Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1870-04-08
Misfgllanepns.
A DOmEsTIC TALE.
IF THE SHOE FITS THEE, WEAR II.

~ AAA4@ lA4NiA E44I 4E4EE4f WEAR II.
Mrs. Thompson stood BY the kitchen
table pairing potatoes for dinner Some
thing was evidently wrong with the little
lady, for there was an unmistakable air of
spite in the way she tossed the potatoes
into the pan of cool spring water, waiting
there to receive them. 1t was sultry wealth
er, and through the open window came the
sound Of mowers wbet,iug their scythes,
blended with the call of the robin. But it
only irritated Mrs. Thompson-indeed
everything irritated her that day. Looking
out from the back door, might be seen a
lovely landscape, with broad reaches of
meadow-land, fringed with graceful belts OF
biTchi and sOftly-rOunded mountains lifting
their velvety foreheads to the white. feecy
clouds, that vent slowly sailing across the
exquisite ether, ike huge drifts Of thistle
down. But this also irritated her; every
thing could be beautiful save her life, and
that was cold, and rude, and barren. At
least, Mrs. Thompson 10 the plentitude Of
her present unsatisfactory mood, was telling
herself that it was.
To begin at the beginning. Jane Law
renee had been an unusually romantic girl.
and had gone for two years to boarding
school She had always fancied that she
would marry some famous artist or scholar,
who would take her to Rome, and Venice.
where she might live in a perpetual dream
Of beauty. She so loved beautiful things
Perhaps all women do; aud that may be the
reason so many are found ready TO barter
love for gold.
But, contrary to all her e-couceived
notions, she married Robert Thompson, a
plain, practical farmer; and instead of
touring It in Italy, she went to i've at the
old homestead which had been the abode of
the Thompsons for generations. Dreams
and reality are so very different, you see.
Robert Thompson was working farmer,
as well as a practical man, and all his people
worked. His mother had worked in her
day, his sisters had worked, be expected
bis wife to work She took to it gleefuIly.
She had not been brought up with high
notions by any means, and at first the work
did not seem 50 much. But every expert
enced lady knows how the labor seems to
accumulate in plain farmer household as
the years after marriage 60 on. There were
/ plenty of men and boys about. but only one
woman servant was kept, and Mrs Robert
( Thompson grew to find she helped at nearly
everything, save perhaps the very roughest
Of the labor. In place Of lounging in elegant
foreign studios, or gliding down fsracd ca
nails or streams in picturesque gondolas, she
had butter and cheese to make. aud poultry
to rear and dinners TO cock in the long
( low ceiled kitchen, and the thousand ant
one cares upon her shoulders that make uI
a busy household. Quite contrast, as mus
T be admitted.
With things little different, she'd no
have minded the work 50 much. could sh,
have bad nice carpets and tasteful furniture
and books, and picture or two, and flow
ers. The home was so very hard and prac
+ tical, and its surroundings were getting Sc
shabby. At frst she had not noticed this
or cared for it; but every year, as the yeau
went on, made matters look dingier. Ok
Mrs Thompson had not cared to be smar
and nice; Robert never thought about it
And what though be had pit is only natu
raj for men to assume that what had don't
for mother would do for a wife. In timt
Mrs. Robert Thompson began to ask tha
+ some renovation should take place, at which
I Robert only stared the house that bad dont
without painting so long, could do yet, anC
T the old things in it we're good enough fol-
them. She did not venture to urge tht
I point, but she did press for some flowers
( There was a strip of ground under the south
parlor Windows where a shrub Of sweet
brier grew, and pinks, sweet-williams, anl
marigol1s blossomsd in their season. Bu
they were Old-fashioned, common flowers
and she pined for the rare and elegant plant.
she had seen in Conservatives aud public
gardens. But Robert Thompson would as
soon have thought Of buying the moon, a,
such useless things as flowers. The garden
ike himself, was all practical, flied with
cabbagss, onions. potatoes. and sweet herbs.
And 50 went on her unloyely existence, il
which dissatisfaction was becoming a night
mare. Now and agaia, on those somewhat
rare occasions when she Eeut out to visit
her neighbors, and saw how pretty many ot
them bad things she came home more thar
ever out Of heart. The worst vas Tor The
best there was no real reason why fttlt
money should not be spent in making the
home prettier and happier, for Robert
Thompson was doiag we'll and putting fair
ly b. But understanding bad not com;
into the man, and bis wife was too meek
{ perhaps too eonstitutionally timid, to made
trouble over It.
The matter to-day which bad put her sC
very much out this. 4 seWing-clul
had recently been established 10 the neigh