New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-11-20
A Real Lady.

n
Francis Tiffany, in Old and New for October.l
One summer was boarding with my
family in q farmhouse by the seashore. Our
host was a piriful miser, starving himself,
starving his family: and, a fortiOri, starving
his boarders. Sick of human nature. sick
Of petty, miserable contention, party OF
us started out one day, in wagon, Tor "A
fine beach, some miles away, to try to for
get our woes in the kind lap Of Mother Ma
ture. As We approached the beach, we
stopped at farmhouse to ask PERMISSION to
put our horse in the barn. Knocking at the
door, it was opened by notwithstanding
woman of fifty, in spectacles, the glasses OF
which, however, far from hiding, seemed
only to serve, like varnish on picture, to
bring out the light and warmth OF pair OF
loving blue eyes underneath
She gave us the heartiest reception. put
your horse in the barn! Certainly! You'll
find plenty Of hay there. Come out to spend
day by the beach, have you! That's right.
selves! Won't you eat your luncheon IN our
apple orchard, it's SO nice and cool and shady
there And wouldn't you like pan of
sweet milk to hove with it!' "Bless your
dear. loving heart"' / cried internally.
'.Then the stern necessities of farm life do
not shrivel and wien and dry-rot all souls
Atter the manner of old Grimes we are board
ing With! But perhaps lniS Oh lteiy ufte
trOddena more silken path
looked around the room. There were
milk pans enough to make life one eternal
scour Her dress, too, was trussed up;
her arms were bare. and with that battered
and callous look about the elbows, which
betokens hard usage. mo children, prOba-
bly, that accounts fori it, Presently "a rust
ling of bed-clOthes and an incipient wall
from a neighboring room. "Ah! that's
4 II. 7 M no sc
my baby" ] was about as incredulous as
Sarah of old but she went right on.
"Tve had sixteen children!" Sixteen chill
dren! all these milk pans, the ordinary
work of the farmhouse. and room still in
the heart for such reception as we had
had. for such generous Il do like to see
young people enjoy themselves" for such
hearty proffers of the hospitality of the
apple orchard, and of a full gallon of
sweet milk! All. see it. Where there is
room in the heart, there is always room in
| the house"-roOm for all these children
and then room to spare for a bevy Of pleas
ure-seeeking, do-nOthing strangers, who
| would seem sent only to suggest the COM
plant, "Why must my life be a ceaseless
moil Of nursing. scrubbing, ripping, sewing.
| while these people can lie on the rocks all
| day long, counting the breakers, cooled by
| the spray, doing off the music OF the pulls
ing ocean,
l went, after preliminary embarrass-
| ment in the stable over the horses collar,
and said, blushingly, Madam, am ashamed
| to say do not know how to harness that
horse" ''Of course not everybody can't
do everything - and this in a tone as though
she was already overwhelmed with amaze
ment at the number Of things l could do.
Her replying thus, say. and then running
| to the back door and calling TO two of her
sons in the field .'Here YOU Henry CLAW F.,
Daniel Webster froom still in that heart.
| we see, for streak OF hero Worship Come
here and help this gentleman harness his
| horse ~ But l can not enlarge further.
Does not she, however, illustrate gloriously
the creative power to make small house
big, narrow means abundant. work play. u
contracted sphere roomy. broad and airy!