Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1907-12-14
ABOUT FIANCEES,
Observation-Disclosures
What Ben Cot For Telling Sam the Truth.

laprobe generously and carefully
over the young woman's knees and
then, himself uncovered, drive away.
"Clayton's goin' to take good care
o. that there wife o. his" commented
the storekeeper.
Foolish of him." declared Wash
ington Hancock.
He'll get tired O. washin' up that
buggy o. his'n after a while n en-
clude the ole Wagons good enough
to come to town to trade in" said
Sol Baker sagely.
Course he WILL" agreed Hancock.
He'll have her out to the woodpile
spllttin stove wood, like as not. I've
knowed that to happen, too"
Baker had the grace to look en-
barrassed when the storekeeper
snickered. There's wuss things than
splittin' a leetle mite O. wood now
and then for a woman" he said.
Anyway, Clayt's wife'll take all the
care he kin give her an then need
more. If he amt washin the dishes
for her afore long l miss my guess.
She don't like no kind O. work none
too we'll. She didn't as a gal"
Amt a great hand to cook, they
tell me-" said the storekeeper. "Most
any one o. the other gals could beat
her out when it come to fiyin' up
a meal. Seems like Clayt 'ud have
took 'Lisbeth or Birdie If he wus set
an bound to- marry into the family.
This un's mighty slack mouthed by
all accounts. 1 could ha' told him
suthin' on tibet score II he'd come
to me an asst me-"
why didn't you tell him, any
way?" asked Marvin Parsons.
TITS pity she's slack mouthed, J."
observed Hancock. TITS them kind
O. wimmen that gifts to talkin' about
their neighbors after a while. An
it's funny thing that it's allus the
wimmen that does that. You might
set in this store when Rufe an Sol
here wus shootin' off their mouths
year in an year out an you'd never
hear them say a word agin anybody
not II you wus stone def. But
when a man sees a Teller in danger
O. blightin' his life by takin' up with
a gal that's ornery an no account
he amt dom no more than what's
his dooty to give him the right kind
O. warnin'. If feller's got good
sense he'll erpreshiate a word in sea-
son O. that sort an won't git mad
about it. Anybody's apt to be a mite
Keerless an unthinkin' in the matter
O. choosin' a gal when he's young. /
bet there hain't married man here
but what'll say that's So"
The storekeeper nodded involun-
tarily and Hancock grinned.
IS fur's not takin' a word o.
good advice kindly's concerned reck-
on there's the many a man would tell
you that If somebody'd come to him
in time an let him know what he
had right to expect from the gal
he wus thinkin' o. marryin' he'd
never have married the gal he did"
resumed Hancock. There's some
what does git warned in time. l
rickerleck right we'll when a cousin
o. mine, Sam Hancock, thought O.
hitchin up with a gal he'd met up
with when he was young buck. He
seen the gal an tuck her buggy ridin'
once or twice an he figgered to him
self that she was jest about the fin
est young woman that ever set a
foot on this green airth. He couldn' t
make out that she'd got fault or a
blemish. She'd allus acted that away
whilst he wus around, so how wus
he to know any diffrunt?
There wus one thing, though, an
that wus that Sam had mighty level
haid on him for as young as he wus.
He'd slip up on a trade wunst in a
while, but he never slipped up twicet
the same way an he'd made many
trades by the time he was twenty
year old. No, Sam wusn't nobuddy's
fool.
well, there wus Teller lived
neighbor to the gals folks, name o.
Ben Crittenden, an he knowed Sam
an he knowed the gal. He figgered
that Sam wus likely boy an that 1t
wusn't right for him to stand back
an keep his mouth shet when he cd
do good by openin' it. So he goes
to Sam one day and he takes him out
behind the barn for a conf denshal
talk.
" Sam, he says, 4 allow you know
that I'm friend O. yours an that
/ hain't a trouble maker or a stir
strife. I've got suthin to say to you,
an If say it l don't want for you
to git mad an prance around on your
ear
Certainly not says Sam. III
you've got anything on your mind
you say it.
Its about Berthy,' says Ben.
4 haln't a-goln' to git mad, says
Sam. What about Berthy?'
It's thisaway' says Ben. !
wouldn't say nothin' at all II
thought you'd had the chance to
know for yourself jest what kind OF
a gal she wus. But you hain't, an
l have. / hired out to her paw all
through one harvest an know what
I'm a-talkln' about. That gals
mighty shif'less, Sam, jest shif'less.
Is that so?' says Sam.
"I wouldn't tell you If 1t wusn't
So says Ben. An wouldn't say
nothin' against her neither II you
wusn't friend of mine. She'll shirE
off an leave her nanny to do the
work II she kin, an II she cant shell
jest about hat to do it.
n That's too bad, says Sam, look
in thoughtful
The meals she cooks 'ud sicken
YOU, says Ben. Harvest time fell
Ter hain't partickler, but they sick
ened me. An when she's around the
house she's amt slicked up the way
she is when she goes to a church
soshubble, tell you that
Shot, says Ben.
eyes. stree, an her temper hahn
none o. the best. l seen her belt hel
young brother one day an knock hin
andu,aup 70 Won foEa mU advtna