The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1872-05-31
Tell me hate the bowl
Hate is but a feeble word;
1 IlOathe-abhor-my very soul
With strong disgust is stirred,
Whene'er see or hear or tell
Of that dark beverage of hell.
MtstellanRuns geIGrti0ns.
PARLoR ORNAMENTS.
By KATE W. HAMILTON.

There were David, Syd, Bob.
Marx, and Jimmy-fve of them.
"Half q dozen, lacking one," Mrs.
Quincy used to say almost despair
Ingly. They were real bows, too.
with genius for whiting, mending
skate straps, owning dogs, and tear
ing their clothes; and, as if these
accomplishments were not enough,
David had lately attempted music.
An old violin had been purchased by
the sacrifice of some other valuable
possessions, and now it groaned and
Isqueaked necessarily, in season and
out Ofseason. "There's tunes in the
thing somewhere, and I'm bound to
get 'em out" remarked David with
cheerful perseverance; but as moth
ing that resembled one had been
c0axed out as yet, Mrs. Gurney's
faith was weak.
Mrs. Gurney was tired that night.
and heartily glad when the last of
the five pairs of feet had disappeared
up the stairway, and she was left
with no music but the monotonous
creaking of her low rocking chair,
that had learned its tone through the
hushing to sleep of SO many babies.
The old round table stood beside
her, drawn up in front of the fire,
with lamp, scissors, and the inevit-
able spool of black silk upon it.
She had a jacket, to mend-always a
jacket, or pants, or stockings-and
she gave her thread a sharp twitch
as she thought of it.
"What else can it ever be when
there's so many of themT' she
said.
Nancy Styres dropped her chop
Iping knife into the mincemeat, and
looked up brightly. OF course any
remark made in hearing was ad-
dressed exclusively to her, and if
she did not understand this one,
she could guess what was meant by
the "many of them,' and that was a
sufficient peg to hang an answer
on.
"Hey? Pears like when there's so
many of 'em, it's most pity some
on 'em wasn't girls, amt it, now?"
''No,'' said Mrs. Quincy, shortly.
But her eyes wandered off from her
work to the opposite side of the
room, where stood a long row of
boots deposited carelessly in the cas-
lest place. Five pairs! She found
herself wondering just for mo-
ment, how it would seem if some of
them were shoes-not boys shoes
instead.
"He, hep' giggled Nancy, follow
ing her glance. "Guess if anyt
thieves broke in here at night they
wouldn't go further'n the chamber
door. They'd think we'd got a
whole regiment slowed away up
stairs.
Mrs. Gurney looked persistently
down at her jacket again, little
vexed at such watchfulness. Then
she discovered another button off,
and after plunging through mix
ture Of snail-shells, steel pens, bits
Of rosin, string, and broken slate
pencils, found that the grip in the
pocket" which had been commended
to her attention, was no rip at all,
but a hole of respectable size, pin
ned shut with a nail to prevent the
escape Of the above mentioned treas
ures. There were other indirect
damages not mentioned IN the con-
tract, and she cut out a patch grim
ly, and settled herself to an evenings
task of it.
Always something of this sort to
do! How could she have rooms as
quiet, pretty, and orderly as those
she had seen to-day, where there was
no one to bring confusion, and so
many to arrange and beautify?
That neigboring house on the hill
side was a very Mordecai at the
kings gate to Mrs. Gurney some
times, and because of it her own
possessions availed her nothing to-
night. Mrs. Davis and the girls had
exhibited so many specimens of
dainty handy-work during her after
noon call that she could scarcely re-
member them all-pretty cushions,
delicate lamp-mats, elaborate tides,
tasteful little picture-frames. Maria
had done this for a Christmas sur
prise, and Rose the other for birth
day gift, until the rooms were fairly
overlooking with the graceful trifes
that looked so prettily.
But hers-Mrs. Gurney furtively
surveyed the boots once more-they
were ornamented, to be sure. Even
in her parlor' she could barely find
time to dust the two old-fashioned
vases on the mantelpiece, and keep
the flies off the solemn old pictures
of General and Lady Washington;
and for the rest of the house, there
were hats lying about instead Of
lamp p-mats, Mittens, tippets,