Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-05-19
The Diary
BY F. E. c. ROBBINS.


most as soon as the bulky parcel that
he carried in his hand.
What on earth have you got now
that you're so tickled over?" de-
manded his wife. She took the par
eel from Caleb's unresisting hands.
He watched her with kind of fas-
cination while she impatiently tore
she brought to view something that
looked like an overgrown account
book he found voice to say, tits
only diary"
"a daryl" echoed Mrs. Jenkins.
"Just as though you had patience
enough to keep diary! 1 should
judge by the size of the book that
you expected to write in it every day,
and live to be a hundred, at that!"
Then, as she opened the book, she
exclaimed, why, it's been used!
Somebody has palmed off a second
hand diary on to you, Caleb Jen-
kins!"
"Oh, that's why l bought it. !
wanted to see if I couldn't floor Zen
as Perkins with it once in a while.
You see, Zenas has got to be con-
siderable of nuisance with that
diary of his, that he's kept for a
dozen years or more.
HE doesn't allow anybody else to
know anything. If anybody remarks
that this is the warmest October
that he ever see, why, Zenas Is ready
to prove that the mercury averaged
to run higher i'll October only two
years ago.
know if we remember that 1t is just
so many years ago to-day that Joel
Pixies barn burned, or that some
thing or other else happened. Only
the other day I was saying that
Cap'n Bakers third wife hadn't been
dead more'n six months when he
married his fourth, and Zenas took
me right up, anG got his diary. and
showed by it that the cap'n had re-
manned a widow'sr just eight months
and clever days.
You can't bring up a namable
thing but Zenas is waiting to pounce
on you with his diary. And l dent
believe he's right more'n half the
time. I calc'late he doesn't keep
the diary along regular, but writes it
up at odd jobs rainy days."
81 s'posed Zenas spent his rainy
days hanging about the store, like
some other folks I know"
Thine and again." continued Ca
leb, disregarding his wife's thinly
yelled allusion, 1--WE thought of
keeping one myself; but diary has
to have some age before it's spod
for much, and Zenas had most too
much of start.
Zone day, when I had an errand
at old Uncle ARENAS Bakers, l
found him writing in a big book, and
ne remarked that he had kept
diary for thirty odd years, and l
thought then that I'd kinder like to
get hold of it. Well, when the old
gentleman passed away, and I heard
that his son-in-law, Seth Strout, was
a-disposing of the household goods,
1 reelected the diary, and thought
I'd see if | couldn't dicker for it.
I've just come from Seth's, and
there's the book. Pm going to read
it all through, and then I'm going to
keep it along myself, and we'll see
If zenas Perkins will be the only au-
thority on happenings in Pondtown!"
How much did you pay for that
book?" asked Mrs. Jenkins. eff
you paid for it by weight it must
have come to considerable"
''Well, paid three and half for
it. offered two, and Seth wanted
five, and finally we split the differ
ence."
Three dollars and half! Well.
I never did" and Mrs. Jenkins re-
tired to the kitchen, leaving her hus-
band to the undisturbed perusual of
his dearly bought treasure.
When she looked in on him, an
hour later, Caleb was still porting
over the book. but the exultation had
faded from his eyes.
"Alvira," he said, mournfully,
I've spent three dollars and half
dreadfully foolish.
81 guess that's no news, Caleb
Jenkins" was the curt reply.
Nov just listen to this" said Ca
Ieb, too much absorbed in his trou-
Bile to notice his wife's displeasure.
This is one days record: October
the eighteenth. o. the corruption in
high places! o, the wickedness that
stalks abroad! We have indeed
fallen upon evil times. I myself am
as prone to evil as the sparks to fly
upward. Rheumatism about as yes
terday. Applied skunk's oil, but de-
rived no benefit
There. it's just like that, Alvira,
all through the diary. There is plen-
ty of the old gentleman's reflections
and accounts of his ailments and
what he took for 'em, but there's
nothing about the weather. and
have not run across a single event
yet.
"This book isn't wuth red cent
to me. Alvira." he continued. bitter
ly. "Of course Seth wouldn't take
1t back l believe I'll heave it into
the stove"
ooh. no, Caleb, don't do that!"
said the good woman, her heart soft
ened by her husbands detection. IL
need Just such book. I'm always
wanting to press leaves and flowers,
you know, and pretty much all Of
the books in the house are full. That
diary will he inst the thing TIM |
proper glad you got 1t. Caleb"
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