Judge — January 18, 1913 — page 10: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Goin’ M*= MELViNA STUBBINS threw up both floury hands in horror. Pa had fallen over something in the woodshed. The cat shrieked in pain. Then another crash added consternatiun to the startled woman. Mrs. Stubbins rushed into the wood- shed. Pa was down on the floor with a load of stove wood about him. His nose was bleeding and the water from the overturned pail on the wash bench was dammed against his overalls, The cat cowered under the washing machine, licking tenderly at her bruised tail. “Josiah Stubbins, what be you a- doin’?'’ shrieked Melvina solicitously, A MOVABLE FEAST. EGYPT Visitin grasping the prostrate man determinedly by the shoulder and striving to raise the groaning heap. “IT wuz—jest a-thinkin’—about that trip of ourn,’’ he panted, gaining his feet, ‘tan’ stumbled over th’ bootjack. Then the gol-darned cat got in my way, an’ I went down.” Mrs. Stubbins waved her hands de- spairingly and sighed. ‘m 80 fidgety now frum gist thinkin’ of goin’ travelin’,’’ she admitted, ‘‘thet I ain't good fer nothin’—an’ you're worse,"’ heaping it onto Josiah merci- lessly. ‘Sometimes I reckon it ain't wuth th’ candle—all this fussin’ an’ stew- in’ an’ packin’ an’ plannin’,”’ he wailed, wiping the blood from his hickory shirt and looking dazed. ‘‘Folks would be better off, I reckon, if they stayed home whar they wuz comfortable.” “‘An’ never seein’ nothin’ at all!’’ agreed Mrs. Stubbins, turn- ing the wash bench right side up and pouring a liberal helping of water into the basin. ‘*Wash yerself. Itlooks like a murder.” Josiah went out to the barn, feeling ruefully of his nose. It was evident that these were parlous days in the Stubbins cle. Getting ready to go trave ing was sadly interrupting the even tenor of life on the farm. Half the countryside knew of the proposed trip by this time, for the local correspondent of the Advocate had chronicled the news weeks ago. As the gala day approached, Pa and Ma Stubbins packed and unpacked, in- creasing the tension until neither of them slept at night for apprehending train wrecks, The train was due at eight-forty in the morning, but, in their anxiety not to be late, the couple ar- rived at the depot before seven, flustered and fidgety. “Retter to be a little airly,’’ mented Melvina, fluttering into a seat in the big, barn-like station, where the drum stove valiantly gave out its redo- lent coal-smoke odors. Josiah took up his stand before the closed ticket window and waited impa- tiently. As the minutes passed and the agent busied himself beyond its portals, their nervousness increased. Josiah looked apprehensively at Melvina and shifted his big form onto the other foot. “Gittin’ most time, ain’t it, pa?’’ asked Mrs. Stubbins, wiping her sharp nose with a polka-dot handkerchief. Josiah consulted his watch. “T wish this here window would open up,’? he complained restlessly. ‘We ain’t got more'n forty-five minutes. Finally Josiah could hold himself no longer. He stepped determinedly up to the ticket-shelf and rapped loudly on The sounds from beyond and com- the window. stopped. The agent approached threw up the sash, “1—er—could ye wait on us?’? Josiah asked apologetically. (Continued in advertising section.) comicbooks.com