Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1859-01-28
VOL. Kill.
MRS. HILL AND MRS. TROOST


cap and apron, and sat on the north porct
making an unbleached cotton shirt for Peter
(Mr. HID who always wore unbleached
shirts in harvest time. Mrs. H. was thrift.
ty economist. She had been pursuing this
housewifely avocation for some little time
interrupting herself only at times to shu!
away the fiocks of half-grown chickens that
came noisiy about the door for the crumbs
from the table- cloth, when the sudden shut
ting down of a great blue cotton umbrella
caused her to drop her work, and exlaim-
We'll, now, Mrs. Troost; who would have
thought that you ever would have come to
see met
'Why, | have thought great many times
that would come.' said the visitor, stamp
ing her little feet-for she was little wo-
man-briskly on the blue flag stones, and
then dusting them nicely with her white
cambrck handkerchief, before venturing on
the snowy porch floor of Mrs. HILL When
shaking hands, She added, 1T has been a
good while, for remember when was here
last had my Jane with me-quite a aby
then, if you mind-and she is three years
old now
is it possible!' said Mrs. Hill, u1tying the
bonnet strings of her neighbor, who sighed
as she continued
'Yes, she was three along in last Februa-
ry, > and she sighed again more heavily than
before, though there was no earthly reason
that | know of why she should sigh, unless
perhaps the flight of time thus brought to
mind suggested the transitory nature of hu.
man things.
Mrs. Hill had the bonnet of Mrs. Trooss
on her sspare bed,' and covered it with lit
tie, pale-blue Grape shawl, kept especially
for like occasions. and taking from the drawer
of the bureau large fen of turkey feathers,
she presented it to her guest. saying
"A very warm day, isn't iti'
90, dreadful, dreadful; it seems as hot as
a bake oven; and i suffer with the heat all
summer more or less But its a world of
SUFFERING and Mrs. Troost half closed her
eyes, as if 10 shut out the dreadful reality.
'Haysmaking requires sunsniny weather,
you know: so we must put up with it, said
Mrs. Hill. Besides, can mostly find some
cool place about the house. | keep my
sewing here on the porch, and as bake my
bread or cook my dinner manage to catch il
up sometimes, and SO keep from getting
everheated; and then, too, get good many
stitches taken in the course of the day
This is nice cool place; completely cur
tanned with vines;' said Mrs. Troost, and
she sighed again. They must have cost
you great deal of pains
%, no, trouble at all; morning glories
grow themselves; they only require 10 be
planted, viii save seed for you this fall.
and next suInme: you can have your porch
as shady mine eHs So
And, il had, it would not signify,' said
Mrs. TfooSt. L never get lime to sit down
from one weeks end to another, besides |
never had any luck with vines; some folks
haven't. you know
Mrs. Hill was woman of short pletho-
ric haiti; one that might be supposed to
move ahuut with little agility, and to dud ex-
cessive warmth rather inconvenient. But
she was of a happy, cheerful temperament;
and when it rained she tucked upsher skirts
and put on thick shoes and waddled along
the same as ever saying to herself, This
will make the grass grow, or bring up the
radishes, or something else equally consol
atory.' --H.-. assn.
Mrs. Troost, on the contrary, was liult
thin woman who looked as though she nigh
move about nimbly at any season. But, II
she herself often said, she was a poor unfor
tunate creature, and pittied and commisser
ated herself great deal, as she was in jus
tice bound to do. for nobody else cared, sh,
said, how much she had to bear.
They were near neighbors; these ladies
but their social interchanges of tea drinkin.
were not of very frequent occurrence, fol-
| sometimes Mrs. T-oost had nothing to wea
! like other folks; sometimes it was too het
| and sometimes it was 100 cold; and theI
again nobody wanted to see her, and shr
was sure she didn't want to go where sh
was not wanted. Moreover, she had sue
! great barn of a house, as no other woma
! ever had to take care of. But in all th
neighborhood it was called the big house, S
Mrs. Troost was in some measure compen
| sated for the pains it cost her. 1t was, how
ever, as she said, a barn of a place wit
halfthe rooms unfinished, partly that the.
had no use for them, and partly that the
were unable to get furniture. So it stoo
| right in the sun, with no shutters, and n
trees about it, and Mrs. Troost said she didn
suppose it ever would have She was a
! ways opposed to building it, but she neve
had her way about anything, though som
people said Mr.. Troost had taken the d
mensons of his house with his wife's apro
strings-but that may have been slander.
While Mrs. Troost sat sighing over thi ng
in general, Mrs. Hill sewed on the last but
ton, and shaking the loose threads from tn
completed garment, held it up moment
take a satisfactory view,as it were, and folt
ed it away.
well. did you ever.' said Mrs. Troos
you have made half shirt, and have g,
nothing at all done. My hands sweat so
can't use the needle, and its no use 10 try q.
Lay down your work for little Will
and we will walk in the garden
So Mrs. Hill threw a towel over her hea
and taking little tin basin in her hand, Il
two ladies' went into the garden. Mr.
/, Troost under the shelter of her blue umbre
la, which she said W as SO heavy twas wor
than nothing. Beans, radishes, raspberri
and currants, besides many other thing
were there in rich prolusion, and Mrs. TroC
!, said everything tlourished for Mrs. H
! while her garden was all choked up wi
i weeds.
And you have bees, too-don't they sti
E the children, and give you great deal
!, trouble! Along in May, | guess it WI
Troost (Mrs. Troost always called her hi
+ band SOY bought hive, or rather traded
calf for one; nice, likely calf, too, i Wi
and they never did us one bit of good;' a
the unhappy woman sighed.
Il 'They do saw said Mrs. Hill synpat
zingly, that bees won't work for some foil
in case their king dies they are likely
quarrel, and not do we'll; but we indeed h'
= never had any i'll luck with ours; and we
year sold forty dollars worth of honey,
is sides having all we wanted for our own u
Did yours die off, or what, Mrs. Troost!'