Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1870-02-17
ONLY A FARMERS WIFE.
.BY MARY W. srANLY aIBsoN


by MARY W. sTANLY GIBSON.
Two women sat together, at sun
set, in the porch door of a white cot
tage that stood under the'told ances-
tral trees, land samong the fields of
wheat and corr, like a poets vision
of quiet resting-place for some
weary, suffering human soul.
e And one of those two women had
eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart
to feel and appreciate it all. She was
a tall and stately lady, apparently
some thirty years of age-not exact
ly handsome, but with grace of air
and manner peculiarly her own.
The careful toilet, the nameless air
of elegance and luxury, the pale
cheek, and soft white hand betrayed
the city .dame. While the weary
glance in her large, dark eyes, which
even the pleasant quiet of that sun
set hour could not quite drive away,
showed that Time had notdealt gem
thy with her and her hearts idols,
but had thrown them, shattered and
ruined, at her feet.
Her companion was some five
years her junior, and many times
prettier-a little .round-faced, apple
checked woman, with dark blue
eyes and dark brown hair, and a
rounded figure that was set off to
the best advantage by the after
noon dress of tinted muslin that she
wore.
At present the pretty face was al
most spoiled by querulous, discon-
tented expression. She was con-
trasting her own hand, plump and
small, but certainly rather brown,
with the slender white fingers of
her city friend, all glittering with
rings. i,
ssJust look at the two!" She ex-
claimed. ''That comes of making
butter and cheese, and sweeping and
dusting, and washing dishes and
making beds all the time! That
man told the truth who said that a
woman's work is never done. know
mine never is. Oh, dear dear to
think that you, Margaret, should
have married a merchant, and be as
rich as a princess in a fairy tale; and
here am planted for life, plain Mrs.
Hiram Parke, and nothing in the
world to compare with you. am
sick of being only a farmers wife y,
= Margaret Van Howth looked down
at her grumbling little friend with a
sad smile.
"Jenny, it seems to me, as we sit
here ia this quiet place, and look out
over all these pleasant fields that
are yourlown-ie seems to me that
you are almost wicked to talk like
that.n E aAa
ss'tI dare say" replied Mrs. Jenny !;
"but you would not like it, Marga-
ret. You would never wish to change
places with n1e.u 81 1t,. iJs-s,
perhaps not. Would you like to
change with me ?n nf , azG.HY ssf
I "Yes.n
9Aud be Mrs. Van Howth, instead
of Mrs. Hiram Parker" E II
Jenny hesitated. She, dearly low
ed her handsome husband. 1-f 3.
e1tWell, I don't mean that I want
to, eive-up Hirand,.. she said at last.
~ only mean that wish he was a
city merchant, instead of a farmer,
and as rich as yourfhusband is; that
is all.p & s1S
land that is a great deal," said
Mrs Van Howth, coldly. 'Jenny,
you know what your life would
zi'What yours is, ], suppose, What
any iady's is in your position. y = -. :.
Exactly But what Is that life /?
Do you1knotRfSh
"How sh0nldl /. .?n ~" -i"a
Z 1t is<a wearys one Jenny, with
more genuine hard work in it than
all your-making of butter and cheese
can BRING" 81 1t. ess' II
s'Oh, Margaret" g. fao- q +7'it 7
tsAnd, oh, Jenny! Believe me INV
dear, there are no people on earth
who W ork harder than the fashiona-
bles who only have their own anuse--
ment to provide for. a life of mere
amusement is dogs life, Jenny, at
the best.HiJ gh8T 81. sfgf - /
at should like to be convinced of
1T by actual experience, "sald Jenny,
$50 1 said and thought once. I
have been so convinced. And it is
all vanity and ,vexation of spirit, my
dear" - Hi'l
''But, how2" persisted Jenny.
"How? In ten thousand ways. If
you live in the fashionable world,
you must do as the fashionable world
does. You must rise, and dress, and
shop, and lunch and dress again and
drive, and dress again and appear at
certain balls, parties, or concerts ex-
actly as your friends do, or be voted
bizarre, and out of the world alto
gether. You, my poor Jenny, who
are by no means fond of dress, what
would you do at a fashionable wa
tering place in the hottest days of
August, with five changes of toilet
between morning and night, and a.
French Iady's maid 20 tyrannizeover
you all the time into the bargain 2"
"Horrors !" calculated Jenny.
"Balls that you must go to in spite
of fatigue, parties that you must
grace in spite of the heat, calls that
you must make on people whom you
detest! Oh, Jenny, 1 should far
and the cheese, if 1 were your
Jenny was silent. Here was a side
of the bright picture which she had
never seen or dreamed of before.
"You love your husband, Jenny p"
said her friend, after a time.
Jenny opened her eyes widely.