Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1868-01-08
Select TuIr.
AN OLD APPLE WOMAN.

without being reminded Of village to which |
was once directed by planter whom | met by the
roadside in the hackwoods Of Georgia. Go street
on he said " till you come to a shngled house,
a blacksmith shop, and tobacco barn. standin'
right round puddle OF water; that's the village
Boston, to be sure is something more than a
slingled house, a blacksmith shop, and a tobacco
/ barn 10 is, in fact, town several miles larger
than the Georgia village but. for all that, it
stands right round puddle beg pardon, a
pond-oi water. This pool is known 10 history
as the Frog Pond and 10 probably derived its
name from family Of frogs who once had there a
summer residence; but why it retains its appella-
tiOn is difficult 70 conjecture since all the Boston
croakers now spend their summer at Newport or
Nahant. and their winters in much drier il not
more Wholesome quarters.
But pool Of wit has already been she'd on this
pool Of water, and IL is not my intention to swell
a small pond into an ocean. SO ! shall content
myself with emptying my inkstand upon a little
woman who In rain or shine, week iu and week
out. for many long year, kept an apple-stand
near the margin Of that famous puddle oi water.
She was little. and she was old, and | do think
about as ugly any woman who has lived since
the birth Of Eve-that first Of apple women but
she loved, and served her country, and so in spite
Of her ugness, feel bound to give her half a
dozen pages Of general historyr+
At FIRST she served it by vending green apples
and striped sticks Of stomach ache to the hungry
T lawyers anu ragged urchiuS VINO cOngfeEftc ABOUT
Court Square aud at this time was sole mistress
Of peripatetic shop-a huge willow basket, going
about on two legs and open at the top. except IN
rainy weather. when it was rooted in by big
cotton umbrella.
She a meagre anatomy, with sharp nose
a sunken chin, a hatchet face, covered all over by
a shrivelled skin Of the precise compeXicn OF a
peeled potato In winter she wore faded hood
a blanket shawl. and a wooden gown-short enough
TO show pair Of corrugated stockings, far winter
than the snow in the streets of Boston. In sum
mer she was Sad in dimity cap, calico irock
and a cotton bandanna, pinned closely over her
bosom; but, summer aud winter. she was always
elongated by pair Of stout brogans, with high
heels and thick soes--ihick enough, would
say, to be impervous to all the moisture that hu-
man feet are heir TO- But they were not imrervi-
Gus to the rheumatism. That one day got into
the legs OF the old woman's apple basket. and
forced her shut up her peripatetic shop, and to
open one of less rowing character.
Then she pitched her tent upon the Common
or more literally, she planted there hree-legged
STOOL the big umbrella, and rough pine table
heaped high with russetts, pippins and gllly-
flowers, which she was ready TO dispense to all
] comers at the rate OF one cent for one, and half
a dime for half dozen--so several paper pl9-
cards. floating, like flags of truce, from as many
golden ppius. told all and singular who frequent
ed the Common.
Business hero throve with the OLD woman; for,
in pleasant weather. the Common is great resort
for Young couples who bill and coo under the
spreading elms. or on the iron-clad bencbes and
billing and cooing is a decided sharpener of the
appetite as is proven by the iamentable Of
the young maiden who died OF love and green
apples.
There is no telling the quantity OF stomach-ache
and cholcra-morbus lhat the old woman daily dis
pense1 to hungry lovers but it must have been
large, since it was often noticed that however high
her table heaped in the morning, It was al
ways low down at night, when with her basket on
her arm, she ambled homeward.
One evening gentleman passing that way Just
az dark found the table almost untouched and the
old woman IN great deal of trouble. 1t had
rlined all day and few lovers had come upon the
Common; so. with apples and clothes weeping in
sympathy with her sorrow, she sat there, with no
one to help her home with her basket
1t is said that evil loves the dark but it is quite
as true that many good things avoid the daylight.
Others ewes are then open, and the fear OF what
- men say often sends sueaking by on the
other side, like the Priest and the Leyte in the
parable. But now it was dark so the gentleman
shouldered the apple basket and went home with
the old woman. She lived in a small room, on
the top Of an old rickety house at the North End
aud as he went up the stairs. the gentleman was
in mortal fear of their tumbling down, and spill
ing both him and the apples At last, however,
he reached the room, and setting down the basket,
himself down 10 rest his tired legs and should
ers IL narrow, mean apartment, and Sc
low thai. when he stood upright, his head almost
hit the ceiling. Two young children, a boy and a
girl who were spreading the table for the evening
meal, and thin emaciated woman, with sunkeu
eyes and pallId features, who was lying on bed
in the corner, we're its occup ,nts. The floor was
bare the furniture plain and poor, and every thing
indicated that it, tenants lived the very verg,
OF starvation but Oh all their faces was cheer
ful look. that showed that somehow they had i'm
bibed of that divine elixir which gives to the most
wretched, comfort and contentment. Curious ia
get at the secret of their happiness, the stranger
asked the old woman about her history.
Twenty years before, she said, her two sons and
her husband had died, leaving her destitute and
alone with one remaining chd-a little daughter
Too weak work and unwilling TO beg, she ther
rcsorted 10 street vending, and by twelve hours o
daily toll, managed to support herself and bring
up her daughter At twenty the latter married
worthless fellow, who broke her heart, and then
cast her penniless upon the world with a young
son, the little boy who was then sitting the table
The old woman took them in, and about this time
also adopted the little girl, who the orphan
child Of poor neighbor.
Aud were you able to support them all b,
vending apples ~ asked the gentleman
"No, SIR she answered " tried to but
couldn't. My darter sick, and couldn't dc
nothing, and we soon got into debt, twenty dol
lars. Then, as it to make bad worse, was taker
down with the rheunatics. / was down with them
a fortnight; and when got up, couldn't get round
like | could afore So not KNOWN what to DO,
went with my basket onto bench nigh the Frog
Pond Folks came TO me amaZin' that day, aut
at night had two dollars clean profit. Then
saw the Lords hand; he knowed couldn't max,
living going round, he gave me the rheumat-
les to show me it was best to open a stand on tn,
Common
"And since then have you made both end
meetY
Yes, sir; since then I've been prospere'
wonderful. I've paid oil the debt, and now whei
want TO | lay in a stock of ten dollars, an,
that, you know, brings apples cheaper
" But have you now no fear for winterm
a. No, sir. It's two months of; ! can maxi
thirty dollars afore it comes, AID that, with wha
sewing and washing can do, will take us roun
/ to warm weather
"And how old are you ~ asked the gentleman
looking at the lurrowed face aud white hairs, ,wlic
seemed to say a century
Seventy next Christmas. But We woudn'
think it to look at me feel almost as pert a
when | was thirty"
"And at your age and in such poverty, can
you always look hopefully at the future?n
Yes sir. The Lord is my shepherd. shal
not want, He makeih me lie down in green pas
lures He leadeth me beside still waters
The stranger looked at her with wonder. I'll
had heard these words before, but now they ha
to him new sound and new meaning. All a
once it dawned upon him that ' the poor ar
blessed, because OF their faith which of itself
is the Kingdom Of Heaven" Drawing roll o