Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-03-11
How the Deacon'S wife
Introduced the Deacon.
BY NELL MACGREGOR.

Deacon Flint had decided to move /;
had decided to move to G. had decided
to commence moving at precisely i've
o'clock, Monday morning, July 18th /;
and SO on that identical Monday morn
ing, you might, had you been an early
riser, have seen the Deacon, divested of
his coat and his Sunday dignity, shaking
the best room carpet in the back yard.
There is no need of saying what he
did next, or what Mrs. Flint was doing
then.
They went through the tearing up
process, very much as other people do;
and not being endowed with an over
abundance of this worlds goods, the last
load of furniture, consisting of the Dea-
cons wife and baby, the twins and the
best room looking glass, was on its way
to the depot at five o'clock, 2. NJ.
Blessed be nothing!" said the tired
little woman, as the Deacon helped her
out of the wagon.
''If we had been Squire Ransom's
folks, Samuel, we wouldn't have been
more than a quarter through now, would
we? My how my poor bones would
have ached though, this time tomorrow
night. I'm glad the Lord knows what's
best for me, she added, taking the ba-
/ by from the Deacon, and looking around
for the twins.
1t was but few hours ride to c.,
and just in the coolest dusk of the July
twilight, they walked up the street to
their new home, very tired and thank
full; thankful they were not esquire
Ransom's folks but just themselves, if
they did have to work late that night
putting up the kitchen stove and unpack-
ing dishes and bedding.
Tuesday was day of many troubles.
The babies were tired and fretful day
light revealed coating of dirt on doors
and windows, the depth of which they
knew not before; and the heat was in
tense.
| But the Deacon possessing untiring
energy, and his little wife the snnniest
of tempers, they succeeded so well, that
by Thursday night, as he came into the
kitchen with an armful of wood, where
his wife was washing dishes. she COM
menced singing;
The Deacon thinks his work is most done,
But feel as if mine had just begun!
did you hear that Samuel % she
said, laughing, and turning around to
look at him.
1t was prayer-meeting night, and the
Deacon went to prayer-meeting for the
first time in c., took an active part, and
after meeting waited to shake hands
with the minister, and some of the
brethren, answer inquiries, and present
their letters.
He had the satisfaction of feeling on
his way home that he had made good
} impression it pleased him it would
have pleased US; and he told his little
wife that night, in his grave way, thai
he ''hoped, coming as he did, into the
midst of a strange people, there NIGH
never be any occasion of remark agains
him while he remained among them"
"Pm sure l hope not, Samuel" she
said, looking innocently up in his face
and adding as she nestled her littl'
brown head on his shoulder 'I don
feel very much alarmed about it.
The next day, Friday. the Deacon
went back to his old home, having som
business settlements to make there
: Cant tell certain when | shall b
back; probably not till Monday; CUES
there's enough wood split to last til
then. Goodbye he said, and wa
, gone.
The wee woman went singing back t
her half-washed dinner dishes, and wit
: one foot on the cradle-rocker, she secures
= the knives, while she told the story O
!, ! slack and Gill; to the twins.
When the last kettle was washed, tn
. kitchen stove and table brushed an
secured to the usual shade of black an
white, the baby asleep in her little mes
of cradle, .'bless herI" she washed tn
f pretty twin faces till they blushed lik
v red peppers, then settled them in thei
4 trundle bed for nap.
v Dear little woman! she did look S
e tired as she came out from the bedroom
J. and stopped to brush fly from unde
}. the musquito net over the baby, it woul
o have made your back ache to look 6
s her. But the cherry heart liz the wear
l. body asserted itself, and she smiled wit
IS the thought Of all she would do befol
IS the Deacon came back.
Il 81 must slick my hair over a littl
% SO if any one should come | wouldn
r. spoil the Deacon's reputation y she sal
n. to herself, going up to the little gla
,e that hung between the kitchen window
[e Just then gem of a sunbeam fashe
,e in at the window. and seemed to tang
n itself all up in the wavy brown hair.
r ''Oh, how pretty she said with
es blush and laugh like child's. "Gue
v if somebody'd been at home I'd had
20 kiss. then p and off she few to her wor
ii How like magic the white curtain
or went up and the cobwebs came dowr
how the restroom looking glass shol
after its polishing, and the old dague
n reotype of Samuel in his best DAYS
~ never shone through so clean surfa
IN as it did that day. So the time fe'
e. bringing the Deacon's return nearer.
)? One morning she wakened early, e
a tirely free from a wretched headacl
~ she had the day before. "Now for Il
at washing" she said to herself. 81 wa
~ to have it all done, the kitchen clean,
to up and my dress changed before Samu
Id comes at noon.
ne Quietly dressing SO as not to awak'
ke the children, she slipped out into t
ly kitchen, built fire, and commenced O
Tie erations. How she did work eve
9el step told of something done, and at hs
le' past ten, spite of all her little kindranc
ut from baby, who was cross, she was han
'm ing out the clothes SO snowy white tn
an dazzled her eyes as the sun shone
ng them. One end of the clothes line II
ed nearly out to the front fence through t