Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-10-04
i ssssss:: s.sa.!s*+ttt..

IWG-lNFee lIilCr IOlk Ill AlnlOcH0n WIS
spierin' if / kent whit his business
wis"
Mrs. Houston flushed angrily His
business is none of theirs anyhoww
she said quickly.
"Och, We medina flee up, Jess" ssdd
the old woman soothingly but with
curious glance at Le., niece. Its list |
the kinlochan way. Ie MIGHT ken that |
by this time"
Its Il horrible way!" cried the other,
her lip quivering.
''roots, havers! There's naethin'
horrible but murder am earthquakes.
Ye see, the folk thocht it wis kin o. |
queer fur yer man to gang to Glesca
the day wheri- he micllt haze waltit till
Saturday an got the chape ticket"
But this is only Tuesday,
"Ah, but the Iliniochan folk thinks 1t |
maun be gey important business or
pleasure if 1t Gamma wait twa-three
days"
II don't care what the Kinlochan,folk
Think
"Weel, wcel, it's jist their curiosity,
an l suppose they dinna mean ony
HARM, though l wudna like to be aye
curious ABBOTT ither folks business like
some o. them. Ma motto is to mind yer
ain business. Aye
In spite of her worry Jess nearly
| laughed.
"'Deed, aye" continued Mrs. Wal
lace. ITS n sad job when folk is aye
wunnerin' an spierin' about yin an
ither. l suppose ye're expectin' David
hame the nicht?"
"Oh, yes. l think he'll be here with
the next boat"
"Ye wud be rale prood that he got
the job o, the Arden greenhouses
Eyes, Of course" Mrs. Houston an.
swered, trying to smile.
II wis hearin' the Fairport jiner was
wild at no gettin' the job. He had
been over shair O. gettin' it, an he had
laid in n heap o'rwudd, an moo he disna
ken whit to dae wi the wudd, the stu
pit buddy! Ye can be over SMART as
weel us over slow in this wurld. I
dinna think David Houston wud haze
made mistak' that wey. Nae doot
it's the wudd that TUX him to Glesca
the day."
YES" said Jess, wondering miser-
ably how her husband had succeeded
his interview with Hardy & Son.
4 81 kin O. thocht it wis the wudd,"
said Mrs. Wallace, secretly delighted
at having extracted her desired in
formation. For once she had got ahead
of Mr.. Ogllvy. the village oracle, who
had been inclined to think that the
Joiner had gone to town merely on
pleasure, seeing that he had worn
felt hat and not the customary cloth
cap.
"Weel, maun gang noo," she an
nounced, preparatory to rising. Il sup
pose yer man hasIa been talkin' in his
sleep lately?"
NO." said Mrs. Houston, little puz-
zled.
~ thocht he MIGHT haze mentioned
lock fur ma coal cellar door. OF coorse,
We ken, dinna want to hurry him, but
I've Il kin O. ambeetion, as 1t We're, to
see a~locis on that door afore l dee.
But maybe it's whit the story books
ca wild an hopeless ambeetion.
Hoover, We can tell David Pm mo-
thinkin' O. deein' fur year or twa yet,
am Mercy me! Whas this comm
to see YEP
A lady was bidding another goodby
at the gate and was evidently about to
enter.
"0h, dear. sighed Jess. Its Miss
Perk from Point View"
"1f it's her." said Mrs. Wallace, ris-
ing, "she gotten new hat an daft
Ike yin furbye. Weel, Gamma thole
Miss Perk, hat or nae hat, SO I'll bid
ye"-
Don't go, Aunt Wallace; please don't
co." the young wife implored "If you
stay she won't wait long. If she catch
es me alone she'll wait till Davie comes
home, and II don't want that
"ye dinna mean to tell me yer feart
fur her"
II am, am. AT least I'm not exact
ly afraid, but-but-I don't care about
her. She's always coming to lecture
me about Davie"
"D'ye tell me that? She better leave
that to me, the impiddent aud maid!
She thinks she's kim O. queen amnng
the Kinlochan folk because she bides
here through the winter an talks the
front place at a. the sewin' meetin's
an the like. An the warst O. it Is that
the Kinlochan folk boo doom to her, mo-
fur love, fur she never gred ava ony-
thin dearer nor advice that naebody
wants, but jist fur Aw, here she's
comm" Mrs. Wallacc's voice sank to
a whisper. "Never heed, Jess. I'llsno'
desert ye.'
| Mrs. Houston threw her relative
grateful glance and left the porch to
meet her visitor, who came briskly up
the path with businesslike air and
somewhat patronizing smile.
Miss Perk, who, with an aged moth
er, lived "oif her money" at Point View,
might have been anything between for
ty and sixty years of age, to judge by
her appearance. Let us call it fifty.
She was middle sized in every way,
mentally as well as physically, but
among the Kinlochan natives she had
gained the reputation Of being ''mair
nor or'nar' clever fur wumman'' and
was held in considerable awe, If not
respect. She had gained her reputa-
ton for cleverness by the simple meth
cd of talking deal and doing nothing.
and yet it would be unfair to deny that
she meant well. But she was woman
given to such phrases as "quite lady"
and "a terribly common person." and,
though overfiowing with good advice
for her humber fellow beings, she was
practically void of sympathy. She
forced herself upon tile Kinlochan folk
who were too simple and kindly to tell
her to mind her own business. AS
young man once put 1t, vulgarly, per-
haps, she tried to elevate the masses
like balloons-with gas.
She shook hands with Jess as if she
were comforting a favor. 81 thought
would just pop in and see how you
were getting on after our last little
chat, Mrs. Houston" she said gracious
ly. HAS your husband come home
yofSv