ANOTHER DAY
A little widder who lives across the rode cum to-day to call upon the
family. She brung along wid her a yung thing swate enuff to ate. They
cum driving up behind a pare of spanking horses and drov up under the
port coshare. Mr. James was cutting his milincoly lon, and he niver
looked up at all.
The younger one called to him swately.
“Will you hold the horses, plase.”
Mr. James pushed back his hat and glared like he wad bite her.
“I beg your pardin” ses she and the widder begins to larf and closed up
her parrysol. Joost then Mr. John cum round from the back of the house.
He lucks very straynge and funny, being in overalls, his spicticles
poysed on the tip of his nose, his hair standing opp where his fingers
have been running through it. Its a turrible tax the poor gintleman has
been doing. Shure hes been all day digging up the seeds which I
carefully mixed and planted. The ladies in the carriage try to stop
larfing and the yunger one joomps out.
“Is Mrs. Wolley at home” ses she.
Miss Claire laves her floury hidge and dood, and wint running forward,
wid her little muddy hands hild out. I seesed hauld of an aprun on the
line and tied it on me. Thin I wint to anser the dure. Miss Claire is
leeding them on to the veranda.
“I’m Miss Wolley” ses she, “you find us all ingaged at our respictuf
toyle. My brother James cuts the grass, John’s the vigitable gardiner,
and I rayse swate flours——”
“What fun!” ses the widder clasping her hands, “How perfeckly deliteful.
It mus be just like playing, is’nt it,” and she turned her big black
eyes on Mr. John.
“Will ye walk inside” ses I, braking in here, “Mrs. Wolley will be down
in a moment. Shes not well, but she’s for seeing you. Joost have a seet,
she ses.”
“O lets sit out here!” ses the widder. “You were talking of your
gardin?” ses she turning to Mr. John wid a smile.
“—er yes” ses he. “But I’m a mere noviss. Do you understand anything
about the art?”
“Do I?” ses she, sitting in the saftest veranda chare, “Why I’ve a
reppytashun in the Poynt for me vigitibles. Have’nt I Una?” and she
appealed to her frind, who has just infarmed Mr. James that sumtimes she
cuts her papa’s lons wid her own fare hands, jest for exsysise.
“Yes” ses Miss Una, nodding her pretty hed, “Why” ses she “theres a
sertin kind of turnip nown to fame as The Widdy Jane.”
“Una!” ses the widder larfing, “but relly” ses she turning back to Mr.
John agin “I manage my own little farm all mesilf.”
I let Mrs. Wolley out thru the fly dure and thin the auld gintleman wint
out, also wid his face red and shining from the quick shave he’s given
it. They all torked and larfed and thin finully got up to go. Thin Miss
Claire asks carelessly.
“And hoo are our naybours on this side?” and she intercated the doods
place.
“Have’nt they called on you yet” arsks the widder.
Mrs. Wolley frowned a bit, but Miss Claire ses swately:
“Oh yes one of the suns called.”
“One of the suns!” ses the widder, “Why Harry’s the only child. Una
here,” ses she, smiling “can tell you all about him.”
“I!” ses Miss Una, opening her brown eyes wide, “O yes” ses she “Harry
and I yused to be sweet on aich other senturies ago. Hes a deer boy” ses
she, “and you’ll meet his mother soon I suppose, and old S. Judd
Dudley.”
Mr. Wolley and Mr. James both bounced up in their seets. The auld
gintleman conthrolled himsilf.
“Pardon me, my deer” ses he “but did I oonderstand you to say our
naybour’s name was Dudley—S. Judd Dudley?”
“Yes” ses she “the famiss S. Judd. Youve herd of him of coorse.”
“I have” ses Mr. Wolley slowly, and the hole family looked at aich uther
strayngely.
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