Short stories; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
“She disowned her daughter _punctilio:_ in the first place, fer runnin'
away 'stid o' hevin' a church weddin'; 'n' second place, fer marryin' a
pauper (that was what she called him; 'n' it was true, for they 'd spent
every cent he hed); 'n' third place, fer alienatin' the 'fections of a
travelin' baker-man she hed her eye on fer herself. He was a kind of a
flour-food peddler, that used to drive a cart round by Hard Scrabble,
Moderation, 'n' Scratch Corner way. Mis' Maddox used to buy all her
baked victuals of him, 'specially after she found out he was a widower
beginnin' to take notice. His cart used to stand at her door so long
everybody on the rout would complain o' stale bread. But bime bye Fiddy
begun to set at her winder when he druv up, 'n' bime bye she pinned a
blue ribbon in her collar. When she done that, Mis' Maddox alles hed to
take a back seat. The boys used to call it a danger signal. It kind o'
drawed yer 'tention to p'ints 'bout her chin 'n' mouth 'n' neck, 'n' one
thing 'n' 'nother, in a way that was cal'lated to snarl up the thoughts
o' perfessors o' religion 'n' turn 'em earthways. There was a spell
I hed to say, '_Remember_ _Rhapseny!_ _Remember_ _Rhapseny!_' over to
myself whenever Fiddy put on her blue ribbons. Wall, as I say, Fiddy set
at the winder, the baker-man seen the blue ribbons, 'n' Mis' Maddox's
cake was dough. She put on a red ribbon; but land! her neck looked 's if
somebody 'd gone over it with a harrer! Then she stomped round 'n' slat
the dish-rag, but 't wa'n't no use. 'Gracious, mother,' says Fiddy, 'I
don't do nothin' but set at the winder. The sun shines for all.' 'You're
right it does,' says Mis' Maddox, ''n' that's jest what I complain of.
I'd like to get a change to shine on something myself.'
“But the baker-man kep' on comin', though when he got to the Maddoxes'
doorsteps he couldn't make change for a quarter nor tell pie from bread;
an' sure 's you're born, the very day Fiddy went away to be married to
Dixie, that mornin' she drawed that everlastin' numhead of a flour-food
peddler out into the orchard, 'n' cut off a lock o' her hair, 'n' tied
it up with a piece o' her blue ribbon, 'n' give it to him; an' old Mis'
Bascom says, when he went past her house he was gazin' at it 'n' kissin'
of it, 'n' his horse meanderin' on one side the road 'n' the other, 'n'
the door o' the cart open 'n' slammin' to 'n' fro, 'n' ginger cookies
spillin' out all over the lot. He come back to the Maddoxes next
morning' ['t wa'n't his day, but his hoss couldn't pull one way when
Fiddy's ribbon was pullin' t'other); an' when he found out she 'd gone
with Dixie, he cussed 'n' stomped 'n' took on like a loontic; an' when
Mis' Maddox hinted she was ready to heal the wownds Fiddy 'd inflicted,
he stomped 'n' cussed wuss 'n' ever, 'n' the neighbors say he called her
a hombly old trollop, an' fired the bread loaves all over the dooryard,
he was so crazy at bein' cheated.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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