The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-04-19
THE FARM.YARD Club or
JOTHANU.
isy DIR. George II. l.Oring.

SIXTH MRETiNG-arBJRcT CArTIE.
The i'll feeling which manifested itself at
the close of the last meeting of the club
did not readily pass away. John Thomas
was very proud of his farming and espe-
cally proud of his position as chairman of
the board OF selectmen-an office which he
had held many years, and which had been
filled by his ancestors for many genera
tions. Peter llsey was his old friend, al
so and it was by no means pleasant to
have his official head threatened by one v no
had heretofore stood by him in all contro-
versy, and had never allowed any charge
against him to go unrebuked. Had he been
told that he must be more discreet in his
expressions or retire from the committee,
he could have borne that with some degree
of composure but his official status was
sacred to him and he felt that rather than
leopardize such record and such anhonor
as he had won among his townsmen, he
would quit the club and all its associations.
But then he remembered that he had many
friends there who were always ready to
support him, and whom he could not afford
to offend. He was, moreover, beginning
to enjoy the conpanionship of Mr.. Howe
and Mr.. Hopkins and his wife and Mrs.
Howe were fast becoming very iltimaic,
much to the comfort and delight and bene-
fit of both, as he could easily see. Still
he was very angry and when he had
reached home and had put up his horse,
and had seated himself before the fire with
Huldah, the cloud still hung heavily over
his brow. Huldah could not imagine the
cause of the trouble she first thought of
some loss in bargain then she looked
about the room to see if the disturbing in
fluence could be found in any disorder
there but at last she remembered to have
heard something about ''the proud mans
contumely," and she began to suspect that
Mr. Hopkins had been putting on airs un-
consciously, and had manifested little of
that imperiousncss which sometimes work
ed well enough on state street, but would
never be tolerated among the hills of Jot-
ham. She knew it would be useless to ask
John directly what was the matter for
she had lived long enough with him to
know that he belonged to that class of men
who always answer by indirection or offset
one question by asking another. She knew
John was honest and fair-minded and hon.
orable but she also knew that he had
great hereditary secretiveness, and consd-
cred it one qualification of good bust
ness man to keep his own counscls, in small
matters as well as in large, as many men
begin by filing their important papers, and
end by filing all they have. good bad and
indifferent SO she begau by asking If the
night was cold and John replied that 1t
was. She then asked if the horse had got
over his lameness and she was told that
he had. She inquired if the barn was in
good order; and she learned that it was.
She then expressed an interest in the health
of Mr.. Hopkins and was told that he
never seemed better, and that he had boast
ed of the invigorating influence of the air
of lothian upon himself. There was eyi.
IDENTIFY no trouble with Mr.. Hopkins. She
then got round to the debate, and she said
she hoped John had succeeded in telling
what he knew about feeding cattle--for she
felt quite proud of his skill and success in
this branch of business. At this point John
hitched his chair towards the fire and said
he had got along tull as well as he expect
ed and here he paused, and Huldah knew
that something had gone wrong in the dis
rience was so new to John, and that he
was so sensitive with regard to it as new
and untried duty, that if she let him alone
he would open the subject himself. What
he knew and was confident of he could
keep; what was surrounded with doubt and
left him cropping in the dark he could not
keep; and she knew it. so she stirred the
fire, put on good, dry stick, picked up
the lamp, and set to work with her needle.
"Going to sit up, all night" said John
somewhat tartly. "No" said she; 81
thought you might want to get warm be-
fore going to bed; and want to knit a few
more rounds before l go; and wood IL
plenty"
At last, John could stand it no longer
and he expressed a sudden and overwholm,
ing wish that the Club had never been or.
ganized. He had had enough of it; the
only way to get along with people was tC
keep out of their company, he thought
the wisest thing to do was to do nothing
and keep still, and look wise; the safes
thing to do was to throw the responsibility
on other peoples shoulders; and tho
shrewdest thing TO do was to shove Other
men into scrape and keep out yourself
In uttering these views he grew quite warn
and ended by relating the strife between
himself and Peter Ilsley, whom he de
nounced as unfit for decent society and
nuisance to the Club. nnN 90 a
"Now, john" said Huldah, gently ant
firmly, and in that subdued and monoto
nous tone which SO often marks the woman
who 10 mistress of her own house and bear,
her part of the burdens of the farm, ant
knows and appreciates exactly the full mea
sure of her authority; "You know bette
than all this. Peter Ilsley is little rough
know; but he Is honest and one of tn,
truest friends you have got. He won't hur
hair of your head. If Brindle was sick
tomorrow, and he knew it, he would b,
over here to help take care of her. hav,
no doubt he would say you provoked him
and am afraid you did. You know h
raises fodder corn, apd always has, and h
doesn't want otry anything else, and doesn'
really believe there 10 anything better
Now, heard you snap him up on this YER