The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-01-25

floor, but SIZE wanted them long enough
to reach only to the wiudow-slls, and
starched so stitliy they ratified like pa.
per.
Over the mirror in our sitting room
long sprays of asparagus dropped. that
in the twilight looked like faint mist while
the finest gilt and bronze tail feathers Of
slaughtered chickens intermiuglcd with
the delicate green. Her side saddle, with
the crimson plush seat and bright bIassy
fixings, always hung in the bedroom and
in the night its dim outline would look
like the horned head of buffalo. 1t was
not for me, Johns young wife, Chatty, to
say thnt its time honorcd place. should be
vacated and that it could hang in clos
ct or in the attic, out Of sight.
Great punches of dried herbs hung
from the ceiling in the Kitchen while the
very choicest and most aromatic depended
from the walls of the sitting-room. Piles
Of bed-clothcs reared themselves up like
things of life from different and conspicu-
ous corners of the rooms.
All this, that shocked my ideas of good
taste, pleased and gratiied poor mother,
who had been accustomed to these rcgula.
tions all her life. John wanted to break
in upon her rules, but could not endure
the thought of the innovation-ot setting
aside her old way, and taking, as it were,
her work from her hands, just as though
she had outlivcd her usefulness. 1t would
have given her fatal wound. She had
seen great deal of trouble, had brought
up a large family.who were living in homes
of their own.
Death had taken from her two lovely
babies, who were just beginning to prattle !;
and one son young man, had met an aw-
ful death by being dragged more than a
mile over a new road with his foot fast in
the stirrup Her husband had been se-
curity for neighbor in the first year of
her welded life, and had the debt to pay.
Half Of the sum she paid, little by little,
with butter, and cheese, and dried fruit,
and berries that she gathered with her
nursing baby lying in the shade near
her.
Often, while toiling thus, the dishonest
rascal, whose debts she was sacrificing her
self to pay, would dash past her, clean
and soft handed, and stately and proud in
his glittering carriage.
Oh, could | an iDtcrloper, come into
her home and mark out new duties, and
crowd against the wall, this old heroine :?
God helping me, said in my heart, will
truly be a daughter unto you.
| could see that my music was some
thing new that she did not like--that her
lip would curl little when she would
touch my magazines and books Of poetry;
so most heartily did | sing sweet old
church music, and when placed the
books on the table l would lay Pilgrims
Progress or volume Of sermons good
old well-read books, on mine as though
intimating preference. 1t was little
thing, but mother understood it, aud her
eyes would follow me in a long question
ing look, as much as to say, IL wonder if
you really DO love me, Charity" sounding
the p very distinctly.
She wore old. fashioned lace caps, with
II full border or frill all around the face.
All the pride she had seemed to center in
her iaultlessly neat but old-time caps.
Her hair was abundant, and quite brown
and pretty but it was always covered and
out fsight.
My friends when they would visit me,
would say, "If were you I'd soon have
those great, scary-looking, boozy caps in
the stove, they are so abominably old
fashioned"
My thoughts would fly with electrical
speed away back to the the time when
that poor old mother was young and Wig
orous, and bravely bearing the trials and
sorrows that had fallen to her lot when
her heart was wrnng with anguish over
the deathbods other beloved children, and
the dark graves closed over the dear dead
faces, taken suddenly away from her bo-
som, and oh . she would be 80 dear to me,
and ! would be SO ready and willing to
defend her that her very faults almost
seemed virtues.
liked to show mother of to the best
advantage, and sometimes, when my yisi-
tors would be dressing and redressing
their sca1t adornment of hair out of lit
tie, | would say snow sit down and rest,
mother, and let me comb and brush you"
Then | would unroll and losen her wealth
Of brown hair, sll down her back and
shoulders, and its waves and ripples, and
glossiness would bring forth the most ell
vious and enthusiastic exclamations of de-
light and wonder from the admiring vis-
tors.
One morning early neighbor came in
very angry, saying that our horses had
been in his corn-feld all night, and if the
like ever happened again he'd shoot every
one Of them. His anger was contagious,
and mother retorted, Fix your old fences,
then -
The man said something in the same
spirit, and she'replied in a like manner,
and the little fire of anger was blazing up
into IA flame had not caught the in
fection at all, and coming into the kitch-
en- at that moment, said, ''tIeigho, good
neighbors, this will never do ! Poor moth
er is not well this morning, aud she flashes
up like powder. You have reason to be
provoked at our horses, but know you
will never have cause again ; and now
don't let a little thing like this make you
angry with us; you're too good neigh
Dor to lose so easily--worth more than
all the horses in town. Don't mind poor
mothers hasty words you know if you
were sick or your wife or babies, she'd
be as much troubled as though il was her
own family, and come putting over with
her herbs, and roots, and poultices,
and"
"Oh, | know it, Chatty, and | know
have been little fast that's so. | should
have waited till | was calm, but | came
right here from the field, as fast and as
| could come. You mustn't mind me,
Mrs. Wheeler" said the man. with eyes