Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1872-02-08

Idlysaid ,
THE NEiGHBOR.IN.LAW.


BY MRS. LYDIA ". CHILD.
who blesses others in his daily deeds,
VIII find the healing that his spirit needs;
For every flower in Others pathway strewn,
Confers IT. fragrant beauty on our own.
$50 you are going TO live in the same
building with Hetty Turnpenny," said
Mrs. Lane 10 Mrs. Fairweather. You
will find nobody TO envy you. If her
temper does not prove too much even for
your good nature, it will surprise all who
know her. We lived there year, and
that is a. long as anybody ever tried it,"
Poor Hettyr replied Mrs Fairweather,
"she has had much TO harden her Her
mother died too early for her to remem-
Der; her father was very severe with her;
and the only lover she ever had borrowed
the savings of her years of toll, and spent
them in dissipation. But Hetty, not
withstanding her sharp features, and
sharper words, certainly has kind heart.
In the midst Of her greatest poverty many
were the stockings she knit and the warm
waistcoats she made, for the poor drunken
lover whom she had too much sense TO
marry Then you know she feeds and
clothes her brothers orphan child.
''If you call it feeding and clothing"
remarked Mrs Lane "The poor child
looks cold and pinched, and frightened
all the time, as if she were chased by the
east wind ! used to tell Miss Turnpenny
she ought TO be ashamed Of herself, to
keep the poor little thing at work all the
time, without one minute TO play Ii she
does but look at the cat, as it runs by the
window, Aunt Hctty gives her rap over
the knuckles ] used to tell her she would
make the girl just such another sour old
crab as herself
THAT must have been very improving
to her disposition replied Mrs. Fair
weather, with good-humored smile.
But, in Justice to poor Aunt Hetty, you
should remember that she had just such "A
cherries childhood herself. Flowers
grow where there is sunshine"
II know you think everybody ought TO
live in the sunshine" replied Mrs. Lane;
land it must be confessed you carry it
with Won wherever you go. II Miss
Turnpenny has heart, | dare say you
will find it out, though ! never could, and
/ never heard of any one that could. All
the families within hearing Of her tongue
called her the Deighborin-law."
Certainly the prospect was not very
encouraging; for the house Mrs. Fair
weather proposed to occupy was not only
under the same roof with Miss Turn
penny, but the building had one common
yard in front. The very first day she
took possession of her new habitation she
called on the ncighbOr-in-iaw. Aunt
Hetty had taken the precaution to ex-
tinguish the fire, lest the new neighbor
should want hot water, before her own
wood and coal arrived. Her first saluta-
ton was, IF you want any cold water,
there's pump across the street; l don't
like to have my house stopped all over. "
IL am glad you are SO tidy, ncighbor
Turnpenny," replied Mrs. Fairweathcr.
cit is extremely pleasant to have neat
neighbors. / will try to keep everything
as bright as new five cent piece, for lssce
that will please you. / came merely To
say good morning, and to ask you II you
could spare little Peggy to run up and
down stairs for me, while am getting my
furniture in order. l will pay her six
pence an hour
Aunt Hetty began to purse up hcr
mouth for refusal; but the promise OF
sixpence an hour relaxed her features al
once. Little Peggy sat knitting a stock
ing very diligently, with rod lying on
the table beside her. She looked up with
timid usefulness, as if the prospect OF
any change was like release from prison
When she heard consent given, a bright
color flushed her cheeks She was evil
IDENTIFY of an impressible temperament
for good or evil. "Now mind, and be-
have yourself" said Aunt Hetty; "and
see that you keep at work the whole time;
if hear one word Of complaint you
know what you'll get when you come
home" The rose color subsidized from
Peggy's pale face, and she answered "Ycs.
ma am, very meekly.
In the neighbours house all went quite
otherwise. No switch lay on the table
and instead of Mind how you do that
if you don't I'll punish YOU" she heard
the gentle words, "Thcre, dear, see how
carefully you can carry that up. stairs
Why, what nice, handy little girl you
are!'
Under these eulivening influences Peggy
worked like bee. Aunt Hetty was al
ways in the habit of saying. stop your
noise, ard mind your work" But the
new friend patted her on the head and
said, What a pleasant voice the little
girl has. 1t is like the birds in tho
fields. BY and by you shall hear my mu
sic box"
This opened wide the windows of the
little shut-up heart, SO that the sunshine
could stream in and the birds fly in and
out, caroling. The happy child tuned up
like lark, as she tripped lightly up and
down stairs on various household errands.
But though she took heed to observe the
directions given her, her head was all the
time filed with conjectures what sort OF
a thing music box might be. She was
a little afraid the kind lady might forget
to show il to her. She kept to work,
however, and asked no questions; she
only looked very curiously at everything
that resembled box.
At last Mrs. Fairweather said, think
your little feet must be tired by this time.
We will rest awhile, and eat some ginger
bread" The child took the offered cake,
with humble little courtesy, and care
fully held out her apron to prevent any