The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1909-04-30

- gCa sashshh
like that would be apt TO make a man
swear. do your" says /.
"Yup, IL he hadn't got religion. Pad
| have cussed a blue streak. You'd ought
to hear him when he has his nervous
| dyspepsy spells. Did you say you was
a Methodist"
Moo, | guess l didn't. Let's see.
Did you say your name was Dusen.
berry,"
She stopped and kind Of fixed, like
a teakettle billing over, "Sakes alive!"
she snaps. II hope not! Do look as
IL / was carting a name like that
around? My names Sparrow-Eureka
Florina Sparrow. What's the matter
-anything?"
mo, not special. You kind of
fetched me up into the wind, striking
me head on so, unexpected. Just say
that again and say 1t slow. Eureka
Peruna-what was it,"
She switched around and stared at
me hard. Observation-Disclosures
row." says she, slow and distinct.
Want me to spell 1t for your"
NJ, tDdnhS. 1Ou UllBht lila hIC UP
some If You did. had to leave school
early. Any more in your family?"
"Yup. Seven of us, counting me-
and pa makes eight"
whats their names?"
We'll. there's Lycurgus and Editha
and Ulysses and Napoleon and Mar
guerite and Dewey-he's the baby.
C,nok o,n ainSt thny0 Do'o do
ings, naming 'em that way a Pa
says there's nothing like hitching a
grand name to a young one; gives 'em
something to live up to, he says. His
own names Washington, but he amt
broke his back living up to 1t, fairs as
l can see; and ma used to say the
same afore she died."
"O-o-h!" says L. II see." l knew
who she was now. l hadn't lived
around Wellmouth so very long, but
Id heard of Washington Sparrow. He
lived in a little slab shanty off in the
woods about a mile from %Scudder's, and
had the name of being the LATEST man
in town.
We'd reached the house by this time
and left Eureka Florina in the kitch.
en- and went to my DON to change my
buds. When l come down the Twins
was in the kitchen. too, and l could
hear the Sparrow girls tongue going
like a house afire. Martin had just
paid her for the q%uahaugs and she
was telling how scarce they'd got to be
in the bay, and how her brother had
worked to get a few bedded and how
he'd sold a couple of quarts to the
Baptist minister's wife and what she
said about 'em and so On. The Heav'
enlies seemed to be enjoying every
minute of it, judging by the way they
laughed.
Introduce us to the lady, skipper"
says Van. when l come in.
done the honors. "She's one Of
Washy Sparrow's tribe-I mean fami
ly," says L. They live over in the
woods hereabouts."
I Il guess tribe'll do" says Eureka
cutting in quick. There's pretty neal
enough of us to make a town, seems
sometimes. You'd think so If you had
to get the meals for 'em. same's l do
:. "You!" says l. do you cook for al
that gang? How old are your"
Seventeen last March. Cook fol
: EN-? Guess / do! And scratch to gel
things to cook, too; else we'd have t.
live on salt air pudding with wine
sass. l take in washing, and Lycurgu!
he goes fishing and claiming and
choring around, and Editha helps mt
iron, and we all take watch and watcf
looking out for the young ones"
Hartley spoke then. Were looking
for a cook" he says. "Will you come
: and cook for us, and help about thu
house here? Mr.. Pratt finds the jol
too big for one man."
t She bobbed her head. "Yup," say
she, dry as a chip. II should think h,
$ might, judging by what I've seen. Nc
l can't come. I've got to stay hom'
and look out for the folks"
why can't your father do that?
s asks Hartley.
. "Who-pa? l guess you amt hear
u about pa. He's sick. Got his never
u get over, he says. Pas had most ever,
kind of symptom there is; pbthisi
and influency and lumbago and plet
. risy. Now he's settled down to cor
sumption and nervous dyspepsy. Afor
u ma died she used to try to cure hin
. but the doctor and pa had a row. TIL
> doctor said pa didn't have consumI
tion o nothing else; what he needle
y was hard exercise, such as work. P
i said the doc didn't know his bushes!
and the doc said maybe not, but b
u knew pa. So pa told him never {
g darken our door again, and he amt
except to come around once in a Will
and collect something from me on tn
~ bill"
: well" says I, maybe you kno'
somebody else that would do for u
Who's a good cook and general hous'
keeper that would be likely to hir
!, out?"
- She tnooght for a moment or so. :
= don't know" she says. "Most folks l
~ 4 T. 49, ktoy 4nnA1 4