OCR Text |
Show THE DIXIE OWL 10 night Yes, finished Malviny, an Teeny Cory the next nomin. They laughed immoderately. Tolly used to say them shirts of Jebs, said Lanny Wade, would send a Indian on the war path. I guess that poor critter he married warnt as bright as J eb I've alius claimed it was a shame for em to he allowed to marry, and so has Sam, put in Prudy Patterson. Mica, said Malviny Speers, Says its just awful the way Jebs alivin in poverty an ignorance. Taint known but I do believe hes drove to stealin . Again it was Marthas grin that brought a vigorous Hold on! from Mrs. Quart ick. Now then Sade, Malviny, red efface, expostulated weakly, that warnt nothin but truth. Twant nothing but gossip, retorted Mrs. Quarrick flatly. If were goin to have a Society an a resolution weve got to quit gosipin and live up to em. An embarrassed silence followed They tried to talk about such safe things as chickens and currant jelly, but old recollections were crowding into their minds, and becoming tangled with Societies and New Year resolutions. Miss Timmins alone was unembarrassed, and continued to stitch cheerfully. Well my Suddenly she end'd, soul! and felt for her glasses, Aint that a piece of Dottie Penrose's flowered dress? It sure is cried Malviny and bending over Speers rising the bit of cloth indicated by Malthas finger, an it ain't faded a mite. That was a mighty pretty dress with all them pink an blue posies on it, an all them ruffles too. An Dottie, said Hannah a was Thomas, mighty pretty girl. I don't wonder that Sam an Mica, and Wills, an" all the rest of em clean lost their heads over her looks. Them curls o would hern make a nigger take notice. She was purtty enough fer them that liked her looks, I guess, admitted Mrs. Sampson Hut I fer one didn't grudgingly, like her looks. Of course Martha's eyes twinkled meaningly, you didn't like hei looks because Sampson liked 'em too well. Aint, that it? ter Martha interrupted her, imitating her tone of We're an voice, Society! There was a general titter. Mrs. Sampson relapsed still scowling, still with her say unsaid. It ain't gossip to tell the truth about Dot Penrose. She was a mean Hold on! anti-gossip- Mrs. Sampson, stung, retorted, Sampson want the only one that li ked her looks. There ain t one o you can say your beaus didn't like her looks well as Sampson did. And Marthy, she finished, her voice rising vindictively, I guess your beau fifed her looks best of all, an' her hisn, since she's Mrs. Bob Jennings right now, an you're still Marthy Timmins. Twas Marthy that throwed him over, cried Hannah and, Nancy together, hed a took her quick enough but she wouldnt have him after him an that Do cut such capers. Sampson was the only one that, reallyd took Dottie when he cooled of enough to think about dared prudy Patterson, it, Sampson er Jeb Petters they say Jeb perposed to her seventeen times. Mi's. Sampson alone did not join in the laugh. She scowled Twasn't Sampsons angrily, fault tall, 'twas just that mean underhand tricks. She was after Sampson fast enough but she couldn't get him. That Dottie Penrose want nothing but Dot-tie- 's a bunch of style and meanness. You can all say she was purty but they wan't same trap with Rob Jennings. Sampson told me just last week that he saw Dottie in the city, an she was the Grossest lookin an sourest woman he'd seen in many a day, If you all knowed Dottie as well as I do, you wouldn't be saying such nice things about her. I can tell you a few things She jest hung afright now. nothin under o hern but how purty curls them she looked and how many girls she could cut out. I tell you right now Sampson's a mighty glad man he didnt get caught in the Hold on! You in ain't forgittin your resolution are ye Sade? I continued Martha, aint blamin Dottie Penrose one bit, her cornin from the city made er think she could lay us in the shade, and I guess she did. Put the ones I'm a blamin is the fool men, an I guess they've all come to their The biggest senses long ago. fool among em was Sampson Quarrick, an next to him was Rob Only difference is Jennings. Pob happened to be a little luck-ier'- n Sampson. What 1 want to say tho is this I aint goin to make no resolutions nor join no societies just to be stylish an, be a apin city folks. You've all seen jist how long them kind o An while Im resolutions last. a workin on this quilt an rememberin old times I m a goin' to talk about 'em. But I ain't goin to say nothin that harms anybody, dont believe in that any more'n you do Sade QuarShe paused and surveyed rick. the uncomfortably flushed face How many of you before her. want to quit this fool Society? She asked abruptly. I do, was the unified chorus. An how many of vou's willin 1 |