more and more when you ve folks one mile you like to see em try to go the next themselves � not sit right down in the road had said more than once and not without reason poor mary had sheltered her behind various which had excused her from active in the world s affairs though when anything was going forward in which she cared for any reason to join it had often been noticed that she would step forward with the best a funeral had such attractions for her that nothing short of her own death bed would divert her attention or keep her at home she had vast of strength and will but she passed most of a farmer her time in an complaining state her house was forlorn and her boys had grown used to her feeble and appeals and rarely took much notice of what she said except to escape from the and scolding as soon as they could there was a good deal in her life which was pitiable but still more for which one might blame her and it was her house with its dreary shaded bit of land to which the once busy old farmer had fled for refuge the trees that henry had planted had grown too in that damp place and the grass underneath was all in coarse mixed with a rank growth of leaves beside a fine nursery of young which that summer had started up in a corner mr felt more and more and disturbed all the way and the drive to the mills seemed very long and hot he had little to say to his companion though he sometimes commented upon the different fields and pastures that skirted the roads one neighbor s potatoes and another s corn looked strong and flourishing he took note of them with i m done � i m done he said once or twice half to himself he stopped at last at his daughter s door and while his companion took the a farmer little trunk down from the wagon he went in search of the mistress of the house there was a strong of in the darkened close front room and a voice asked feebly who was there i ve come to stop with you for a spell answered the old man i have been laid up and not good for much of anything and she carried too many guns for me and i thought perhaps you might like to have ny there was a pathetic attempt at joking which would have touched the heart of a stone and mary was quick to catch at this advantage over her sister and rose slowly from her couch the old man s eyes were blinded at coming into this darkness from the glare of sunlight without and he could not see a yard before him he already felt and would have given anything if he had not brought trunk which was just now set down on one end heavily in the entry just behind him i m real pleased to see you though i wish you had come last week when i could have enjoyed you more i don t know when i have been so well in health as i was last week but to day i am so troubled with in my head that i can hardly live i do know what there is for dinner i told the boys they must pick up a lunch somehow or other for i could n t go near a stove the heat of it would kill a farmer me we will get along somehow though she added more cheerfully suddenly of the man from the farm and anxious that he should not carry hack anything hut a good report of her father s reception i declare it does me good to see you and she came forward and gave her guest unwelcome as he had heen the moment before a most affectionate kiss for all that when washington had driven away down the street to do some errands at the stores for before he went home mr watched him sadly from the door and felt as if he had burnt his ships behind him but his daughter was very cheerful all that day and it seemed to him in the evening as if he had done the right thing he would not look upon it as a permanent change by any means but what could be more likely than that not being quite fit for work he should come to pay a visit to his younger daughter he imagined that everybody would wonder at his being there and for it to every one who came in he received a good deal of attention for a time being well known in his county and much respected and he had long talks with mrs who dearly liked conversation and together they recalled people and events of years before and the virtues of mrs a farmer who had been a busy and soul of better sense and deeper affections than either of her daughters the farmer was fond of saying in your mother s day when he spoke to his children indeed the later years of his life had been a sad contrast to the earlier though he had not felt the change and loss half so keenly until the last few months when he could no longer spend an almost strength and energy in the ceaseless round and routine of his work was not over fond of hearing her mother s day referred to and resented the implied superiority to her own but during the first of the visit mary and her father talked about the good woman to their hearts content and mr said that it seemed more than the old place itself ever did nowadays s child was not a pleasant boy and he tired and fretted his grandfather in a miserable way 