Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1872-12-07
UntaDgling.
ny Nns. mT. BUTTS.

ats time to get up, jennie said Mrs.
Tanning, standing at the foot Of the
stairs, at six o'clock, one hot July morn.
ing.
The speaker vas a sad.faced, tired
looking woman, thin and worn, and a.,
she turned 10 hush the cross baby, there
was a discouraged expression Oh her face
that told the pitiful story.
Ten, twenty minutes passed by, and
Jenny did not appear. The baby grew
worse and worse the voices Of the hired
men were heard out side the door; the
weary mother anxious and fretted, hur-
ried from the stove to the table, trying in
vain to get breakfast ready at the usual
hour
"This will never do''. said Farmer
Tanning, coming in bluff aud hearty, and
seeing the table only half set.
"Do you call this economy, keeping
half a dozen men waiting for their
breakfast, and more hay out than we can
possibly get up ?"
"1he baby'S been so troublesome that
| couldn't get along with the breakfast" :"
was HE reply.
"Where's Jenny %
"In bed, l s'pose."
"Well, all rve got to say is, that if
you let that girl lie abed all day, instead
of getting up to help, it's your own
fIult."
At last y fried ham and eggs were
dshed up, and the brown bread cnt, the
coffee pot and pitcher of rich milk put
in their places, and the family sat down.
Just in the nick of time there was rus
tie of starched draperies. and pretty
figure appeared in the freshest of blue
blue eyes said good morning" and then
everybody fell TO eating. Everybody
except the mother. She fitted from
the cooking stove 10 the table, and from
the table TO the baby, so often, and was
SO flushed and worried, that the break
fast was half spoiled for all therest.
''Do sit still Jane" said aunt Milly,
the guest in blue" you'll never eat your
breakfast"
COB, it dosen't matter about me-" was
the injured reply. ..
Breakfast was almost over when Jen-
ny came slowly in. Her dress was un-
tidy, and her whole appearance was care
less, yet a brighter, better face than Jen-
nv Fannirg's one would not often see.
The child looked uneasily at her moth.
pr, conscious that she had not done the
right thing, but Mrs. Fanning's Ii ps were
compressed, and her whole face expressed
a sense of injury that was even morbid
in its intensity. The wistfull look in
Jenny's eyes that betokencd desire to
make up" by doing better the rest of
the day, faded out, and the g loom on her
moth rs face was reflected in hers.
Mrs. Tanning finished her coffee aud
began clearing the table.
"Ifyou want to do anything" said she
to Jenny, who attempted to help, "you
can pick the beans for dinner"
Jenny took her pail and went out into
the garden. On the way she met Aunt
Milly, who was tying up IA rose that had
been beaten down from its trellis the
night before by the rain. The child lin
eered, and finding that Aunty wanted "A
liece of twine, ran back to get it, already
forgetting her moroseness in the pleasure
o. being useful. .....
81 thought you were picking the
beans" said her molhor, meeting her at
the door.
81 came back to ge. string for aunt
MilIy."
"Well you can stay back" and flush
ed, and actually trembling with excite
meEt Mrs. Tanning rushed into the gar
den, believing that the whole world was
in league to make her tue most misera-
bic woman in existence. The glimpse
that she passed, added drop to her
over-iull cup. s#fH la"
"Some folks can be dressed up all the
time and others are bound to be slaves
said she TO her self, stripping off the
beans nervously, and casting glance al
her diugy calico dress. ''Its a good
thing not to have anything TO do but tie
up rose bushes in the forenoon. guess
if she'd married John Tanning there'd be
different story" it
In the mean time Aunt Mllly joined
Jenny in the kitchen. She found her
sitting by the uncleared table weeping
passionately. The baby, fortunately
was asleep, with its thumb in its mouth.
"Wouldn't picking up the dishes be
better than crying?" she said, putting
her hand gently on the chill's tangled
hair. !a...l..sa n.lHta
There was no answer but sobs.
"Come dear, get the hot water, and
carry the dishes to the. sink, and l'll sit
down by you and dry them for you
NV back won't let me do any more than
that you know, Hl--] g.
"Ob, Aunt Milly," said Jenny, her
face still hidden, "you know ! don't
want you to help; | don't mind The
work, but" and poor Jenny bnrst inte
fresh sobs. -
"But want to help. Come, there
no time to lose. Let's get fairly under
way before mother comes iu." "ll VI. ~,
Jenny got up ami went to work, th'
big hot tears running down her cheeks
Suddenly she stopped, and with looi
not pleasant to see in q chill's face, said
.'Auut NGilIy, / coull do anything j
mother was like you.p ia 49u1 D,l-
"Jenny," said Aunt Milly very gently
ait would be better to think about wha
you can do now, than what you could d
under other circumstances. What is tn