Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1870-03-09
with her nursing baby lying in the shade neal

rascal whose debts she was sacrificing herself
to pay, would dash past her, clean and soft
handed, and stately and proud, in his glitter
ing carriage.
Oh, could l. an interloper, come into her
home, and mark out new lines and new duties,
and crowd against the wall this crowned old
heroine7 God helping me, | said in my
heart, | will be daughter unto you.
could see that my music was something
new that she did not like--that her lip would
curl little when she would touch my maga-
zines and books Of poetry so most heartily
did | sing sweet old church music, and when
placed the books on the table, | 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 questioning look, as
much as to say, " wonder if you love me,
Charity7" She always called me Charity,
sounding the X very distinctly.
She wore an old fashioned lace cap with a
full border or frill all round the face. All
the pride she had seemed to centre in her
faultlessly neat but old-time caps Her hair
was abundant and quite brown and pretty,
but it was always covered and out Of sight
My friends when they visited me- would
say, "If | we're you, ia soon have those
great scary looking boozy caps in the stove,
they are so abominaby old-fashoned'
My thoughts would hy with electric speed
away back to the time when that poor old
mother was young and vigorous and brayely
bearing the trials and sorrows that had fallen
to her lot, when her heart was wrung with
anguish over the death-beds Of her beloved
children, and the dark graves closed over the
dead faces, taken suddenly away from her
bosom, and oh aud oh she would be so dear
to me, and would be so ready and willing
to defend her, that her very faults almost
seemed virtues.
liked to show mother off to the best ad-
vantage, and sometimes, when my visitors
would be dressing and redressing their scant
adornment of hair, and resorting to deceptive
means TO make much hair out of little,
would say, Now sit down and rest, mother
and let me comb and brush you" Then
would unroll and loosen her wealth of brown
hair, all down her back and shoulders, and its
waves and ripples and glossiness would bring
forth the most envious and enthusiastic excla-
nations of delight and wonder from the ADM.
ring visitors.
One morning early a neighbor came in very
angry, saying that our horses had been in his
cornfeld all night, and if the like ever hap
pened again he'd shoot every one Of them
His anger was contagious, and mother re-
torted " Fix your old fences then"
The old man said something in the same
o,I IL. ls..I II Il
the little fire of anger was blazing up into
flame had not caught the infection
at all, and coming into the kitchen at that
moment, | said, Heigho, good neighbor,
this will never do Poor mother is not well
this morning, and 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 little thing like this make
you angry with US you're too good neigh
Dor to lose 80 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 and babies, she'd be as much trou.
bled as though it was in her own family, and
come putting over with her herbs and roots
and poultces and"
Oh, know it, Chatty, and | know
have been little too fast that's so.
should have waited till was calm, but | came
right here from the field, as fast and mad as
could come. You mustn't mind me, Mrs
Wheeler, said the man, with eyes that want
ed to cry, as he stood there so ashamed and
embarrassed that he'd turn his hat inside oui
half dozen times, and twisted the rim into
all sorts of shapes.
/ a. lNkv bIaus uo,, Nathan In, not
mad, said mother, reaching out her hand
" but you took me so by surprise just sait
the first thing that thought. | take fir,
Just like dry tow; but | couldn't hold spite
at ye, if ye shot every critter on the farm
Just then the man came in from hunting
the horses, aud made apologies, and said he
should be well paid for damages, etc, bu
Nathan went off blushing and saying he
wouldn't take a cent OF pay he was ashamed
of himself and that his wife had his break.
fast waiting for him, and away he ran with
his hat crammed down on his head with tn,
| cotton lining on the outside.
This little incident showed that mother was
a kind-hearted, reasonable woman, and be.
gan to think my uncle Peter Whitaker wa,
himself to blame if he did not find her goot
nelghbor.
often had hard work to keep myself un
der proper restraint.
One day my mind had bsen dwelling upor
my school days and felt in mood for writ
ing. In the afternoon | dressed up freshl
in my newest white dress, and went away ~
stairs where l could be undlsturbed. haC
written two verses, and was deeply in the en-
joyment of the coming poem, " The Meadow
Path" when | heard great commotion, anC
squalling and Huttering among the geese, anc
going down stairs the cause was apparent.
Mother met me at the gate in such outland
lsh attire that did not know her She wor,
dingy old flannel dress, her neck bundled "
with cotton shawl, and handkerchief tieC
around her head so as to cover her ears and
hair
She said the geese were all at home now
aud she was afraid Of rain, and thought wee