The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1872-05-31
THE JUDGES BOND.

day."
Hester stopped short in her walk
and the buzzing of the big wheel
ceased. There was a mass of soft rolls
and the brown wheel by her side, with
the results of her morning labors in
blue stocking.yarn. She held the
wheel firm in one hand, and in the
other a long slender thread attached te
the spindle.
"WeIl, mother" said she, quietly
turning her face toward the window
az suppose the sun will rise and sci
lust the same if 1 don't spin my ten
knots day."
0I Is'pose it will,n said Mrs. Preston
She was a spare old lady, and sitting
with her back bent to the shape of the
rocEng-chair hooped over. Her SHARP
elbows stuck out, and her rather large
and coarse shoes projected beyond the
skirt of her gown. "YOu know yOuI
father likes to see things moving in
doors and out" she went on, holding
her knitting needles suspended. "He
hates lazy folks like Canada thistles. "
"And / hate TO be driven as if / was
a pack-hOrse," retorted Hester, almost
bitterly. 81 tell you, mother, l won't
wear my life out digging and drudg-
ing as you have yours"
sLa, Hester, how you do talk.
never thought was brought into the
world for nothing but to cook three
meals of victuals day, and to tend to
the dairy work. Now, you make fuss
because you have little chore OF
stocking-yarn to spin; but it amt SO
MANY wears since | made all the cloth,
for the family wear, and did every
stitch of my own sewing at night.
Why. that wear your father was sent
up to the Legislature / made him set
of twelve fine shirts. He was perty
perticerler in them days; and did all
the stitching, after the rest OF the folks
had gone to bed, with my foot on the
cradle. Sylvester was baby then,
and a dreadful hectOring child. Every
day / wove full stent on linsey wolsey
for it was almost impossible to hire
help; and l got up regular at hve In
the morning and mllked four cows De-
fore l went about getting breakfast"
"What is the use of having soul IL
you've got to slave in that way ~ said
Hester, as she gave little sharp jerk,
and broke her thread. "Iou might as
well be machine and done with It,"
"I don't expect you'll do as 1 have
DONE" responded the old lady. with a
sigh. "Folks shirk nowadays to beat
ali. Your father, when he was young
er, was a dreadful driving man. Folks
must keep doing as long as they could
stand; and none of his boys now can
begin to do days work equal to hls'n.
| don't s'pose you mean to follow your
sister Nancy, either, for she had a
pretty hard row; but l can tell you
what, Hester, you'll have to run OIL
more than ten knots of stOcking-yarn
day if you marry Joel Selfridge, for
he haint got a mite of ambition. He
makes me think of my old speckled
hen setting out there on chany eggs.
shouldn't be mite surprised to hear
Joel begin to cackle, and L don't see
where he gets his shiftlcSsness from,
for there's the jedge his brother, a
reg'ler money catcher, smooth, and
plausible, and lily, but with his eye
always out for business. l s'pose, Hes
ter. you've bout made up your mind
to take Joel, for you don't seem to favor
anv other Young man, and he's been
coming here stiddy for the last year.
Your father says 1t costs MN lour
quarts of oats, and two or three good
square meals every week, and he talks
about sending bill for board ana
horse feed in to the Jedge. You know
he will never give his consent, ana L
tell YOU again, Hester, if you mean to
marry Joel Selfridge, you and work
had better not fall out"
"Mother," said Hester, with a
troubled face leaving her wheel, and
going over by the hearth, "you do Joel
Injustice. 1t is fathers opposition that
makes him neglect his business, and
takes The spirit out of him. If he could
marry me he would become another
man,
"Hester,n said the old lady, empha-
sizing. her words with her knitting
needles. "what's bred in the bone Will
come out in the flesh. You can't make
a whistle out of a pigs tail"
"Theres good stuff in Joel" cried
Hester, her color rising, and eyes flash
ing. "If the whole world was against
him I'd stand true. Folks may say
what they have mind to, but give
loci n chance, and he will show that
he can support family, and be man
among men,"
"Hity, tity ~ retorted the old lady,
ipcredulousiy. "Hain't the Jedge
boosted him, and KEEP a boosting him,
and now he's sot him up in the drug
business, and every few days he locks
the sbop and comes over here court
ING. and Bassett gets all his custom. |
tell YOU, Hester, when | was your age
I wouldn't have looked at Il young
man that fooled around when he ought
to have been to work. Love is good
thing in its place, when it's got house
and garden spot free of incumbrance,
and plenty of tirewoOd, and full
meal chist and flour barrel attached
TO it but it never was meant to &c
alone"
Hester hung her head. Her mother
had the good hard sense on her side
and she had only the faith of love to
Offset it. She did not say what she
thought, that the change joel needed
waS herself: but she leaned against Tie
chair. and touched her mothers gray
head and her voice WAS pleading and
eager.
GOh. Mothc"," said she, ''don't YOU
90 against me. | shall never come
hack begaing to the old door, but wheI
I leave home | want to have all thing.
pleasant, and not give the ncighbors {
chance to talk. MOther'-and sudden
Iy the g;rl threw her arms around tht
wrinkled, old neck-"yOu can thinl
how it was when you were young
how your heart beat, and your cheel
flushed for Just one man. You wantei
TO 90 to the worlds end with him, an,
not with another. If you saw hi
faults, you could forgive them, fo
your rheart-strings were someway twist
ed and tied with his, and could not b
undone. In those days, mother, yol
didn't think so much about the potato
bin and flour barrel"
La, child you 90 on to beat all /" re
turned the old lady, drawing the bacl
of her hand across her eyes. 9Th
Bible says man must leave fathe
and mother and cleave unto his wife
and | s'pose it's the same with wom
an; but 1 tell you, Hester, it's might.
handy to have worldly goods to cleav
on to besides. | always agree wit
your father on all pints. He expects
of me; and if he should say black wa
white, laws, | should say so too, bu
no man should tyrannize over me. /
woman can squint round corne
handler than man can, and she ca
find ways of getting her will, and
guess I've ruled the rOOst as much a
the Old Square has after all's said an
done; but he don't know, and
wouldn't have him find it out for tn
world. / don't say | shall enkerridg