Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-03-16
From the Golden Age.l
H A r d T I'M E S.
BY AUGUSTA LERNED.


Mrs. Fairman was a proud wo
mar, if she did enjoy misery; and
she had no intention of letting
Miss Henslow know that the fami-
ly lived on canaille bread
Obed had been kicked in the
chest by Black Bill, who was tly-
ing to run with the cart, and now
he lay on the bed in,the family bed.
room. and Salomc was with him
Mrs. Fairman had told the men
folks, more than a hundred times,
that they oughtto sell Black Bill;
but she wasn't anybody to be CON
sidered, and no heed was paid to
what she said. There was one sat-
.isfaction though things had turns
ed out exactly as she predicted
they would, that was the worst pos
sible
Now as she stepped away from
the stove where she had been care
fully covering up the little gray
loaves with. a crash towel, she
glanced out of the window at the
spring pastures that were perishing
for the want of rain, and where the
cattle could scarcely nibble a
mouthful; and beyond to the hard
looking plowed fields that showed
only the faintest simmer of blue
green oats. The wells were giving
out, and springs that never before
had been known to fail.
Mrs. Fairman's face had q cut
water outline. Itwas rheumy and
piDched in at the nostrils, and
tucked down at the corners Of the
mouth. Now, as she looked at the
cold, bleak, brown fields taken in
connection with the canaille loaves
behind the stove it seemed plain
to her mind that there was a iudg-
ment upon them; and in a some
what vague way she connected the
Judgment with 0bed, "who never,
had been under conviction since
she married him. and who had
seldom stepped his foot into the
house at the Corners. She
had read in the newspaper that the
drouth extended over the whole Of
New England, and a large portion
Of the Western States but it did
not occur to her that Providence
was going considerably out Of its
way to punish Obed for his obsti-
macy and spiritual blindness.
"A man had ridden early in the
over from Salisbury with
Whitcomb's bill, and had threaten
ed to levy on some Of the farm i'm.
plements, and order a sheriff's sale
unless it was paid in ten days.
Mrs Fairman knew that Obed was
'.drained" of money. and the pros
pect Of being sold out of house andl
home, a thing she had SO often
predicted would happen, seemed
near
Miss Henslow lived across the
-oad ina little house that appeared /
o be always ID the sulks. Now
shc left her goose heating,and took
! section of Deacon Broderip's coat
1yer her arm, with her big tailcr'sf
shears at her side, and went, stoop
ng, across the way. She had a
back, and a hooked nose,
With q mouth that hid Itself in the
zig cavity Of her face, and which
iome way, gave one the Impression
ia gigantic owl She appeared
0 have a three story throat, and
o speak out OF the basement door.
She stepped over one Of Salome's
Iower.beds, where the "sturtions7
ould not push their heads thro'
he eaked soil, and she gave q
harp perIe at the window pane
18th her steel thimble.
II got the fidgets setting alone,
be began, as Mrs. Fairman admit
ed her, and settled down, and let
er poke bonnet fall back, showing {