The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1907-05-25
MARRYING HETrY OFF.

They had sat for ten minutes with
out speaking, when the husband
cleared his throat and said:
''Ma, I've been thinking for the
last three or four days."
eyes, Is'pose person has to think
sometimes" she replied.
"But I've been thinking about oul
Hetty. She's purity nigh twenty
years old, amt she?'
eyes"
"She'spurty good looking andpurty
smart?"
eyes; she takes after me in those
things"
"But she don't get married. All
the other gals around here are step
ping off, but she don't seem to have
no fellers. I did think up to month
ago that she and that feller from
town named Watterson was going tc
make match of it, but it seems she's
stuck up her nose at him. I'm kind
er feeling that it's my duty to have a
serious talk with her."
"Then you throw your feelings
right over the fence" replied the
wife in decisive tones. ''Hetty
bain't going to throw herself at nc
mans head. As for Mr.. Watterson,
he got miffed about something and
quit coming here, and he can stay
miffed for all we care. I don't see nc
great rush about her getting married. "
The husband and father didn't
want to say that her last hat cost Sc
and her last dress $I8 and that in'the
fall she would want a cloak costing
at least SIS, but his wife knew him
to be a close man. What he re-
marked when he got ready to say
anything further was:
"There'd be room right here in the
house for her and her husband if she
had one. I'd give him his rent if
he'd milk and chore around, and I'd
make their board purity reasonable.
If you told her so perhaps it would
encourage her,
Samuel, am I Hetty's mother or
not ?" asked the wife.
''You are her mother, of course" !"
"Then you leave things to me and
don't worry yourself any more. When
a girls mother don't know what is
best for her, her father needn't try"
He sighed and groaned and grunt-
ed and said the wind would probably
change to the east by midnight and
reluctantly dropped the subject. Two
days later he came home from the
village, where he had been to buy a
grindstone, and his face wore broad
smile as he entered the house after
putting up his team. He whispered
to his wife:
''Say, now, but what dye s'pose
has happened?"
"Nother earthquake somewhere 2"
Nope; I've found a husband for
Hetty !"
Samuel johnson, what did I tell
you t'other evening ?" exclaimed the
wife as she trimmed off the edge of a
pie crust.
"Waal, you see, it was this way ::
When 1 was buying that grindstone
in the the hardware store, there was
wire fence man there, and when he
found out where lived he said he
was coming into this neighborhood
to put up some fencing for Lester.
He offered me 81 for a weeks board,
and I told him to come along"
''Well, what's goiug to happen if
he comes 7"
Marriage, ma-love and mar
riage. Say, Hetty can't help but
fall in love with him. He's got two
watch chains, wears tan shoes aud
talks the biggest words you ever
heard. He's a hero even if he amt
a millionaire. Don't say nothing to
Hetty. 1 want to take her sudden
like. I didn't say nothing TO him
about her, and he'll be taken sud-
denly. When you see 'em standing
up to be married, you'll allow I know
thing or two after all"
''I'll allow just as I do now-that
you ought to be sent to an idiot
asylum"
A day later the "hero" came.
Hetty had been posted by her mother
and wasn't bit surprised. Besides
having to watch chains, the stranger
had heap of nerve, and he wasn't
astonished. Farmer Johnson made
him one of the family at once, but
the women folks were only barely
civil. It transpired after a couple of
days that Mr.. Meeker, as the wire
fence man called himself, was actu-
ally a hero. He had killed mad
dog and shot at thief. AS he slyly
showed the farmer fifty dollar bill
there was no room to doubt that he
was a millionaire as we'll. At the
end of a week his job at Testers was
finished, but he said he thought he
would take a rest from his tremen.
dous struggles, so he paid another
weeks board.
"Didn't I tell you so?" whispered
the farmer in his wife's ear. "I tell
you he's stuck on our Hetty, and il
she gives him half chance he's go.
ing to propose to her within week.
Just think of having a millionaire
and hero for son-in-law! Icould
probably get the whole farm wire
fenced at half cost. Can't we man.
age to leave him and Hetty together
on the piazza in the evening 7"
"Couldn't you manage to tend to
your own affairs if you tried hard :"
tartly replied the wife. Samuel
Johnson, 1 never saw you acting ur
as you are now. Are you going tc
break out with boils again %
''But you hain't doing anything,
and Hetty hain't. doing anything,
and so you see'-
''I don't see nothing except that
Hetty wouldn't wipe her shoes on nc
such man as this Meeker."
CtU0,S 50.,J+ -ox, 60 ~ 1r~oosaI kI,1