The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1913-12-25

first but all OF the boys had been used
to helpin' ma good deal. and they
we're real handy, and when l asked II
they wasn't goin' to have a house
keeper. they wouldn't hear to II
They said they wasn't goin' tc
have no strange woman round In
mas place, nohow. So Silas he took
hold and did the washin' and ironin'
and Reuben did the sweepin', and
Lemuel, he was the youngest, next to
me, did the cookin'. He could cook a
dinner equal to any woman. and his
pies beat mine. My husband said so
and had to give in they did.
Well, they seemed to get along SO
nice, and none Of 'em had ever seemed
to think much about the girls, not
even when they was boys, that I must
say l was astonished when Lemuel he
up and got married to Mehitable
Pierce. She was a little along In
years, too. rather more so than Lem
uel. and a dreadful smart piece. She
was good lookin' and she had property.
but she was dreadful smart and up an
comm. l could never see how Lem
uel ever got the courage to ask her to
have him, he was always a kind of
mild spoken little fellow. Reuben he
declared he didn't. He vowed that
Mehitable asked him herself He said
he knew II for fact, and he said 1t
with the tears rollin' down his cheeks.
Reuben was the oldest and he'd al
ways been terrible fond of Lemuel.
THAT poor boy would never have got
in such fix IL that woman hadn't up
an asked him, an he didn't have
spunk enough to say no." said Reuben,
and he swallowed hard.
Mehitable had nice house of her
own that her father left her, all fur
nished and everything, so of course
Lemuel he went to live with her, and
Mehitable's house was pretty near
where | lived, so I could see every
thing that was goin' on. II want very
long before ! said to Hannah Morse,
my husbands old maid sister that
lives with us and teaches school. that
believed Lemuel was henpecked,
though l hadn't anythin' against Me
hitable.
Il don't see what else anybody that
married Mehitable Pierce would ex-
pect," said Hannah. She spoke real
sharp for her. I've always kind of
wondered il Hannah would have had
Lemuel IL he'd asked her. WELL" said
/, II hope poor Lemuel will be happy.
He's always been such a good, mild.
willin' boy that 1t does seem a pity
for him to be rode over rough-shop,
and have all the will he ever did have
trodden into the dust"
We'll, that is what will happen, or
I'll miss my guess" said Hannah
Morse. For long while thought she
was right 1t was really pitiful to see
Lemuel. He didn't have no more lib
erty nor will of his own than a five
year-old boy. and not so much. Mehit-
able wouldn't let him DO this and that,
and II there was anythin' he wanted to
do, she was set against 1t, and he'd al
ways give right In. Manys the time
Lemuel has run over to my house, and
his wife come racin' to the fence and
screamed after him to come home, and
he'd start up as scared as he could be.
And many's the time I've been in
there, and he started to go out, and
she'd tell him to set down, and he's
set without a murmur
Mehitable she bought all his clothes,
an she favored long-tailed coats. and
he bein' such short man never
looked well in 'em, and she wouldn't
let him have store shirts and collars.
but made them herself. and she didn't
have very good patterns, she used her
'ather's old ones, and he wasn't no
such built man as Lemuel. and know
he suffered everything. both In his
pride an his feelin's. Lemuel began
% look real downtrod He didn't seem
ike half such a man as he did, and the
lueerest thing about 1t was: Mehit-
able didn't pear to like the work OF
her own hands. SO to speak.
One day she talked to me about II.
i dunno what it's" said she, "but
Lemuel he don't seem to have no go
ahead and no ambition and no will OF
his own. He tries to please me. but
L don't seem as II he had grit enough
sven for that. Sometimes | think he
aint well. but l dunno what ails him.
I've been real careful OF him. Hes
worn thick nannels. and he's had
wholesome victuals; I amt never let
aim have pie"
"Lemuel was always dreadful fond
" pie" said I. felt kind OF sorry. for
remembered how fond poor Lemuel