. That
made me mad, and / said in as naughty
a manner as possible: It's better to be
an old mans darling than. a young mans
slave, and so l made up my mind just
to worry the boys that L d marry the old
mar and be darling. We We're mar
riec. He borrowed a horse and buggy
20 carry me home, and when we went
through town, and everybody came out
OF the stores or put their heads out OF
the windows to see Us go by, I was so
happy l felt like red bird sailing
through the air. 1 was then Mrs. Clay
Shamlin.' Mr.. Shamlin didn't call me by
my name at all. 1t was darling and
honey, and sugar. until | actually for
got that my name was Mary. After we
had been married week we went back
to my old home and father called us out
to the cow lot, Mr.. Shamlin and me, and
said: I am going to give you that milk
COW, or if you prefer it, I'll give you that
young steer 1 said, mr.. Shamlin, you
take your choice But he said, No,
darling, you take your choice No. said
I, L want you to have your choice No,
honey said he, L want you to have your
choice I do WISH said 1, you would
take your choice L have no choice, SUI
gar said he, but L do hope that my
darling will choose for me- Who could
help choosing after all that. sweetness?
1 never felt SO good in all my life as
/ did standing there in that cow lot,
for my father had heard, with his own
cars, what darling his daughter was
But, what "a responsibility rested upon
me-making a choice between a good
milk cow and three year old steer?
thought for a moment. / remembered
that Mr.. Shamlin had steer about the
same age and size of that one, and i
Just knew that he would be glad to have
another to work with him; so, stepping
forward, and touching the young steer,
said, We will take this, Mr.. Shamlin.
You darling he said. Then l knew the
steer was his choice, but, oh, what a
mistake the selection turned out to be!
How 1 wished afterwards I'd taken the
COW.
THE steer was carried home in a few
days and the two were roDed and yoked.
and their tails tied together, Gas has to
be done in breaking young steers), and
wien Mr.. Shamln had tied them up by
the side of the barn, he called me out
to see them-see what pretty pair they
wcre--and putting his arm around my
waist he said, just as sweetly, us if his
mouth had been filled with candy:
Honey, / am so glad that you took the
steer And just before he went IN the
field to work, he came to the kitchen
door and said, Darling, keep your eyes
on the steers till l come back, and l
said / would. And 1 did. Who could
help thinking about yoke of steers all
the time, after being called so many
sweet names? 1t had not been more
than ten minutes after I had looked and
seen the steers were standing there ali
right, before 1 heard Mr.. Shamlin call
Mary! Mary I did not think he was
calling me, for my name was honey; |
thought he was calling his twelve year
old daughter, whose name was Mary, SO
/ went on with my cooking. Again he
called: You Nary and wondered why
his daughter did not answer, So / went
to the door to see who he was calling. AS
/ did so he saw me- and bawled out:
Get the ak and run down here, you good
for nothing huzzy; run, tell you.' /
was scared half to death for I'd never
been called huzzy before in all my