Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-08-01

whether or no Miss Joy cares tu'pence
about him, is what I lie awake nights
and ask myself. A handsomer couple
I've never SEEN"
Would Miss vennable leave her
father?" 7
Il don't know as she would. Maybe
not. I'd like to see 'er takin' up with
one o. the landed gentry. Shed make
a rare duchess, she would manage
a dukedom, and the duke into the
bargain"
You're a masterful woman, Mrs.
Owbridge."
"Ah! never knowed it till / was
two and thirty"
"Really?"
mot till six years after l married
pore Owbridge. He was n o. them
tall, big, ~taIk-you-down ~fellers. Sang
bass in the choir, he did. Weighed
nigh unto fifteen stun, too! Well, he'd
habits I didn't like; but I'd dassn't
say a word, him bein' such a mountain
of a man, an me little bigger than a
mouse in them days. One of is tricks
was to pull off his muddy boots and
leave 'em in my nice clean kitchen!
That used to make me bile! He lone
it one night just after I'd spent the
afternoon a-schubbin' the floor. When
he came into tea there they was
a-lyin' near the dresser. 'Ullo,' he says
presently, 'ain't you goin' to take them
boots away?' No. says I, 1 amt
Then they'll lie there till the Day O.
Judgment says Owbridge. We were
sittin' at tea, me o none side O. the
table, and Owbridge and our first
1 ahj1I E1In,, 49, ,tt10 Hx~1J.O,. R,,1 on
t'other. Gwbridge had been spilled
tarrible by his mother. No, they
won't | says, not If you was twice
the mar that you is! l want you to
LEAH that | amt your mother and
with that l S far forgot myself as to
lean across the table. and slap his face.
He'd a look On it that just drove me
wild. | fastened to say l meant it for
the child, but Owbridge was more
frightened than hurt. | never had no
trouble with the pore Teller after
that"
Hauled down his fag-eh?"
mot altogether. But he let me fly
mine inside the 'ouse, and that's as
it should be. But mex Sunday l did no
tice that seemin'ly his voice did not
drown the rest o. the choir quite as
much as usual"
I'm sure he sang small forever
after"
"Owbridge couldn't ha' done that if
he'd tried ever SO. You like your joke
Mr.. Charters, Well, well, it's laughin'
not keepin' and gnashin' O. teeth, that
turns a hard life into an easy one.
Miss Joy knows that. Allus a pleasant
smile for saints and sinners alike"
"For sinners? Any sinners in Hern-
shaw Parva?"
Sinners! Bless me! And that
there drunken vagabond, Tom Hen
best, your own. beaten. Why, the par.
ish is full Of sinners all sorts an
sizes! But Miss Joy has a soft spot
in her cart for big and little"
mo exceptions"
His clear gray eyes looked straight
into hers. He spoke in a very quiet
voice which almost seemed to jndi
cate Indifference, but his left hand
crumbled neryously a piece Of bread
He had just finished his dinner; Bur
CESS was with the Vennables; Mrs
O%wbridge had come in to clear away.
well, as to that She paused
and in a graver tone continued
What she was to that silly sheer
Bella Rockley In her trouble nobody
knows but Bella 'erself, and she's a
Bournemouth in the good, respectable
place Miss Joy found for her; but the
man as caused the trouble oh, my.
"She tackled the man, did she?"
Sarah Owbridge smiled grimly.
Eyes, she tackled him. He was
married man ratepayer, too. Bella
want thnrn 10 'nl,> rrlrcn hic cic1y wifo
We sha'n't never know what Miss 10,
said to him, but he cleared out Q
Hernshaw Magma, bag and baggage
Got drunk the night before he left
, and said ~'e'couldn't face the lightnin
in 'er eye. Them was his words exac
> Couldn't face the lightnin' in e
eye"
, Mrs. Owbridge removed the chess
and swept up the crumbs. Hugo pulled
) his pipie from his pocket.
I Then there was the case of Ebc
nezer Smart, wife beater," continued
. the widow. She paused, slightly puz
4 zled by the expression on Hugo's face
LET us hear about Ebenezer Smart
/ Heavens! What a name!"
'It matched the man half hypc
2 critic, half bully. One O. them as don
t care what their own flesh an bloot
thinks of them. so long as they stan
e well with the rest O. the world. T
listen to him Sundays, beseechin' tn
d Lord to have mercy upon him for
miserable sinner, you'd ha' though
e that he was wastin' precious breatl
. Not one of us knew that he beat !
wife and children crool! Miss 10
found it out"
+ "How?"
e "She have a wonderful nose 70
C huntin' out foxes. Anyways, she walk
down to the alehcuse, where Ebene
a ger was drinking his glass on Satul
n day night with some of the respect;
blest men in the parish me
/ like Mr.. Pragson, him as hands tn
plate in church. Miss Joy marche
straight into the parlor. 'Ebeneze
IL Smart, she says, do you want to Sc
g the inside of Westchester Gaol?' M
MISS ne answer quite polite, I d
l. not, Then says she, in her cas-.
d pleasant way, you'd better let n
break this And if she didn't pull oil
from behind her back a nasty, venom