Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-08-04
FARMER HEATH DETERMINES TO CUT
OFF AN extra"
What Came of his Effort at Retrenchmont.


What Came of his Effort at Retrenchmont
The old farm house wore n quiet. pleasant
look, as the setting sun gihted its small win
dows, over which the luxuriant grape vines
were carefully trained In the open door sat
the farmer, with little morocco-covcred book
in his hand, on which his attention had been
fixed for the past hour. lie was a 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 (no very complicated
amount 10y the way) and all he had received
during the year in the metal as he said, not by
the way of trade
The last account he had Just reckoncd up,
and the result was highly satisfactory, if one
might judge from the pleasant expression of his
face, he turned to his wife and addressed her
by her pretty, old-ashioned 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 ever get five hundred dollars year out
of the rocky, barren farm
at does pay for a good deal of hard work, :"
said She "to see how different things look now
from what they did them
have snent'" s0id Mr. Heath; don't make a
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 pleas
ing cpithets of dearest" and "darling,' so
lavishly offered in long past courtship.
Very pleasant was the retrospect to Millcent
Heath The picture of the past had on it some
rough places, and some hard trials, but no do
nestle strife or discomfort marred its sunny as
pcct. There were faces on it--happy children
iaccs-without which no life picture is beautiful
! Soft blue eyes shone with unclouded brightness
and wavy hair foated carecssly over unwriten
foreheads. She forgot, for a moment how they
were changed, and almost fancied herself again
the Young mother, and tiny hands stole lovingly
over her bosom, and young heads nestled there
as of old
The illusion val shed quickly, and she sighed
She thought of her youngest born, the reckless
boy who had left her three years before. for
home on the sea.
Only once had tdings reached her of tht
wandercr. The letter spoke of hardship ant
homesekness, in that light and careless wa,
that reached the mothers heart more surcl,
than repining and complaint To know that HI
suffered with strong heart with noble and un
yielding resolution, gave her feeling of pleas
ure, not unmingled with pride.
"lIe will surely come back" murmured tn
afectionatc mother to herself; "and ! read tn
paper so carefully every week, that ii it saii
anything about the ship Alfred sailed in, shal
be sure to see it."
"AIrs Heath" said her husband, interruptinI
her meditations somewhat rudely, 1--WE hav
spent thirty dollars more than usual this year
where can it have gone to ?"
"The new harness." suggested Mrs Heath
"that don't come every year, you know"
"Wel there's twenty dollars accounted for.
ave had the carriage fixed up when yo
bought the harness. continued his wife.
"Wcll, that was eight dollars; that's twenty
eight we don't spend every year; but the othe
two, where can they have gone w
CHANGING his eye over the pages of the mem
orandom book, he exclaimed
"I'll tell you what It's, the newspaper cost
Just two dollars, and we can do without it.
. isn't anything to eat, or drink, or wear. | don
do anything with it, and you only lay it ava
e up chamber 1t may as well be lett out as no
and I'll stop my subscription right away"
+ "Oh, said his wife, you don't know how muc
5 5 | set by the paper | always have a sort
glad feeling when you take it out of your h;
and lay it on the kitchen mantle-piece, just
do when some of the children come home
and when am tired sit down with my kni
. ting-work and read-l can knit just as we
, when am reading-and feel so contented.
/ don't believe Queen Victoria herself takes MOI
!, solid comfort than do sitting by the east viii
> dow, on a summer afternoon, reading my new
n paper"
"But you are just as well off without it" al
sworcd her husband, for want of anything els
to say
81 never neglect anything else for reading
do ?" asked Mrs Heath, mildly.
"No, don't know as you do" answered h,
, husband; "but it seems an extra, likei | sha
=, stop it," he added, in tone that showed plain
y enough he wished 20 stop the conversation.
Il 81 shall take the paper remarked his wifi
"if have to 90 out washing to pay for it."
This was not spoken angriy, but so firm
IS that Mr. Heath noticed it, though by no meal
i remarkable for discernment in most Matters
y 1t sounded SO different from her usual quiet Z
l. you think best that he actually stopped m
4 ment to consider whether it was at all likely 81
=, " would do as she had said.
Mr. Heath was a kind husband, as that indie
9f : mite description is generally understood, tn
- is, he did not beat his wife, and always ga