The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1871-01-04
A Real Lady.

A Real Lady.
One summer 1 was boarding
with my family in farmhouse by
the seashore. Our host was a pit.
ifnl miser, starving himself, starv.
ing his family; and, a fortiori,
starving his boarders. Sick of hu-
man nature, sick of petty, misera-
ble contention, party Of us start
ed ont one day, in wagon, for a
fine beach some miles away, to try
to forget our woes in the kind lap
OF mother nature. As we ap-
preached the beach, we stopped at
farmhouse to ask permission to
put our horse in the barn. Knock.
ing at the door, it was opened by
motherly.looking woman of SO,
in spectacles, the glasses of which,
however, far from hiding, seemed
only to serve, like varnish on a
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 barn2 Certainly!
| You'll find plenty of hay there.
Come ont to spend a day by the
beach, ,9have you That's right! I
do like to see the young people en-
JOY themselves /! Won't you eat
your lunch in our apple orchard,
it's so nice and cool and shady
therea And would't you like a
pan of sweet milk to have with it2"
Bless your dear, loving heart" I
cried internally. "Then the stern
necessities of farm life do not shriv-
ell and wien and dry rot souls af-
ter the manner of Old Grimes we
are boarding with |! But perhaps
this old lady had trodden a more
silken path"
l looked round the room. There
were milk-pans enough to make
ones life one eternal sconr. Her
dress too was trussed up; her arms
were bare, and with that battered
and callous look about the elbows
which betokens hardy usage. "No
children, probably! that accounts
for it." Presently a rustling of
bed clothes and an incipient wall
from a neighboring room. "Aht
that'syour grandchild, l supposed"
"No, that's my baby" 1 was
about as incre 1ulous as Sarah of
old but she went on. "I've had
sixteen children % Sixteen child
rem! All these milk. pans, ordina-
ry work Of the farmhouse, and
room still in the heart for such a
reception as we had had, for such
a generous 6 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 !! ALI | see
it. Where there is room in the
heart, there is always room in the
house," room for all these child
rem, and then room to spare for a
bevy OF pleasure seeking, do.noth-
ing strangers, who would seem sent
only to suggest the complaint :
Why must my life be ceaseless
toll 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 to the music of the pulls
ing ocean.
l could tell a great deal more
about this blessed woman-how
she refused all pay, feeling she was
already paid amply in tile delight
OF kindness itself; how she mani
tested delicacy of politeness
worthy of Chesterfield himself:
Chesterfield forgive the wrong of
naming his hollow, artificial tyne
OF manner in such a genuine pres
ence-bnt still an exquisite delica-
cy of politeness, by replying when
| went, after preliminary en-
barrassment in the stable over the
horses collar, and said blushingly,
Madame, l am ashamed to say /
do not know how to harness that
horse !" "Of course not every.
body can't do everything I" and
this in a tone as though she were
already overwhelmed with amaze
mens at the number OF things I
could do. Her replying thus, [
say, and then running to the back
door calling to two of her sons i'm
the field, F." Here. you, Herr, CLAY !
Daniel Webster (room still that
heart, we see, for a streak {, h ,ro
worship.) Come here and he liz
gentleman harness his h. ' y
But l cannot enlarge further.
not she, however, illustrate I
ously the creative power of Y
heart-creative power to m
small house big, narrow n,
abundant, work play, a cont
81 here roomv, broad and al