The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1859-08-03
Seleet MisfelIanp.
FARMER HEATH DETERMINES TO CUT
OFF AN EXTRA" seii
WHAT BECAME OF HIS EFFORT AT RETRENoH
MENT.

MENT- -
The old farm house quite pleasant
look as the setting sun gilded its small windows,
| over which the luxuriant grape vines were care
| fully trained. In the open door sat the farmer,
with his little morocco covered book In his
hand on which his attention had been fixed
| for the last hour. He was man of method
and order-old Richard Heath, and aside from
his regular account books, which he always
kept with scrupulous care, he always set
down in his little book, in the simplest manner
possible all his expenses, (not every complica-
ted amount by the way,) and all he received
during the year, in metal, as he said, not by
the way of trade. ".e z
The last account he had just reckoned up,
and the result was highly satisfactory, if one
might judge from the pleasant expression of
his face as he turned to his wife and addressed
her by her pretty old fashioned name.
"Millicent," said he, 'this has been lucky
year. How little we thought when we moved
to this place, twenty-five years ago, that we
should now get five hundred dollars year out
of the rocky, barren farm"
sIt does pay for good deal of hard
work." said she, "to see how different things
look now from what they did then"
"Now, am going to figure up how much
we have SPENT" said Mr.. Heath "don't make
noise with your knitting needles, cause it
puts me out.
The wife laid by her knitting in perfect good
humor, and gazed over the broad, rich fields of
waving grain which grew SO tall around the
laden apple trees, that they looked like massive
piles of foliage Hearing her own name
kindly spoken, led her own thoughts far back,
to the past; for after the lapse of twenty-five
years the simple sound of the name she bore
in her youth, means more, to a wife, than all
the pleasing epithets of dearest and darling, so
layishly offered in long past courtship.
Very pleasant was the retrospect to Millicent
Heath The picture of the past had on it
some rough places, and some hard trials, but
no domestic strife or discomfort marred its sun
ny aspect. There were faces ON it-happy
children's faces, without which no life picture
is beautiful Soft blue eyes shone with un-
clouded gladness, and wavy hair aoated care
lessly over unwritten foreheads. She forgot,
most fancied herself again the young mother,
and tinny hands stole lovelingly over her bo-
som, and young head nestled there as of old,
The illusion vanished quickly, and she
sighed as she thought of her youngest born,
the reckles boy who had left her three years
before for home on the sea. Once only kad
tidiags reached her of the wanderer. The let
ter spoke of hardships and home sickness in
that light and careless way that reached the
mothers heart more surely than repining and
complaint. To know what he suffered, with a
strong heart, with noble and unyielding reso-
luton, gave her a feeling of pleasure, not un-
min gled with pride.
"He will surely come back, murmured the
affectionate mother to herself "and read the
paper so carefully every week, that if it says
anything about the ship Alfred sailed in,
shall be sure to see 1t.
"Mrs Heath,'' said her husband, interrupt
ing her meditations somewhat rudely, s'we have
spent thirty dollars more than usual this year ;
where can it have gone to 2"
"The new harness." suggested Mrs Heath /;
''that don't come every year you know"
s'Well there's twenty dollars accounted for. J"
''We had the carriage fixed up when you
bought the harness." continued his wife.
'sWell, that was eight dollars; that's twenty
eight we don't spend every year-but the 9TH
er two, where can they have gone 2"
Glaneing his eye over the pages of the
memorandum book, he exclaimed
"I'll tell you what tbs, the newspaper costs
Just two dollars, and we do without it. 1t
isn't anything to eat, drink, or wear, 1
don't do anything with it, and you only lay it
away in the chamber. 1t may as well be left
out as not, and I'll stop my subscription right
away" t.
"Oh," said his wife, 'you don't know how
much 1 set by the newspaper. always have
glad feeling when you take it out of your
hat and lay it on the kitchen mantle-piece,
Just as do when some of the children come
home and when am tired l sit down with
my knitting work and read, [ can knit just as
well when I'm reading and feel SO contented.
don't believe Queen Victoria herself takes
more solid comfort than do sitting by the
east window, on a summers afternoon, reading e
my newspaper.
ttTO. -
swered her husband, for want of anything else
to say.
'Tnever neglect anything for reading do l P"
asked Mrs. Heath, mildly.
'No, l don't know as you do, answered her
husband "but it seems an extra LIKE shall
stop it" he added, in a tone that showed plain
ly enough he wished to stop the conversation.
"I shall take the paper,n remarked his wife,
''if have got to go out washing to pay for ii. !"
This was not spoken angrily, but SO firmly
that Mr.. Heath noticed it, though by no means
remarkable for discernment in most matters
1t sounded so different from her usual quiet
Gas you think best" that he actually stopped
moment to consider whether it was at all
likely she would do as she said.
Mr.. Heath was kind husband, as that in
definite description is generally understood /;
that is, he did not beat his wife, and always
gave her enough to eat. More than that, he
had certain regard for her happiness, which
already made him feel ashamed of his decision,
but likely many other men who have more OBJ
stinacy than wisdom, he could not bear TO re-
tract anything. and above all to be convinced
he was wrong, by woman. sl3 ~
However; with commendable wish to re-
move the unhappiness he caused, he suggested
as the papers were carefully saved, and she
had found them interesting she could read
them over again, beginning at January, and
taking one a week clear through the year, they
would just come out even, he concluded, as if
it were singular fact that they should do So
Notwithstanding the admirable proposition,
he still felt some uneasiness. 1t followed him,
as he walked up the pleasant lane to the pas
ture, and it madehim speak more sharply than
vas his wont, if the cows stopped while he was
driving them home. to crop the grass where it