Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-11

| spose that was how it happened to
be struck A barn is a good deal more
likely to be when they've jest got hay
in. Well, everybody jest sot to an
put the fire in the barn out They
handed buckets of water up to men on
the roof, an put that out without much
trouble by takin' 1t in time.
But after they'd got that put out
they found the house was ON fire. The
same thunder-bolt that struck the barn
had struck that too, an 1t was blazin'
away at one end of the roof pretty
lively.
"Wa'al, they went to work at that
then, an they'd jest got that fairly put
out a few minutes before we come.
Nothin' was hurt much, only thar was
a good deal of water round; we had
hard work next day cleanin' of it up.
Aunt Rebecca alters was a calm
sort of a woman, an she didn't seem
near as much fustered by it all as
most folks would have been.
Il couldn't help wonderin' an look
in at her pretty sharp to see how she
took Uncle Enos's death, too. You
see, thar was something kinder curious
about their gittin' married I'd heard
about 1t all from mother / don't
s'pose she ever wanted him, nor cared
about him the best she could do, any
more than she would have about any
good, respectable man that was her
neighbor. Uncle Enos was a pretty
good sort of man, though he was
alters dreadful sot in his ways, an
believe it would have been wuss than
death any time for him to have to give
up anything he had determined to hev
But ] must say l never thought so
much of him after mother told me
what she did. You see the way of il
was-Aunt RebeccaS mother was aw-
full sot on her hevin' him, and she
was dreadful old an feeble, an Aunt
Rebecca jest give in to her. An the
wust of 1t was there was another feller
named Abner Lyons that Aunt Rebecca
sot heap of store by an would a mar
ried i'm if she'd had her own way. But
her mother fairly hated him an as
l say Aunt Rebecca give in to her
"On the day of the weddin she
looked pretty as a pictur, but thar was
somethin' kinder awful about her when
she stood up before the minister with
Uncle Enos to be married.
She was dressed in green silk, an
had some roses in her hair. | kin
imagine jest how she must hev looked
She was good-lookin' woman when
| knew her, an they said when she
was young thar want many to com.
pare with her
Mother said Uncle Enos looked nice
but he had his mouth kinder hard sot
as eff now he'd got what he wanted
an meant to hang on to it. He'd
known all the time jest how matters
was. Aunt Rebecca told him the whole
story; she declared she wouldn't mar
ry him, without she did.
Il s'pose at the last minute that
Aunt Rebecca got kinder desprit, an
realizin' sense of what she was doin'
come over her, an she thought she'd
make one more effort to escape; for
when the minister asked that question
bout thar bein' any obstacles to their
gettin' married, an eff thar were let
'em speak up, or forever hold their
peace, Aunt Rebecca did speak UP.
Mother said she looked straight at the
parson, an her eyes was shinin' an
her cheeks white as lilies.
Yes says she, thar is an obstacle.
an | will speak, an then l will for
ever hold my peace. l don't love this
man I'm standin' beside of, an love
another man. Now eff Enos Fair.