Gloucester County Democrat., 1907-07-25
FTustling
: : Zebediah.
By LUCY STEWART.
Copyrighted. 1907, by Z. c. PARCELS.
BY LUCY STEWART.
Copyrighted. 1907, by e. G. PARCELS.

sAnd you've got to help me-"
The COWS had been MIXED, the hogs
fed, and Jabez Strong, farmer, had
taken his seat beside his wife on the
veranda. He didn't ask what it was
she would not stand, for the matter
had been the subject of numerous con-
versations before. He had always as
sumed a neutral position and argued
that things would come out all right
if left alone, but now he realized that
crisis had arrived.
IF she had a mother it would be
different" continued the good wife as
she famed away the mosquitoes with
folded paper, "but she hasn't one.
She's only got a father, and he's the
biggest old poke in six counties. Jest
the last thing Melvina Williams said to
me on her dying bed was to be moth
er to Emeline, and now I'm going to
be or know the reason why. I'm going
to call her over here tomorrow for
talk, and I'm going to have talk with
Zebediah 1t hain't right, and you
can't make it right"
"It a4lus makes things wuss to mix
in," answered her husband after a
minute.
1T might if Emeline had mother,
but she hain't got. I've let 1t go on
and on, thinking mebbe hadn't better
say nothing, but / shan't let it go an
other day. l may want you to help
me- If do, you've got to pitch right
in.''
Across the highway from Farmer
Strong's was the farmhouse of Farmer
Williams The two families had been
.neighbors for fifteen years. Farmer
Williams was a good man, but it was
also true that he was a poke" That
is, he worked from morning till night,
and then after reading his county pa
per for half an hour he wound up the
clock and went to bed. When his wife
had died, she left daughter Emeline,
eighteen years old. That was two
years before the opening of this story.
Just about that time Zebediah Hender-
son had been taken on as hired man.
Zeb was twenty-three years old and
well thought of, but he was slow and
conservative by nature.
Some hired men would have fallen
in love with Emeline inside of week,
for she was a bright, attractive coun-
try maiden, but Zeb waited three
months. 1t came to be case of love
on both sides, and three months later
he proposed and was accepted. 1t
stopped short at that, so far as Zeb
was concerned. He meant to marry
some day, but that day was indefinite.
Farmer Williams came to know of the
engagement, but he had no opinion to
express. He went Oh with his plowing
and eating boiled dinners and left mat
ters to fate.
1t was this state of affairs that had
provoked the Indignation of Mrs.
Strong. She didn't think it right on
the part of Zebediah to keep Emeline
"on the hooks" as she expressed it.
While all other young men were driv-
en- away by knowledge of the engage
ment, Zebediah continued to poke
around" as if he had fifty years to get
married in. On one or two occasions.
when he had come over to borrow
hoe or sit ON the yeranda and discuss
crops with her husband, she had spok-
en- her mind pretty plainly. She had
hinted that she knew of farmers sons
who were looking about for wives and
that there were more windmill and
wire fence men coming along than
she could shake stick at, but Zebe-
diah was unmoyed. She had made
Emeline own up to the engagement,
and she had advised her not to make a
long engagement of it, but when the
girl blushingly asked her what she
could do Mrs. Strong had no plan at
hand and didn't know where she was
to get one.
Fortune fayors the conspirator as
well as the brave. Two or three days
after her talk with her husband on the
veranda Mrs. Strong's brother came on
visit from Illinois. He was a iovial,
hustling young man. If he hadn't had
sweetheart back home he would
have fallen in love with Emeline Will
liams. 1t was while he was praising
her that Mrs. Strong got her plan. 1t
was as simple as sliding down d cellar
door. She crowed and giggled over It
for half an hour and was still growing
and giggling when the girl from across
the road came over to borrow a draw
ing of tea. Mrs Strong brought out
the tea and then motioned her pretty
neighbor to take chair and began:
"Elneline Williams, you have no
mother"
mop
"Your mother asked me to be a
mother to you after she was gone.''
Il know It, and you've been awful
good to me-"
"Emeline, it's a dreadful thing for
girl to be in love and have no moth
er and an old poke of a father and
can't stand it any longer. I've got to
be your mother and advise with yous
tBut father is kind and good, and
Zeb isis