Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1872-04-10
Miscellany
Written fer iLs NvwsdeAier.
Poor Mi.ls'es Wife.
ny L. W.

hills. One warm afternoon left my close
room at the village hotel. and descended
the wide clean stairs to the street. Choos-
log the shady side, sauutered along un-
der the sentinel naples aud locusts, now
aud then getting a peep at the purple .
sides Of Mansfield. sing huge aud hand.
some giant lazily in the summer air; now
aud then view of the smooth and peace |
ful Lamolle, u broad silver ribbon in the
sunshine.
Ny sumter heightened into walk and
every step disclosed new beauties, and
helped me to fresh delights. Here lpaus
ed bn the bridge, to watch the darting of
some adventurous, but startled fish to
depths less blight; there, on a knoll, TO
admire the green stretch Of the velvet hills
far away into the still distance. Here
baby streamlet fresh from its mountain.
prattled over its pebbly bed aud suddenly
tumbling over q precipice twenty feet in
height, fell in spray to the rocks below,
then, gathering itself together, as it asla-
med of its recent escapade, stole softly a.
way among the moss and violets.
Far below me on a moss-green rock, tit
throne fol a Nalad queen, sat bareiooted
freckled-iaced boy, angling for trout. A
little farther On, and the village lay a
mile behind me and | was among ham,
let offarmhouses. knew it would soon be
"milking time" and could not resist the
temptation to stop at one Of the farm
houses, and get sight at the patient cows
, with their great, kind eyes and heavy
miIk.lahen udders.
= Far ahead stretched the dusty country
| road; on :he ight stood u pretty grove o
d, young naples an | on the left hospitabI'
looking farmhouse | entered the gate
! passed up the flower bordercd walk, an'
9 was met on the tidy porch by motherI,
+, looking woman, who made me welcom
/. aud ushercd me through the painted kitch
I en- on to the north piazza, where as sh
predicted we found it ''cool like"
~ GU see" said the good woman, SET
Ting herself after the manner of a mothe
partridge, "poor, Mis- Mills is hcre---sh
whose husband was buried yesterday.
had her come here to get kind o rested u
:, and see what she is goin' to doin now tbt
she's left TO look out for herself. She's u
in the north chamber, and my Hester h;
taken the children strawberrying 50 sh
can get some sleep
Who are the people you speak OF
<. asked |.
.'Well, Mills he was ocpsr by trad
an honest hardworkng man; always wi
plenty to do, and always doing 1t, b
'e somehow they never seemed to thrive. |
was took with carbunkle atween Il
shoulders and died in less than foitnig
lcavin' their little place mortgaged for ;
its worth and debts all over the vlllai
ify besides "
Had they a large family ?" | asked.
"Ony two children, but you see s.
was powerful shiftless I've been doy
, there as late as eevn O'Clock in the fol
noon. and found the breakfast dishes u
washed, the house all in confusion and 5
sit,in' rcadin' novel book"
"Now that she is dependent on herse
can she not sew or teach p
She may be able to sew straig
, seam, but she never made her own, or |
chIdren's clothes, and as for tcachl,
ce, mercy, no F! Why she can't manage her
little children; what would she do with
:. houseful 7"
Truly discouraging prospect, thou;
|, but asked;
,air "What will she do?"
"Well," said the good woman 81 dc
-- know. She has no relations to look to
lc- know of, but | suppose the nclghb
VS. won't see her suffer. | shall do my P
W to keep her from the poor-house, if o
n.l for poor Mills'es sake"
em. Here | was discourteous enough to
was uto rcveric. 1.-The poor.house, thou
[he |, that contempt of all thrifty New /
iuu landers, and terror of their less well-tc
Il. neighbor The love Of independence t
be leads these people to despisc charity Q
the in afflictiop must be powerful incen
'ofs to industry and frugality." Here my r
'"o' ano osophizng was cut short by the entra
ling Of an intelligent looking old gentlel
haiti whom or introduction | learned to be
un' Stoue.
raw .And So" ho said, addressing my !
'ha, ess, "poor Mills has left us. Life with
had its cares and crosses is over for him.
S le- what was done for him yesterday is !
bse. for each OF US. And how is poor Mil
Ao"' wife Y
s,a well, she seems clear broke dow
don't know what is to become OF he