Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1874-03-09

No, l believe not; l ate hearty
supper this evening, thank you" said
the squire. Now my family room is a
trife larger than this. he continued,
and he looked all around the room,
scrutinizingly.
The widow was glad that she had
swept down the cobwebs that very morn
ing, and that Ira had whitewashed over
head the week before the state fair
To all outside appearances she was
tip top housekeeper. But. sometimes, if
she was in a hurry, she did not make
her bed more than three times a week.
Nobody knew it but Ira, and he didn't
care a cent
Ira stood his ground and managed to
say something every time the squire
spoke; he was determined that he
shouldn't have an opportunity to talk
sentiment to Betsey, for if he did, dear
knows where it would end. There was
the squire, well-to-do widower, good
provider, only two children, rich and
looking about for partner to share his
joys and sorrows. There was his sister,
Betsey Bobbett. only turned of thirty
three, neat, handsome, smart as crick-
ct. and her husband as dead as door
nail this eighteen months and over, and
why shouldn't she marry if she took a
notion. But he couldn't live in the
same house with the squire and Betsey,
even if they wanted him to. He thought,
and thought. and scratched his head over
the problem. and his lower jaw fell, and
for two days he pondered sorrowfully
over this new dilemma.
One day Betsey was going over to her
cousins to a quilting, and Ira was to
keep house and to have the tea-kettle
boiling at five o'clock in the evening.
Now, nobody would guess what an
ugly thing old Brother Ira did in her
absence. Oh, the selfish old churl was
driven to it, He knew it wasn't manly
or kind, but how could he give up his
cosey quarters and see Betsey's smiles
/ lavished upon another?
Poor fellow, he arraigned himself, and
while under Indictment he said: Now,
Ira JOsephus Barnabee, you know very
well that you are the viciousest mortal
done. You don't want to be set adrift
and be compelled to try the realities OF
a cruel world that always was hard on
orphans aud poor folks -
Ira often dwelt with pathos on the
fact of his being an orphan, being il
his forty-seventh year but that is the
way with some people, they will how
over one old-time, by-gone sorrow al
through their lives
Ira knew that Madam Wilkins, de
ceased, had been very pink of house
keeper, and the bereft squire though
this requirement the one thing needfu
in wife. She must mop all the floor
every Saturday, sweep down the cobwebs
polish the tinware. and do all the littl
things that his mother used to do. O
course her successor must be as she ha
been.
: After Betsey had been gone an hou
: or two. Ira walked leisurely over to th
new story-and-a-half frame house
/ Squire Wilkins, and seated himself 0
D the workbench and commenced playin
e with the little curly shavlngs.
t The squire came in and began shov
e ing him round through the house ver
S courteously. When they were up-stair
: Ira said: You'd ought to have 70,
g rooms divided off like my Sister Betst
d has; l think hers are very convenient
e i wish l had the plan of her rooms
said the squire, Frightening up as tn
o the idea tantalized him.
e 'sGet your rule and come right ov
st along with me; there's nobody at hoT
=. to-day, and we'll have full possessi
h ourselves.
d So the two men trudged off togeth
to Widow Betsey Bobbett's little ros
at covered cottage in the edge of t
W village.
Now | don't want to insinuate, but
re verify believe that Ira .osephus t
IN selfish old bachelor brother, had been
" through Rose Cottage. just trying b
to badly he could tumble together the CT
ze tents. and what suspicion he cot
zy cast upon that little housekeeper, Bets
Bobbett- In the pantry the doors of I
id cupboard stood staring wide open, she
nd ing heterogeneous mess of cold boil
er cabbage, pork. fish, turnips, pickl
he -buttermilk. and meat-fryings, with n
nd cakes, broken pies, dry bread. ETC., E
mp The doors of the clOthespress stood al
. and bonnets, hats, hose, CATERS. gov
ful and slippers were thrown promiscou
he together in tumbled heaps-dirty 4
Ily clean, broken and whole. all just
though tumbled out of rag g-peddl'
p; wagon in a hurricane. The sitting 70
nat was In prime disorder. basket Of Y
nuts, and plate of apples with peeli
and cores among them, occupied pl