The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1855-12-01

ses Wolfe, for he is up early and works late,
and no one says to him, "Are you tired!" or
"Don't do so mnch;" or"f am sorry,"--
those phrases so magical to tighten burdens
and shorten time.
1t was after dinter when Anne appeared
at Mrs. WoIfe's door, with basket and scis.
sors, and thread and thimble, and dressed
with more care than nt the quilting. WHY
should she not bels No one there would
care what she wore, for at such parties she
is expected to come early and work late,
and 60 home before the fun, or make her
self useful in. the kitchen, for who wants
old Anne Hadly in the play.room,, or wants
to go home with her! OF course, nobody.
Now she was dressed with more care than
she had been for years, for nothing SO slim
ulates the ambition of woman as the
thought that her little efforts please some-
body; solely for herself she cares to do no.
thing, and only in another's pleasure can she
find her own. She has put up her hair in
quite girlish fashion to-day, and the WALK
ing or the fast beating Of her heart has sent
the blood to her cheek, and taken the look
of many years sway. She opens the gate
noiselessly, and treads on the grass softly,
for there is no paved walk leading to the
door; and she half fears to attract the atten-
ton of Moses, whom though she has spo.
ken to, she has not talked with for twenty
years.
Why she has taken such pains to look
well; why, indeed, she has come to the
house at all, she hardly knows; it may be to
ayenge herself; it may be from curiosity; ii
may be from sympathy, for she has seen
Moses growing old and bent and care-worn
before his time; and though she never could
quite forgive him for forgetting to walk with
her because of Charlotte Flimsey, still she
has been sorry, She is an old maid now,
going from place to place sewing, Moses
is an old man, who has perhaps forgotten
that he ever loved her. At any rate she has
come to work for his wife, aid judging from
appearances Willingly and cheerfully.
Mrs. Wolfe wears no founces nor frilIs
at home, Anne finds; indeed, she is careless
to slovenliness. "What is the difference
when nobody sees me but Moses!" she says
IL don't think he knows cotton frock from
one Of silk" and Anne finds the carpet rag
ged and faded, and SO dusty that to walk
across it raises quite Q cloud. The carpet
had been a good one. Anne did not re-
member to have seen SO expensive one
except in the city, till then, but it has been
spoiled with abuse more than wear; the
breadth next the fire place its half burned
up, and holes have been torn in it here and
there. which, for the want of mendng,
have grown twice their original size. Costly
furniture is scattered about the house, any
where and everywhere but in the proper pla-
ces, and so broken and rubbed and scratch.
ed, that it makes Anne's heart sick to see
it, for she has been used to be careful with
what she has, and has always found pleas
ure in making the most of little.
Mrs. Wolfe does not rise from her seat,
and scarcely looks up from the novel she is
reading; bnt tells Anne to look about the
house and see what she can find to do; IL
guess you will find something to make OF
mend in some OF the drawers or closets
enough to keep you busy till ] finish this
chapter 3, qssns. 7galo !a7g945,
Anne saw enough to keep her busy with
out stirring an inch from where she stood,
enough to keep her busy fer week, and for
more than a week she thought, as she saw
the double curtains Of spider webs over the
windows, the paper hanging from the wall
in patches as it had from time to time been
scaled of, the garden run to weeds. and the
door-yard with its,pools of dish water frag.
ments Of broken earthenware and china,
where green grass or cool paving stones
should have been. Laying aside shawl and
bonnet, she opened the bureau as directed,
and found such medley as in all her life
she had never seen; worn out shoes and
stockings, fine lace caps and old and new
ribbons, dirty dresses, aprons, towels and
table cloths, crushed together and scatter
/ ed among articles that would otherwise have
been clean. One or two silk dresses too
| much torn or CREASED TO wear, in close prox-
unity to new materials for dresses, Of the
most delicate hue and texture;--and as for
the worn out and torn stockings and gloves,
there was no end Of them. There, too, she
found Moses trowsers, just as they had
been worn in the plowing; past all
hope, Of mending, made, Anne noticed, ol
the coarsest material, and, as it seemed.
who had left their dish washing for the pur.
pose. Having empted the drawers Of one
bureau, she began to adjust and repair work
| ing on from hour to hour, till it was long
past noon. Still, in the doorway. the sun.
shine streaming over her frouzy head sci
Mrs. Wolfe, reading on and ON. Every
moment Anne expected Noses to come, in
| from the field; wondered she saw no, Prepa'
ration for dinner; and begun to grow nerv-
| Gus at her work. One O'Clock, and two o..
clock, and three o'clock, came and went
and with a yawn Mrs. Wolfe closed the
haok snv;nn she couldy not mt il down III