Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-09-28
Didn't you expect to provide for me when
;ou married mo u asked MIRA Wolff sharnlv

Didn't you expect to provide for me whe'
you married me = asked Mra. Wolfe sharply
Yes, said Moses, meeky.
Very we'll, them replied Mrs Wolfe
what are you making poor mouth about
Nothing, said Moses suppose
must sell my best horse, if you can't do with
out the money; but then can't take you t.
town, you know, with my one horse ant
sighing heavily he went out of the house, nnC
sat alone with the moon and the winds.
And the horse was sold, and Mrs. Wolff
wore the new cuffs, and went to town il
the public coach everybody said ID wa,
town in a private carriage, but he had be
come strange man and could not be e1-
pected to do rs other folk. did.
Mrs. Wolfe did not come home in the
coach the horses we're frightened, ran away
on the way to town, and she was thrown
from her seat and killed.
! Those who wished to read the particulars
OF this frightful calamity, will find them all
recorded in The Incorruptible Democrat,
the editor of which applied to the subject the
moving rhetoric with which he painted the
ruin Of his country, in case Of hi. party rs de-
feat, and printed his article with abundance
of exclamation points, italics, small and large
| capitals, and other sensational indications, a-
was perfectly proper. | will not here dwell
upon so melancholy catastrophe.
i wonder if Moses will not reflect on him
self now, said the neighbors. They were
curious to see how he would get along, now
that he had nobody to help him. They sup
posed he would break quite down and very
soon follow his wife. In all the country no
one had ever so large funeral as Mrs.
Wolfe, or was so generally and so deeply
mourned
Many came to condole with Moses, telling
him he must cheer up and be comforted ; he
had good friends still, though he could never
hope to supply the place of his angel wife.
And Moses Wolfe did cheer up, and he
was comforted not till after a season of deep
aflliction, it is true vet earlier than Ire
ought. people said, he began to thiok his
home not altogether desolate and he was no
sooner seen to smile, and to wear new hat,
than it was thought he was sprucing up
for new wife. If he could have sunk lower
in the estimation of his ncighbors than pre-
viously, he would have done 80 now but
that was quite impossible.
Passing by his house one afternoon. Mrs
Speed saw Moses whitewashing the fence
about the yard she saw that the dead trees
were gone, and that some new shrubbery had
been planted. That night she and Mrs.
Weed drank tea together, and said many
things about Moses Wolfe and Anne IIadly,
which | need not repeat. Mrs Speed did not
see Anne as che passed the house, hut she
knew well enough from the looks of things
she was there; she thought, too, Moses WAS
growing younger every day, and she did not
think it looked very well for widower to
smile and bow as he did. or fcourse, neither
Mrs Speed nor Mrs. Weed cared one straw
what Moses Wolfe did. nor what Anne lIadly
Of bu Ian
ly it did look too bad. They talked of Annc's
age again, and this time established it to
their entire satisfaction that she was forty
five and half years old.
The apples were red in the orchard it was
September, and it was his own orchard now
the farm was paid for. The young house
keeper was gone Anne had learned that it
had been her habit to carry home, without
leave, sugar, coffee, tea, butter, &c. enough
to supply family Of five persons. No won
der Moses had not got along she thought.
The horse Moses had sold so reluctantly, had
been bought back again the corn was
ready to gather, the wheat and hay harvest
had been good, and tho house was a- clean
and orderly as house could he Two lighted
candle. were on tho table, where baked ar-
pies and milk, and hroiled chicken and
steaming tea waited the coming in Of the
master of the house. Walking quite erect
and looking more as he did when young
man than she had seen him for years. Anne
thought, Moses came in but she looked
thoughtful and felt sad
When Moses inquired what she was think
ing Of, she answered, looking thoughtfully at
her plate, You must get q house keeper.
Moses looked thoughtful, too, for moment.
left the table in silence, unlocked an old chest
and taking from it bunch of withcred flow
er., laid them in Anne's lap, saying with such
tenderness and seriousness rs cannot write :
- Twenty years ago, dear Anne, went Il
mile out of my way. when the work was
done, to gather these flowers for you you
would not take them then, and in spite and
yr1ation I-But no matter will You
have them now =
Anne bent her head lower and lower over
the hJwers, and Moses bent lower and lower
over her, till his lips quite touched her fore
head. need scarcely say her sighs ended in
bushes and smiles and shat that supper WAS
not the last by great many which they ate
together.
When the neighbors once became recon
ciled, they said, one and all. they wished
Moses and his wife happy, and thought the
marriage prudent but of course there wa,
no love in the case, Anne, they said, wa. a
poor old maid who wanted a home and Moses
wiiower who needed housekeeper, and
who would have had anybody who came in
his way.
/ SO much for appearances