The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-12-04
Heroism i'm Humble Life.
BIZ ANNIE SAWYER DOWNS.

life hath yet Its regal natures,
True, tender, brave, and sweet"
A June sun shone hot and glaring on a
low brown house, that stood very near a
sandy road, in one of the farming districts
o. New Hampshire. Not tree nearer than
ne next field. which, by way of compliment,
was called "the orchard but few strag-
Cling morning -glories, and one or two puny
astors (known to the mistress of the house
as China oysters, } IN box under the win
dow, told that even here, were some dim, ill.,
understood yearnings after beautiful objects.
Near the broad, fiat door-stone, three yellow
haired, chubby children were making dirt
pies, not one Of them old enough to walk
the two miles that lay between them and
the district school house. Inside the house
. sickly, discouraged looking woman was
trying to coax an obstinate baby of half .
year old to 60 to sleep. Poor Mrs. Plum
mer IS the neighbors called her, with no
hands but her own to do chore,--was it
any wonder that the flies were helping them
selves to the remains of the breakfast that
the milk things still remained whore her
husband left them before sunrise that the
attempt she had made at washing only
amounted to most confusing litter of tubs
and soiled garments, and that in the midst
Of tall, obliged to sit down by the scream
ing child, she had orly heart enough to darn,
disconsolately, the heel of an old stocking
that ought to have gone to the rags months
ago?
Frances Plummer and John, her husband,
had been married six years, and ever, body
agreed that they had had hard road to hoe. >
To be sure, his father had left him the old
house, the rocky, sandy soil but even this
was not al paid for, and If it had been. it
wouldn't have been worth much, for as John
said, There wasn't an acre of pastur,ng on
IT. and his poor cow had to pick up her
scanty living most anywhere But they
married young ard full Of hope, they thou't
the work Of building up modest fortune
would not be too hard for them. Somehow
or other they did not get along they had
had seasons; the farmers cut down the
wages Of their hired men, and when the
children began to como SO fast, the wife
grew weak and ailing, and John found as
the years went BY, they only made out to
get poor living The spring Of 1861, had,
however, looked little better for them. for
John had secured small farm, two or three
miles from home, to carry on at the halves ;
and he hoped by autumn to have something
IN his pocket wherewith to help to pay of
the mortgage. But in spite Of this good for
tune, Frances, IS she sat rocking the cradle,
thought her husband had seemed anxious
and silent for the last few weeks, and
her mind, always forbodlng, grew troubled
With sense Of some new grief to befall
them. The STOCKING dropped from her fin.
gers, and It was some minutes before she
discovered that her child had at last worried
into arestless slumber. She got up weariedly
and attempted to bring some order out o.
chaos that rcigped around her. Perhaps
you think she and her husband were rather
weak sort Of bodies, but II you ever tried tc
get your daily bread of from eighty-twt
acres Of New Hampshire rocks, with hous,
and four babes for capital. you viii have
little charity for that species Of weakness
Hourly hour the morning wore away
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