Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1914-01-01

first but all of the boys had been pseo
to helpin' ma a good deal. and they
were real handy. and when ! asked II
they wasn't goin, r. have ngSe-
keeper, they wouldn't hear TO IT,
They said they wasn't ,gop' 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', ana
Lemvel. he was the youngest, next 70
me. did the cookin'. He could COOK .
dinner equal to any woman. and his
MES beat mine. MY husband said 3d.
and had to give in they did.
Well, they seemed to get along so
nice. and none. of EN- had ever seemed
to think much about the girls not
even when they was boys. that ! must
say was astonishedi when Lepuel ne
up and got married to MehitaDle
pierce. She was a little along In
wears. too, rather more so than Lem
uel. and a dreadful smart piece, Sne
was good lookin' and she had properly.
but she was dreadful smart and up an
comm. could never see how Lem
uel ever got the courage to ask her 70
have him, he was always KIND OF
mild spoken little fellow. Reuben ne
declared he didn't. He vowed tnat
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 nave
spunk enough to say no." said Reuben
and he swallowed hard.
Mehitable had a nice house or her
own that her father left her, all FUR
n1shed and everything. so OF course
Lemuel he went to live with her. ana
Mehitable's house was pretty near
where I lived, SO I could see every
thing that was goin' on. It want very
long before said to Hannah Morse,
nv husbands old maid sister that
lives with us and teaches school, That
believed Lemuel was henpecked,
though hadn't anythin' against Me-
hitable.
II 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 81
wondered il Hannah would have nad
temuel If he'd asked her. well" SAID
I. 81 hope poor Lemuel will be happy.
He's always been such a good' mlid'
willin' boy that it does seem PITY
for him to be rode over rougn-snop'
and have all the will he ever did nave
trodden into the dust"
"Well, that is what will happen, or
ri miss my guess" said hannah
Morse. For a long while l thought sne
was right. 1t was really pitiful to see
Lemuel. He didn't have no more I'D
erty nor will of his own than a nVe-
vear-old boy, and not SO much. Menlt-
able wouldn't let him do this and tnat'
and If there was anythin' be wanted 10
do she was set against it, and he'd al
ways give right In. Many's tne t linz
Iemuel has run, over to my house, ana
his wife come rAGin,, TO the renee any
screamed after him to come home anO
he'd start up as scared as he could ne'
And many,s the time I've been IN
there, and he started to go out ano
she'd tell him to set down. ana ne
set without murmur. $50
Mehitable she bought all his clothes
an she favored long-tailed coats, ano
he bein' such a short man never
looked we'll in 'em, and she wouion
let him have store shirts and collars
hut made them herself, and she dldn
have very good patterns, she USED mel
fathers old ones, and he wasn't nc
such built man as Lemuel, and KNOW
he suffered everything, both In MI
nride an his feelins. Lemuel begal
To look real downtrod. He didn't seen
like half such a man as he did, and TN
0ueerest thing about it was: Meni'
able didn't pear to like the work o
her own hands, so to speak. I'D
One day she talked to me about I
az dunno what it's" said she' Pr
Iemuel he don't seem to have no g
ahead and no ambition and no VIII Q
his own. He tries to please me, pu
It don't seem as If he had grit enoue
even for that. Sometimes ! think q
amt well, but l dunno what ais hin
I'VE been real careful OF him. Hs
worn thick nannels, and hes "a
wholesome victuals; ! amt never ie
him have pie"
aIemueI vas always dreadful ION
~ nia . said L felt kind Of sorry, 10