The Westerly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1854-1858, 1855-10-04

I Il wonder if Moses will not reflect on
himself now said the neighbors. They
were curious TO see how he would get
along, now that be had nobody to help
him. They supposed he would break
quite down and very soon follow his
wife. In ell the country no one had
ever so large funeral a. Mrs. Wolfe,
or was so generally or deeply mourned.
Mauy came to condole With Moses,
telling him he must cheer up and be
comforted; be had good friends still,
though be could never hope to supply
the place of bis angel wife.
And Moses Wolfe did cheer up, and
he was comfortcd not till after sea-
son of deep affection, it is true; yet
earlier than he ought, people say, he
began to think his home not altogether
desolate; and he was no sooner seen to
smile, and to wear a new hat, than it
was thought he was 'sprucing up for a
new wife. If he could have sunk lower
in the estimation OF his neighbors than
previously, he would have done so now, +,
but that was quito 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 aud
Mrs. Weed drank tea together, and said
: many things about Moses Wolfe and
Anne Hadley, which l need not repeat.
Mrs. Speed did not see Anne as she
passed the house, but 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 wild
over to smile and bow as he did. Oh
course, neither Mrs. Speed nor Mrs.
Weed cared one straw what Mr.. Wolfe
did, nor what Anne Hadley did it was
none Of their business but really it did
look too bad They talked of Anne's
ago again, and this time established it
to their entire satisfaction that she was
forty five and half years old.
The apples were red 10 tho orchard
it was September, and it was his own
orchard How--the farm was paid for.--
The young housekeeper was gone; An
ne learned that it had been her habit to
carry home, without leave, sugar, coffee,
tea, butter, sc a, enough to supply a
family of Eve persons. No wonder Mo-
ses had not got along she thought
I'M. Lo... Nosos h.j ..IJ - l.
Ily, had been bought back again the
corn was ready to gather, the wheat and
hay harvest had been good, and the
house was as clean and orderly as a
house could be. Two lighted candles
we're on the table, where Taxed apples
and milk and broiled chicken and steam
} ing tea waited the coming of the master
of the house. Walking quito erect, and
looking m6re 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
thinking of, she answered, looking at
her plate thoughtiully, you must get
a housekeeper.' Moses looked thought
full, too, for moment, left the table in
silence, unlocked an old chest, and TAX
ing from it bunch of withered flowers,
: laid them in Anne's lap, saying with
such tenderness and seriousness as |
cannot write : Twenty years ago, dear
, Anne, l went a mile out of my way
) when the work was dene, to gather these
flowers for you; you would not take
; them then, and in spite and vexation
-But no matter, will you have
them nowi'
Anne bent her head lower and lower
over the flowers, and Moses bent lower
aud lower over her, to hear what she
! would say, till bis lips quite touched her
forehead. l need scarcely say her sigbs
ended in bushes and smiles, and that
that supper was not the last by great
many which they ate together.
When the neighbors once became re-
conciled, they said, one and all, they
wished Moses and his wife happy, and
thought the marriage prudent; but Of
course there was no love in the case -
Anne, they said, was poor old maid
who wanted home, and Moses wild.
over who needed a housekeeper, and
who would have had anybody who came
in lis way.
So much for appearances.