Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-10-27

~ SUI was AOduJ w VI ohN oe hNoh 9hS SNN
down in the parlor on her trunk, and began
to laugh at the vases and the inkstaud, and
thon wound up by finding fault with the
stove, which she said looked as If 1t came
out of the ark.
ave always thought she made her hus-
band discontented, for Mr.. Ormsby was
such meek, quiet, unselfsh man that he
never would have made any trouble If she
hadn't been always conplainin' and putin
him up to grumble.
"But I'm wanderin' Off from my story
1 started to tell you about the donation par
| ty. You see, the first year we got along
splendid with it, and 1 must say never
saw a better tea-table spread than we set
that night for Miss ormsby.
"Butthat woman never could be satisfied,
and sho said afterward that 1t wouldn't
take more than two such parties TO ruin any
familyl
at seems she found fault because we
all staid TO tea with 'em, just as if we hadn't
a right to our tea after sendin' in all the
victuals for 1t.
"But don't know as Aunt BetSey did
do exac'ly right, for she took Miss Orms-
by's preserves 10 put on the table, and they
was all eat that night, and s'poso that put
her out some.
"Well, as 1 was sayin', the second year
como round, and 1t was read out in meetin'
that the donation party would be given the
next Friday.
"Mr. Ormsby read the notice, and then
he looked all around and cleared his throat
two or three times, as if he had somethn'
pertickler TO say, hut afler waiiin' min
ute he changed his mind and sat down.
81 thought he acted kinder queer, but l
was quite taken up with noticin' Miss
Ormsby. She got as red as could be, and
when meelin' was dismissed she jest hur-
ried out as IL she didn't want any one TO
speak to her.
"Well, Friday came, and by three o'clock
we was mostly at the parsonage. Mr.. Orms-
| by looked dreadful sober, moro as If it was
a funeral than a merry making, 1 must
say but his wife was awful. She was jest
as huGy and short as she could DO with ev-
cry one, and she went and locked the study
door and put the key in her pocket right
before us all, as IL she was afraid we'd
touch some OF Mr.. Ormsby's papers or
books.
"Bimeby we began TO think about settin'
the table SO Aunt Betsey, Mandy Jones,
and me went out in the kitchen TO unpack
the contributions. There was some pertat-
ers and turnips Chem we put in the suller)
piece of corned beef two or three billed
hams, pot of butter, some apple sass, a
big cheese, and such a lot of biscuits 1t
| lao, taly al It,it In
"I began to be scarf when we took out
painful after painful of biscuit, and no cake
to speak of. At last we came TO Miss
Jones's basket, and there we found lection
cake, as well as n great batch of molasses
cookies.
"I was glad enough I'd sent pouud-cake
and crullers but somehow when the table
was ready there was more biscuits on it
than any thing else, though we did the best
we could.
Mr. Johnson sent tea and coffee from his
store, besides sugar and crackers; and
Amos Hull he brought bag of nuts and
some apples for the young folks after sup
per, he said.
"There was so many there that we had 10
divide 'em into three lots tho dinin'-room
bein' small : and ii was most seven o'clock
when they got through eatin'.
"Aunt Betsey staid with me to clear up
some and thought never should get all
the biscuits put away, for they most filled
the pantry.
"For all there had been so many eaten,
yet there was piles and piles len, and, as
Aunt Betsey said, they wouldn't need to
bake for month to come.
at happened so that l didn't go out
much the week after the donation party,
but, the second Sunday after, 1 started of
good and early for church, aud as 1 turned
the corner by the parsonage, saw some
thing that most took my breath away. Ev-
cry one Of them sharp-pointed plckets
round the house and garden had good
biscuit stuck right atop of it! Yes, Miss
Harwood, jest as sure as you live, there was
Aunt Betsey's nice raised biscuit, and ev-
cry one of'em wasted in that shameful way.
"Well, stood and looked-I hadn't the
strength TO move-and pretty soon some OF
the ladies' came along and jined me and
there we all stood Till the last bell began to
ring, talkin' the matter over, and feelin'
pretty mad, I can tell you.
"Mr. Ormsby had a good sermon thai
day, but I could hardly hear word, my
mind was so full of the biscuits.
"Miss Ormsby warn't there, and as soon
as the last hymn was sung, he got up and
said that he had had a call from a church In
the far West, and that he had made uI
his mind that 1t was his duty to accept it
He went on to say that he would like TO e
. | that vyaa1y anA than xui al
as tellin' us that he was sorry to leave us
or ofIerin' to wait until we could get some
one else, he gave tho benedlction aud dis
missed us.
81 can tell you there was talk enough
when we got out that mornin', and some o.
the folks thought we ought to pint com
mittee to ask Miss Ormsby about it, bu
brother Ralph said 'Noi if they was goin'
let 'em go peaceablei' : so they all agreed Il
say nothin' at all.
"We heard ailerward from little Johnny
Hall, who was playin' near the parsonag,
; late on Saturday afternoon, that Mr.. Orms
by he brought the biscuits out in big bas
ket, and then Miss Ormsby she helped hin
to stick them on the pickets, and she laugh
ed all the time as if1t was good joke.
az don't want to judge any body, but
never did think that woman was fit for
minister's wife, and dent think so now.
: swell, they moved of, bag and baggage
on wednesday of that week, and view
never heard from Mr.. Ormsby since, and
, don't know as we want to, seen' he hur
; our feelin's 80, though we've never foun,
rs good preacher as he was, and neve