Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1913-12-26

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to helpin' ma good deal, and they
we're real handy, and when asked II
they wasn't goin' to have house
keeper, they wouldn't hear to 1t.
They said they wasn't goin' to
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
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 must
say I was astcnished when Lemuel he
up and got married to Mehitable
Pierce She was little along in
years, tao, rather more so than Lem
uel, ana dreadful smart piece. She
was gaod lookin' and she had property,
but she was dreadful smart and up an
cnndin'. could never see how Lem
rel ever got the courage to ask her to
nave no Wdb AWAY q AAA0 "a
soild spoken little fellow. Reuben he
declared he didn't. He vowed that
Mehitable asked him herself. He said
he knew it 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 a fix If 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 a 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 / could see every
thing that was goin' on. 1t 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 hadn't anythin' against Me-
hitable.
81 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 If Hannah would have had
Lemuel If he'd asked her. well" said
], 81 hope poor Lemuel will be happy,
He's always been such good, mild
willin' boy that 1t does seem 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. OF
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 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 tc
do, she was set against 1t, and he'd al
ways give right in. Many's the time
Lemuel has run over to my house, ant
his wife come racin' to the fence anC
| screamed after him to come home, an(
he'd start up as scared as he could be
And many's the time I've been II
! there, and he started to go out, ant
1 she'd tell him to set down, and hei
| set without murmur.
| Mehitable she bought all his clothes
\ an she favored long-tailed coats, ant
he bein' such a short man neye
looked well in 'em, and she wouldn'
let him have store shirts and collars
but MADE them herself, and she didn'
have very good patterns, she used he
fathers old ones, and no wasn't nj
such built man as Lemuel, and know
he suffered everything, both In hi
pride an his feelins. Lemuel begal
Y to look real dCwntrod. He didn't seen
L like half snch man as he did, and tn
c uueerest thing about 1t was: Mehit
y able didn't pear to like the work o
her own hands, so to speak.
One day she talked to me about II
.I dunno what it's" said she, "bu
e Lemuel he don't seem to have no &,
g ahead and no ambition and no viii o
q his own He tries to please me, Blu
y 1t don't seem as IL he had grit enough
d even for that Sometimes / think h
amt well, but dunno what ails him
we been real careful of him. He
worn thick flannels, and he's ha
II wholesome victuals; l amt never lie
q aim have pie"
70 "Lemuel was always dreadful fon
d, Of pie" said l. felt kind Of sorry, 70
Al remembered how fond poor Lemue
had always been of mothers pies, an
what good ones he used to make him
self.
Of 'I know it." said Mehitable. "H
y wanted to make some himself, whel
q Se were first married, but vetoed thai
is I wasn't goin' to have a man messiI
d .ound maxim pies, and ! wasn't geiT
10 to have him eatin' of 'em after the
we're made. Pies amt good for hin
But declare dunno what does max
:. l@m act so kind of spiritless. l toll
y him today l thought he'd better max
~ a resolution for the New Year an
II stick to It, and see II Il wouldn't pu
lu la..-.. .....z.l- int. hin %