Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-01-11

n ms. =. B. STOWE.

rs l3
Deacon Tilden had the squsrest,
1eatest, white house that over showed
It's keen angles from the dusky clumps
of old lilac bushes. In front Of il
Itood On each side Of the doorway two
thrifty cherry trees, which bore . BUSH
81 each every season. Except the
aforementioned lilac trees, there was
not shrub round the place. Rose
bushes the Deacon thought rotted the
house, and tho honeysuckle which his
wife tried to train over the porch was
torn down whom the painters came, and
on the whole tho Deacon said, what was
the use Of putting it up, go long as it
didn't bear anything?
By the eide Of the house was thrift |
ty, well kept garden, with plenty of
current bushes, goosebery bushes and
ounce trees-and the beets and car
rots and onions were the pride Of the
Deacon's heart but, as he often
proudly said everything was for use-I
there was nothing fancy about it. His
wife put in tlmorously one season for q
Aewer- border-Mrs. Jenkins had given
her petunia, and Mrs. Simkins had
brought her package of flower seeds
from New York-and so bed was
laid out. But the thrifty Deacon soon
found that the wedding o. it took time
that Mrs. Tilden might give to her dali
ry, or to making shirts and knitting
stockings !; and 50 it really troubled his
conscience. The next spring he turn
ed it into his corn6eld and when his
wife mildly intimated her disappoint-
ment, said, placidly, "after all, 'twas
thing Of no use, and took time ;"
and Mrs. Tilden, being meek woman,
and one of the kind Of saints who al
ways suppose themselves miserable sim
ners, specially confessed her sin of be-
ing inwardly vexed about the incidens
in her prayers that night, and prayed
that her eyes might be turn ed off from
beholding vanity, and that she might
be quickened in the way of minding her
way.
The front parlor Of the Deacon's
house was the most frigid asylum of
neatness that ever discouraged the eyes
and heart Of q visitor. The four
blank walls were guiltless Of any en-
craving or painting or Of any adorn-
msnt but an ordinary wall paper and a
framed copy of the Declaration of In
dependence-on each of the three sides
stood four chairs-under tho looking
glass was a shining mahogany table,
with large Bible and almanac on it,
and pair of cold, glistening brass
andirons illustrated the FIREPLACE
The mantle shelf above had a pair of
bright brass cand!e-sticks with pair
of shutters between-and that was all.
The Deacon liked tit was plain and
simple-no nonsense about livery
thing for use and nothing for show
il suited him. His wife sometimes
sighed and looked round it, when she
was sewing, as If she wanted something,
and then sung in the good old psalm
From vanity fair turn off my eyes;
Let no corrupt design
Or covetous desire arise
Within this heart of mine
The corrupt design to which this es-
Unable matron had been tempted had
been the purchase of a pair Of Parian
flowers vases, whose beauty had struck
to her heart when she went with her
butter and eggs to the neighboring city,
but recollecting herself in time, she had
resolutely shut her eyes to the allure
ment, and spen. the money usefully in
buying loaf sugar.
For it is to be remembered that the
Deacon was fond of good eating, and
prided himself on the bounties of his
wife's table. Few women knew better
how to set. one and the snowy bread,
golden butter, clear preserves and jel-
lies, were themes Of admiration at all
the tea-tables in the land. The Dea-
con didn'tmind few cents on pound
more for nicer ham, and would now
and then bring treat Of oysters from
the city VIXEN they were dearest. These
were comforts he said-one must
stretch point for the comforts of life.
The Deacon must not be mistaken
for tyrannical man or a bad husband.
When he quietly Put his wife's flower
patch into corn6eld, he thought he
had done her service by curing her
of an absurd notion fos things that
took time and made trouble and were
of no use /; and she. dear soul, never
had broathed dissent to any course of
his loud enough to let him know she
had one. Ho laughed in his sleeve
often when he saw her so TRANQUILITY
knitting or hirt-makirg at those times
she had been wont to give to her poor
little contraband pleasures. As for the
flower vases, they were rcpcnted Of
and Mrs. Tilden put a handful of
spring anemones into cracked pitch
er and set it on her knitting table, till
the Deacon tossed it out Ct the window
che couldn't bear to see weeds grow
ing round"
The poor little woman had kind of
chronic heart sickness, like the .,iuing
of a teething child, but she never knew
exactly what she wanted If she was
ever sick no man could be kinder than
the Deacon. He has been known to
harness in all haste and rush to the
neighborlng town at 4 o'clock in the
morning that he might bring her some
delicacy she had a fancy for-that he
could see the use Of /; but he could not
sympathize in her craving desire to see
Powers Greek Slave, which was ex-