Year: 1873

HOWE


Perhaps am little too hasty, lit
tie too ready to light up at minutes no.
tice; but there are some words that
seem to me to carry an especial grain of
gunpowder in them, and the above is
one O the sort. To have a person, after
you've been through long explanation,
put his fingers to his mental ears and
query you thus, or, worse still, "Haow?"
is too exasperating for human nature to
bear. But that is what John Stringer
did to me, bending his head little
nearer, and speaking in an absent, ag-
gravating manner that tantalized me be-
yond words.


You see, John Stringer and J. were
engaged; we'd been engaged for long
time, and perhaps had got to be little
too matter O course to each other.


We were sitting there over the fire,
after the old folks had gone to bed, and
I fell TO telling him about Sophie Mills's
wedding-her white silk dress, her
bride e-cake, and her bride maids frosted
all over to match it, and l ended this
way:


But it don't make any difference,
John, to people that love each other; ali
that's o no more account than last year s
snow-drift, They could be married in
calico and homespun, with their feet on
a rag carpet like this, and love each 9TH
er just as we'll"


"HowP" said John, absently. He
was watching the Goals flicker up and
die out again, and picking up a stray
chip now and then to fling on the en-
bers-a fashion he had when he was
thinking.


Now I had had the headache all day,
and guess I was rather more tindery
than usual, though [ didn't think SO
then but when John bent his great
broad shoulders over, as if he hadn't
heard word said, and, in fact, had
something better to occupy his mind,
just fired up, first, and then the blaze
died down into sulks, and when we
parted that night John and had had
our first and last quarrel.


My heart did not misgive me that
when l saw Johns great tall figure
going out the door, it was the last time
he'd lift the latch for many year but
SO it was.


You see, held my head pretty high
in those days, and wouldn't show that
/ was bit cut up about it, 30 I paired
off with Mrs. Plumbers Jesse, likely,
spruce young fellow enough, hut no
more to be compared with John than O
cockle-shell is to brigantine.


Oh, well, mother sighed, and tried
right hard to bring us together again,
but it wasn't to be.


John was powerful, muscular man,
and L used to see him go up the road
many a time when I was out in the shed
milking, and, peeping out at him through
the chinks, I thought his broad shoul-
ders stepped more than ever, and his
figure was growing more stalky like.
Such an awkward fellow as John was
came near rushing out on him once,
in my sun-bonnet and with my sleeves
rolled up, and fingihg my arms right
round his neck; but John liked to see
folks tidy, and 1 never did it.


Jesse Plumber was the beau O the
village-dapper, neat, and dainty as you
please and all the girls thought I had
como to my senses when Iousted 'em O
jess. And by-and-by it was Jess that
came sparkling O. nights, and sat o. win
ter evenings over the embers, and he
was so soft-spoken and pleasant that
even mother forgot her vexation. (She
always set store by John, mother did.
Well, in the spring we were married,
Jess and me, and I had O string Of
pearls and a real silk bridal dress, and
felt kind O lifted like when the girls
crowded round me and hoped I'd be
happy. hoped so too I wasn't sure
of it.


Remembering the days that came af-
ter, can't recall one hard word I ever
heard from Jess. We weren't near
enough to each other to quarrel we
Just laid apart like two odd volumes
there wasn't any fire 'twixt us, nor atiy
thing 'twixt us, either love or laughing,
whereas John and I had always been
bubbling over one way and another.


Worked hard, for my silk dress and
necklace were all I had of riches and
[ cut up the gown one day to make q
cloak for the baby. You see I couldn't
give up my pride, and was just as high
spirited as ever But our farm didn't
prosper, and Jess didn't prosper and
Mrs. Plumber came to live with us, to
look after things, she said and she got
to pitying him every now and then for
marrying q poor wife, and-oh, we'll,
what's the use O. talking ?-sometimes
I couldn't help wishing John Stringer's
strong shoulders were at the wheel, when
Twas working myself to death morning
and night for nothing.


Then when baby grew bigger took
teaching an A B @ class, as 1 used to
before 1 was married but what little /
knew had run wild since then, and l
couldn't keep the boys straight some
how and the girls didn't care about
samplers, for the sewing-machine had
ridden right over every thing. Then
Jessie fell i'll O. the fever, and with all
the fuming and fretting and nursing of
his mother, and with all my watching
day and night, somehow he slipped off