Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1914-01-01

KNOW AOW NhCJ
would get along at
first but all Of the boys had been used
to helpin ma a good deal, and they
were real handy, and when ! asked IL
they wasn't goln to have a 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 ironinI
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 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 dreadful smart piece. She
was good lookin' and she had property,
but she was dreadful smart and up an
comm. | could never see how Lem
uel ever got the courage to ask her to
have him, he was always q kind OF
mild spoken little fellow, Reuben he
declared he didn't He vowed that
Mehltable asked him herself. He said
he knew it for fact. and he said II
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 nx II that woman hadn'trup
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
Mehitables house was pretty near
where lived, 50 could see every
thing that was goin' on. It wa'nt'yery
long before I 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.
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 OF
wondered II Hannah would have had
Lemuel II he'd asked her. We'll" 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"
well, 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 Ave
year-old boy. and not so much. Mehit-
able wouldn't let him do this aud that.
and II there was anythin' he wanted to
do, she was set against It, and he'd al
ways give right In. Mays the time
Lemuel has run over to my house. and
bis wife come racin' to the fence and
screamed after him to come home, and
he'd start up az scared AZ he could be.
And many's the time I've been In
: there, and he started to 90 out. and
she'd tell him 10 set down, and he's
set without 5 murmur. u
MehitabIe she bought all his clothes,
an she favored long-tailed coats, and
he bein' such q short man never
looked we'll 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
fathers old ones, and he wasn't no
such built man as Lemuel. and know
he suffered everything, both in bis
pride an his feelin's. Lemuel began
to look real downtrod He didn't seem
like half such man as he did. and the
queerest thing about It 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
II dunno what 'tis," said she, but
Lemuel he don't seem to have no &c
ahead and no ambition and no will Of
his own. He tries to please me. but
1t don't seem az II he had grit enough
! even for that Sometimes think hs
: Amt well, but l dunno what. ais him
:, I've boon real careful Of him. He'i
! worn thick nannels, and he's had
: wholesome svictuals; amt never lsI
= him have pie"
"Lemuei was always dreadful fond
OF pie" said l. felt kind OF sorry. fol
! rvmsmbsred how fond poor Lemuel