|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 69
He is also getting his ideas up on the subject of education. Not long
since, he told me it was his opinion that "there warn't half school
larnin' enuf among the people, and there'd oughter to be longer
schools. There's Jinny Campbell, there, a bright leetle imp as ever
was, and ef she'd had a chance would a taken to her books, like a
chicken to a dough dish. And there's others, most as smart as she is,
all reound, that need schoolin'. I feel the want of it myself, neow
its tew late to git it".
A few days ago, Micah told me he expected to build a new house for
himself soon.
"Ah! Micah", said I, "have you got tired of that comfortable old house
of yours, where we have had so many nice suppers and cosey times
together?"
"Well, no, Captin'; I hain't, and I'm afeerd I shall never like
another place as I dew that. But ye see, ef a feller is a goin' to git
merried, he's got to stir reound and dew what suits other folks as
well as hisself".
"Married! Micah", I said, in complete astonishment, "are you going to
be married?"
"That's jest the way I expected yeou'd look", said he, "when I told ye
abeout it, because ye knew I used to talk agin it, like fury. But ye
see, Captin'; I aint just as I used to be, abeout some things. I'll
tell ye heow it came reound, any heow, so as to sahtisfy ye I ain't
crazy. Well, when I was a beginnin' to git better o' that terable
sickness, the fust and only one I ever had in my life, Miss Campbell,
she used to send Jinny up, with bits o' briled chicken, nice broth and
sech, to kinder tempt my appetite like. The little critter used to
bring 'em in and be so pitiful to me and say, do Micah try to eat
this, so that you may git well; and she seemed so pooty, sincere and
nateral like in all her ways, that I took to her mightily, specially
as I hadn't Miss Ad�le to look arter and chore reound for, any more.
Once or twice, when she came to bring suthin, Ant McNab kinder advised
her to do this and that, and the way the leetle critter spunked up and
had her own way, made me think o' Miss Ad�le and pleased me some, I
tell ye.
"Well, arter I got well, she seemed to be just as chipper and pleasant
as ever, and was allers glad when I went to the heouse, and so it went
on (I won't bother abeout the rest on't) till six months ago. As I was
a walkin' hum from a meetin' at the Grove with her, she sed, 'what a
pooty Grove that is, of yours, Micah;' Witheout a considerin' a half a
minit, I sed, right away, 'Jinny, I'd give yeou that Grove and all I
have beside, upon one condition.' I looked at her, arter I'd sed it,
as skeered as I could be, fur fear she'd fly right at me, fur sayin'
sech a thing. But she didn't. She only colored up awfully and sed, in
a fluttered kinder way, 'what condition, Micah?' 'Pon condition that
you'd merry me, Jinny.' You may believe that arter I sed that, my
heart stood still, better'n a minit. She didn't say a word at fust,
seemed ruther took by surprise, and then, all of a sudding, she turned
her head and looked up inter my face as sarcy as ye ever see anything,
and says she, 'Do yeou think I'd ever merry a man with sech a horrid
name as Mummychog?' 'Is that all the objection you hev, Jinny?' ses I.
Ses she, ''Tis the greatest, I know of.' Then ses I, 'There ain't no
diffikilty, for my name aint Mummychog, and never was. When I came
deown to this kentry, I was a wild, reckless kind of a critter, and I
thought I'd take some outlandish name, jest for the joke on it. I took
Mummychog, and they allers called me so. But my real name is Jones.'
'Well, Mr. Jones,' ses she, lookin' sarcier than ever, 'I shall expect
yeou to hev a sign painted with your real name on it and put up on
your store, and yeou must build a new heouse before I merry yeou.'
That sobered me deown a leetle. I sed, 'But Jinny, I don't want ye to
merry me, unless ye like me. I'll build a heouse and gin it tew ye, ef
that's what ye want. But ye needn't merry me unless ye like me--neow
remember.' She looked at me, jest as soon as I sed that, and caught up
my big hand inter her little one, and ses she, 'O law, Micah, I'd
merry ye ef yer name _was_ Mummychog, and ye needn't build a heouse,
nor nuthin'. I ken go right to the old place jest as well. I'd merry
ye ef ye hadn't a cent, for I like ye better'n anybody else in the
world, Micah.' And then she began to cry, and I hushed her up. And so,
neow it's all settled".
"Well Micah", said I, after hearing this account of his courtship of
Jenny Campbell, "I congratulate you on your choice; Jenny is a good
girl and a pretty one. But isn't she rather young?"
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|