Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-09-28


ly in the play-roon, or wants to go HON,
with her OF course, nobody Now she wa
dressed with more care that she had been fol
years, for nothing 80 stimulates the umb
tion and pride of woman al the thought
that her little efforts please somebody solo
ly for herself she cares to do nothing, anC
only in another's pleasure can she find hei
own. She has put her hair in quite girisl
fashion to-day, and tbs walking or the fast
beating of her heart has eeEt the blood to heI
cheek, and taken the look of many ycart
away. She opens the gate noiselcssly. and
treads on the grass softly, for there is nc
paved walk leading to the deor and she hall
fears to attract the attention of Moses whom
! though she has spoken to, she has not talked
/ with fer twenty years.
! Why Size hog taken such pains to look
well, why, indeed, ahc has come to the
house at all she hardly knows, it may be to
avcnge herself it may be from curiosity it
may be from sympathy, for she has seen
Moses growing old and bent and careworn
before his time and though she never could
quite forgive him for forgetting to walk with
her because Of Charlotte Flumsy, still she
has been eorty 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, and Judging from
! appearances, willingly and chcerlully.
Mrs. Wolfe wears no flounces nor frills at
home, Anne finds indeed, she is careless to
slovcnliness. What is the difference when
nobody sees me but Moses,' she says |
don't think he knows cotton frock from one
of silk !; and Anne finds her sitting on the
dOor-sill, her hair uncombed, and her dress
most untidy; breakfast dishes standing I'M
washed on the table, beds unmade, flies thick
as swarming bees, and a variety of unne es-
sary litter about the carpet, which is ragged
and faded and so dusty that to walk across
it raises quite cloud. The carpet had been
a good one. Anne did not remember to have
seen SO expensive one except in the city,
till tuGu, hot it has been spoiled with abuse
more than water, the breadth next the fire
place is half burned up, and holes have been
torn i'll 1T here and there, which, for the
want OF mcnding, have grown to twice their
original size. Costly furniture is scattered
about the house, anywhere and everywhere
but in the proper places and so broken and
rubbed and scratched. that it makes Anne's
heart sick to see it, for she has been used to
be careful with what she had, and has al
ways found pleasure in making the most Of
little.
Mrs. Wolfe does not rise from her seat and
scarcely looks up from the novel she is read
ing ; but tells Anne to look about the house
and see what she find to do | guess
you will find something to make or mend in
some OF the drawers or closets enough to
keep you busy till ! finish this cha pter.'
Anne saw enough to keep her busy without
stirring an inch from where she stood. enough
to keep her busy for u week, and for more
than week she thought. as she SAW the
double curtains Of sniler webs over the win
dows, the paper hanging from the wall in
patches as it had from time to time scaled
off, the garden run to weeds, and the door
yard with its pools Of dish-water and frar-
mcnts of broken earthcn-ware 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 lif. she
had never seen worn-0ut shoes and stock
ings, hnc lace caps and old and new ribbons.
dirty dresses aprons and tlble-cloths, crushed
together, and scattered among articles that
would otherwise have been clean. One or
two silk dresses, too much torn 0r creased to
wear. in close proximity to new materials for
dresses, of tho most delicate hue and texture
and us for the worn-ou, and torn stockings
and gloves, there was no end of them. There
too, she found Noses trowsers, lust as they
had been worn in the plowing SHIRTS past
all hope of mendlng, made, Anne noticed, of
the coarsest material, and, as it seemed, by
little girls who had left their dish-washing
for the purpose. Having emptied the drcwers
OF one bureau, she began to adjust and re-
pair, working on from hour to hour, till it
was long past noon Still, in the doorway,
the sunshine streaming over her frouzy head +,
sat Mrs. Wolfe, reading on and on, Every
,noiitehi m f Anne expected Moses to come IN from
w., ,'ie 'ir.u T;. "onuIrGu snc 81" no preparation
hnr ioi u,nre' ,r, anu anu pesan 10 grow nervous at
nnd ,T,rao' ,InnI, & Taoeh, uha Two clock'
""u M W. .'VUH' c"'ho ana "eit' ana with
y""n Mrs, "oiie ciosed me hook' saying
't sie LOU tou'l noy fut II uo"'' tiil she had read
Vii '''1' 1 49, .'o"' 'nou9't anne, there
,harcI, Tm' 50 oOn.I. NJ Hohe ana "hIle she
,i'o ,s,I hI oi'e .nrc" hersell across
IIe,r;nr .I,no o' n,,i' 'n' ".s 'oon "s' asleep
,brn,, ,,yr bar ,"C,oU o-,. :" '"o Ai'rhe'. anne