Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-09-06

SICK an seem IL way she could Kit Ter
the malt way house an thar cctch ole
I'm, the mail man; she come right
along, not waitin' fer me ter come fer
her the follcrn Monday.
hadn't the least bit of Il notion thai
she was comm that day. an llndin
big watcrmcllon in the patch, | ha,
invited three OF four oil my friends
out in the AFTERNOON ter enjoy IL.
We sot one Of Sallc's Kitchen tables
out In the back porch, an the way that
melon was dsappcarin was eau.
ton.
was close upon six o'clock, an
one OF the fellcrs asked me how come
IL we was cattn' tEat melon in the
porch when my wife always made us
go way down III the yard; one of them
Haid 1t was like TINT ole sayin, that
Mice play when cats amt about"
That Snrtcr rilcd me, an t0lc them
rckoned was the boss OF that house
alt The time. was willn' fer the wo-
men folks ter have thar say about
Things, but that when | had my say,
that then and thar. my say had ter
go, SCI !. ~ made up my mind long
time ago that when got married. an
said CO. she had ter go; and when
said come, she jest had ter make
up her mind ter come. Jest then no.
ticed they got mighty quiet, an looked
llkc they wasn't cniuyin' The melon
was about ter ask them what was
the matter. when | heard Salliu say,
In II tone knowcd mighty VOL. SIS
that SO. Sam?" | dCclar you could have
Knocked me down with straw. /
Jumped. did, an looked, an thar she
Stood i'll the back door, with curious
sort OF smile, an her lips shet up tight:
iikc they was buttoncd mp. I went ter
her an told her. howdey, i'm a sheep.
ish sortcr way, an then she says sharp
like: You all take that melon out iii
the yard by the back fence Mt once. an
sou, Sam, come out here right now an
cit my trunk in the house, The fcl.
lorS they took the melon an went
at once. an got that trunk in immC.
diately. When Sallic gets that way
think it's hes To do as she SCI, but
Sou kin jest bot I'm he boss of tho
house-espccally when she amt
home. She got sortcr modified by sup
per time, an things movcd easier. an
! was mighty glad. fer you sartainly
don't feel right when thar seems ter
he 4 thunder cloud risen in The house
an you don't Jest exactly knox when
the Hash is comm. or whar it's goin
ter hit.
At supper Sale said ns how one of
tho Clarke girlS--Mary-wa Il comm
in few days ter pay visit, an she
must hurry an clean the house up
When she said that, | dcclar ter era.
ciouS II made cold shivrrs run I'LL ovcrI
me, fer eff thar Is anything in this
round world that jest naturally hates
1t is house clcanin' time. an cr | had
enough money, I'd have two houses an
never live in one while ii WAS helm
cleaned up.
Soon i'll the mornn' when You want
ter git another nap they lift all the
wlnderS an ti,itw open the shutters;
an then SIGH n bangn' an slummin';
you might as well git out, an it's
. mighty lucky Of yon gifts on; doors
safe
SallicS always SCI. Sam, we'll jos!
eat picked up meals" an know what
that mcans-catn' in the Kitchen off
the dresser Il scttin' on Il stool; coffee
sorter warm an full Of grounds: cold
bread. or bread that didn't rise or did
MT cook good. or all three, with dust
all oven an in everything. blccvc
that somebody has said that everybody
has yter eat a peck of dirt i'm thar
lives, an know that I've done ha y
my share most cv'ry houscclcanin'
time.
It's funny ter sec the dog so down
tyr the barn an stay thar the cat
roost Oh the back garden fenca, an
the chickens roam we'll down III The
field durin' that time. You done hcar
the roo3tcrs crot'. or the ducks Quack.
!, an The ole turkey Solbler don't rulllc
ahjsSSn Jun, strlit around an gbhblc till
its all over; an when it is over, SIGH
a fuss You never heard; all the fowls
CROWN an cacklin' an goblin fer
joy
Soon artcr Sallic finished up the job.
we had some hot weather. an one
night. close toward mornin Sallic
chilled me an SCI, SCI She: Sam, it's
mighty warm in here; go in the tothcr
rlom an throw open the shutters. But
, don't you take light, fer Of you ID
tho mu4kcctcrs will cumc in Now
sot up about half asleep, or | never
would have gone inter that room
which had been jest fixed up, without
flnilin'~out FROM Sallie jest how the
land lay i'll thar; fer yOn know that
When Il woman fixes up room at SIGH
times, shc always turns things around
,,dllGGrent from what they was before.
III thar | went, an hadn't taken more
than two steps, when the fuSt thing u
Rnowed, brought short UP against a
big,rOckin chair, an the SECOND thing
] lnowed that chair rarcd up an hit
me mIffcr the chin. moved off. dih.
an In n mint "kcrplnmn" fetched up
against another rockn' chair. This
ono hit me on tho nose rs was stoo2,
in round; said | ter myself, the room
is fnll of rockin' chairs, don't know
what said out loud, but know what