Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-01-24
!.Ienny Wisdom and Pound Folly.

Della, as she held pair of dumpy little
trowsers across her knee. 1.-TWO pairs to
day, besides doing the housework; isn't that
pretty well %
F." Seems to me those boys wear out a power
of pantaloons," said Aunt Abby, glancing
rather severely over the tops of her iron.
bowed spectacles. Miss Abby was apt to
be little tart, but it was something like
the sour of good cider, and nobody took
serious objections to her comments. She
was not aunt to anybody in particular, but
to the whole community in general. A
very useful person, too. She had put on
the first and last robes of large share OF
the dwellers in this village, and
:" In that village upon the hill
Where never is sound of smithy or mill,
Where mountain grasses low and sweet,
Grow in the middle of every street.
An old physician used to say that every
community had to have an old maid, to tell
the mothers how to bring up their children.
Miss Abby was of that kind.
"You'd ought to teach your boys to be
more keerful of their clothes, Della, and then
you'd ought to patch em more Josiah will
never in the world get along at this rate.
If you'd go down to the Roberts you'd see
patching, just one patch after another, all
hardly tell what the cloth was to start with. -
"I've no desire to dress my children in
such garments, and | hope | never shall,
unless necessity is laid upon me- Then ri
bear it as well as | can"
"They all have a good Sunday suit, of
course It's their everyday clothes | speak
of. But Mr.. Roberts is getting to be a rich
man, and everybody knows it is more than
half due to his wife"
al never wish to be rich at the price they
are paying"
Industry and economy are what is doing
it," said Aunt Abby. "They are good
things for anybody to practice"
A wise industry and wise economy,
Aunt Abby; but virtues can be made into
vices, you know, if you take them too far. -
"There are not many people who exceed
that way, guess" said Aunt Abby.
"People have the vice of saving who rob
themselves of every comfort of life as they
go along, so they may only add to their
boards. They have it worse still when they
destroy their health by overwork, putting on
endless patches after a hard days work is
over, often keeping to the needle till near
midnight. That is the way your thrifty
folks manage, as | have seen with my own
eyes. Mrs Roberts is not my idea of what
working woman in this age ought to be.
Her boys and girls are growing up sour and
uncouth, hating home, and determined to
leave it the hour they get their freedom.
But here comes Josiah; we'll let him settle
this little matter in dispute between us.
Now, Auntie, III run out and make some OF
my light biscuit and a cup of your kind of
tea, while Josiah convinces you. Tell her,
Joe, what you know about patching, and
whether | had better go over and take les
son or two of Mrs. Roberts"
so you and Della have had little set-to,
have you, Aunt Abby Z" said Joe, drawing
up his chair and looking up in her face with
his clear, smiling eyes. "Takes power OF
argument to keep her in the right track,
don't it? Hasn't she set the patch on
Johnny's trowsers seat quite straight
Hand 'em over and I'll rip it off with my
jack-knife while she makes her biscuit"
/" She sews nice enough, Josiah-a little
too nice, sometimes-but what ] want to
impress on her is that she could patch the
boys clothes more and make 'em go farther
"Why how different we see things fol
my part, | think she patches entirely toe
much, Not that object to patched clothes
On the contrary, sometimes stick out my
elbow father than is necessary, just to show
off that handsome patch on my sleeve, and
make some poor fellow envious of such a
wife as | have. But then, think wo
man can spend her time better"
" In what way, should like to know p
" Resting is one way; but if she is as
dead set against that as Della is, why then
in reading or writing letters; or, il she
must do it, in making new clothes, which
can be turned off about as quick as thor
ough-going piece of mending."
" "Shiftless I" said Miss Abby, with (
pucker and tess of her head.
"That is what | call economy-economN
of wife-power. Do you think Roberts woulC
see his splendid span of horses driven az
many hours as his abominable greed of gain
drives his wife every day? Would he SEE
them on the road for fifteen or sixteen hour
on a stretch, with only hasty meal snatcheC
up three times day Not he. Those boy
have to step around and rub down and feeC
and water, and may be blanket those sorre
for fear of some harm to them They ar
property But wife can be had any da,
for the asking, | suppose he thinks"
"She'll outlast him." said Aunt Abb,
with sniff. "She's the kind that drie
up and withers, but never dies off in hurry
Old Roberts will go off all of a sudden SOM
of these times see if he don't"
Aunt Abby's mortuary lore was something
in which she prided herself. She was
sharp, notice-taking woman, of extensive oh
servation in the small circle in which sh
moved, and people We're not always oveI
pleased with her calculations respecting
themselves, especially as she hit the cas-
rather oftener that common soothsayers.
He might turn his time to better ac
count then, Auntie, than to grind the bodie
nl un,,lg Of hie fa nnilV intA InllarS Nphan Ia
has quite enough to last him through"
ale and his wife are both members Q
the church," persisted Aunt Abby.
$50 much the more pity, What poo
' show it will be for life work-such pill
/ of patched rags on her part-so man
3 cheeses and so many pounds OF butter Fo
e mind you, the Lord will take an inventor
of the whole Only this and nothing NOR
f. of any value. 1t is not wise to waste tn
A pounds while looking so keenly after tn
! pennies. The mind and the heart wan
: food and culture and woman ought t
. manage her work so as TO get time for botl
+ That is one argument TO bring TO bear o
{ Della in favor of ready-made clothing.
D can't quite bring her around yet, but thin
D shall soon. She thinks they don't sew a
r well as she does, but tell her il is we
\ enough What If the stitching isn't quite a
2 fine II will not matter half dozen year
r from now. 1t will matter great deal wit
( me and the children whether she is a poo
: broken-down mother, or has patched herse
/ into her grave to save five or six dollars
= year The medium course, Auntie, is tn
$ safe one, depend upon it; not wasteful, bu
}. spending well and to the best advantag
r every dollar that comes in. Now, haven't
/ made good case of it, Aunt Abby 2"
: "You're Just the same man as boz
e JOSIAH said Aunt Abby, smiling in spit
f of herself, "You always would poster
i, body to DEATH argufying the point, whe
G you wasn't more'n five years old. You'y
v kept 1t up over since, believe. - Count
g Gentleman.
e NEVER turn a blessing around to sc
whether il has dark aide To il.