The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1863-07-16

eat her meals properly. That was most
lamentably true; what with cooking huge
messes of pork and beef, cabbage and po-
tatoes, filling tub after tub with apple
sauce, making all the cheese, bread, and
butter for the household and hired men,
| how could she eat her meals as she ought !?
Yet, strange to say, she never regretted
all this outlay Of strength, all this waste
of human life. Ever before her was the
prospect of that farm, cleared, planted and
paid for.
She never would allow herself to have
any help, except when her children were
born, and even then she gave the wearied
frame no repose, but stitched and mended,
propped up by pillows, before her nerves
or her muscles were able to perform their
proper motions And thus it was that
she grew detormed, shrunken and old !;
grew into machine of flesh and blood
that never tired of the huge toll it had
taken upon itself to bear.
Her husband became accustomed to
seeing her pale face, and SO often had he
listened to her reiterated declaration that
she wouldn't have girl near her, that at
last he gave up all thought of it. He had
several times in the early years of their
marriage, proposed to drive and visit, but
she had always something to do, until he
never dreamed of taking her out for a
drive.
One day he came in early in the after
noon.
1t was an unusual hour for him, and
his wife remarked it, as she looked up off
the pile of shirts she was mending.
DWELL" said he, with flush and
smile, as he seated himself in one of the
high backed wooden chairs, "I've bought
farm at last, and paid for it, every cent
of it.
At first the faded eye kindled, the lip
smiled but suddenly the wife bowed her
head on her hands and burst into tears.
"Why Sarah, why wife, II thought
you'd be pleased" exclaimed the farmer,
quite chagrined at this very unusual ex-
hibition.
Sarah, after little struggle with her
self, lifted her head and wiped away the
tears, striving to smile.
81 am, DEAR" she said, every much |
pleased, but there did come such dark
feeling over me just then as you spoke,
that l had to give way to it, and cry for a
minute, like baby"
"Well, well, that is strange for you,
Sarah you're feeling sick, perhaps"
go 10; [ feel well-that is, my head
aches just little after dinner but then
suppose 1 was tired" she replied.
'.Tired-yes, that's just IT," said the
farmer; "well, you shall have girl after
this; no more shaving. I'm rich enough,
now, and it's nonsense for you to kill |
yourself"
81 amt killing myself, John, and I'd |
rather not have a girl now. The boys are !
grown up, and there are NO babies to take
care Of SO you see [ can get along nicely. |
Besides, l am used to my OVID ways, and !
shouldn't like anybody to break in upon
EN-. Everything will be new there, and !
nice; but do tell me all about it where is |
the house, and what did you give?"
He answered her question by resvlutcly |
declaring that she must come out aud get [
into the carriage, and go and see for her
self.
For once she laid aside that important,
al. engrossing work, and did as she was
desired. As for the house and grounds,
she was almost in ecstasies about them J.;
everything was so pleasant and convenient |
for her work. Work was uppermost, and |
her theme was, how easy it would be to !
do this, aud how easy to do that-still |
work
They were settled, and much of the old !
furniture was replaced by new, and yet SO
fearful was the good wife that things
would not be kept up to just the point
where she found them, that it was scrub |
and delve, delve and scrub, from morning |
till night, just the old way, only little
worse.
At last nature would hold out no long |
er. After enjoying the new farm for six
Sarah complained of feeling
one evening, fell down in a
fainting fit, and was taken to her bed, |
which she never left again. Il
The neighbors, as they passed and !
repassed, soon saw black Grape tied to
the front door, and then they knew and |
looked sorrowful. Poor John Wells .
he stopped also, and bore hopeless, mel
ancboly face at the funeral. and his new,
smart house felt like new smart tomb,
painting were all fresh.
1t took him two years to get accustomed |
to his loneliness, and he would have lived |
on single forever, if some presumptuous
friends had not undertaken to find him a |
wife, and then almost do his wooing for
him,