And So She Left Me, And I Never Looked Upon Her
Face Again.
When I removed to our own house, the history of which, and its
former owner, I will give by-and-by, we had a bony, red-headed,
ruffianly American squatter, who had "left his country for his
country's good," for an opposite neighbour.
I had scarcely time
to put my house in order before his family commenced borrowing,
or stealing from me. It is even worse than stealing, the things
procured from you being obtained on false pretences - adding lying
to theft. Not having either an oven or a cooking stove, which at
that period were not so cheap or so common as they are now, I had
provided myself with a large bake-kettle as a substitute. In this
kettle we always cooked hot cakes for breakfast, preferring that to
the trouble of thawing the frozen bread. This man's wife was in the
habit of sending over for my kettle whenever she wanted to bake,
which, as she had a large family, happened nearly every day, and
I found her importunity a great nuisance.
I told the impudent lad so, who was generally sent for it; and asked
him what they did to bake their bread before I came.
"I guess we had to eat cakes in the pan; but now we can borrow this
kettle of your'n, mother can fix bread."
I told him that he could have the kettle this time; but I must
decline letting his mother have it in future, for I wanted it for
the same purpose.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 111 of 670
Words from 29971 to 30236
of 181664
