The Westerly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1854-1858, 1855-10-04
WHOLE NUMBER 235

curiosity it may be from sympathy, for
she has seen Moses growing old and bent
and carcworn before his time and tho
she never could quite forgive him for
forgetting to walk with her because OF
Charlotte Flimsy, still she has been sor-
ry. She is an old maid now, going from
place to place sewing. Moses is an old
man; who has perhaps forgotten that ho
ever loved her. At any rate, she has.
come to work for his wife, and judging
from appearances, willingly and cheer
fully.
Mrs. Wolfe wears no hounees nor
frills at home, Anne finds indeed, she
is careless to sloveliness. What is the
difference when nobody sees me but
Moses = she says, & don't think he
knows a cotton frock from one Of silk ;
and Anne finds the carpet, which is
ragged and faded, and so dusty to walk
across it raises quite a clouf. Thefcar.
pet had been good one. Anne did
not remember 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. IS
half burned up, and holes have been
torn in it here and there, which, for the
want of mending, have grown to twice
8 their original size. Costly furniture is
r scattered about the house, anywhere and
t everywhere but in the proper places,
and so broken and rubbed and scratchS
+, ed, that it makes Anne's heart sick to see
yIit, for she has been used to be carefut
with what she had, and has always 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 reading but tells Anne to look
about the house and see what she can
find to do !; guess you will find some-
thing to make or mend in some of tho
drawers or closets enough to keep you
busy till finish this chapter ''..
Anne saw enough to keep her busy
without stirring an inch from where she
stood, enough to keep her busy for
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 scaled OFT,
the garden run to weeds, and the door
yard with its pools of dishwater and 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 stock
ings, fine lace caps and old and new rib.
bons, dirty dresses, aprons, towels and
table cloths, crashed together, and scat
tered among articles that would other
wise have been clean. One or two SILK
dresses, GOO much torn or creased TO
wear, in close proximity to new mater
ials for dresses, of the most delicate hue
and texture and as for the worn out
and corn stockings and gloves, there was
no end of them There, too, she found
NJ oses' trowsers, Just as they had been
worn in the blowing shirts past all
hopes of mending, made, Anne noticed,
of the coarsest material, and as 1t seem-
ed, by little girls who had left their dish
washing for the purpose. Having emp-
tied the drawers of one bureau, she be-
gan to adjust and repair, working on
from hour to hour, till it was long past
noon Still, in the doorway, the sun
shine streaming over her frouzy head,
sat Mrs. Wolfe, reading on and on.--
Every moment Anne expected Moses to
come in from the field; wondered she
never saw no preparation for dinner,
and began to grow nervous at her work.
Ono o'clock, and two o'clock, and three
O'Clock came and went, and with yawn
Mrs. Wolfe closed the book, saying she
could not put it down till she had read
the last word. Now, thought Anne,
there will be something done and while
she thought so, Mrs. Wolfe threw her
self across the uumade bed, and was
soon fast asleep. Hearing some noise
, ia tho kitchen, Anne threw down her
work to see what IL was (; the doors stood
wide open, and dozen chickens were