Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-10-17
TOO MUCH VIM.
BY ELIZA wooDwoRTH.

My friend, Mrs. Vornon, is the
wife of a prominent! and successful
,, physician residing in large coun-
try village. Her husband is many
years older than herself, and very in-
dulgent. In short, one of those ex-
cellent men who never dream of IN
terfering with the views and habits
OF their wives. As is becoming, the
doctor is grave, weishty and slow in
all his bodily movements and men,
tai phases. and his wife is always 10
a hurry, being one of those singular
and appalling ladies whose lives are
an unending round of energetic per.
formances of various kinds.
Some changes in the world are
very curious. When my friend was
girl, she went numberless terms
TO the best schools she studied toll
somely and carefully /; she seldom
showed haste, but always thorough
ness she waded through the solids,
and walked through the ornamen-
tails. But an acute observer might
have questioned whether all her re-
pose at this early part of her life
were not based upon immaturity.
He would have seen that at inter-
walls there was an ominous vim that
flashed through the apparent char
acter, and which might, perhaps un-
derlie the whole, and be her individ-
ualism, as soon as she was grown and
had found herself
| She finished her education, aud
came back to her city home an in
telligent, graceful and accomplished
young lady. Then she dalIied around
for two or three years, people all the
while expecting her to marry this,
that or the Other dashing young man
and finally astonished everyb body by
selecting a,grave and dignified man
from country village, whose hair
and whiskers were already turned of
an iron gray. Ii was dreadfully sur
prisng and odd procedure. But
dear me fire brands and 'sthe winds
of March are piring |" it was nothing
to some other things. With the re-
linquishment of girlhood leisure, and
the beginning of what she always
called "real life," what a change
came over her !! Ifshe had been sent
into the world to make up for all the
stime" which has been lost from the
creation until now, poor Mrs. Vernon
could scarcely be more busy.
1t was aqueer development of life
but there was no mistake about it.
Vim rose uppermost-energy came
to the surface, and was, and still is,
ruler. Upon coming out of her
youths chrysalis into her natural
and genuine estate, Mrs. Vernon
made sundry viglant resolutions for
the purpose of suppressing the few
old indolent habits which wonid have
suffered any ease TO her life. As one
great object was to take time by the
forelook on all possible opportunities.
she resolved, firstly, to arise at five
O'Clock in the morning, although the
| good doctor assured her that, as they
| did not breakfast until seven, six was
early enough. But up she got, Jerk
ed the bell rope leading to the SER
wants room, and disappeared 10 nm.
known places in the back part of the
house. What any woman with a
moderate household, and two excel.
lent servants, can do with two NOR.
tai hours before breakfast, in which
she neither reads nor sews, nor builds
coal fires, is more than / can tell
But do know that Mrs. Vernon sits
down to the table with flushed face
and an air of care.
During the first month of un-chry
sails, she certainly accomplished a
great deal. She dove into the piles
Of rubbish in the garnet; not musty
box of pamphlets and old almanacs
escaped being put to rights; not ar
ancient crippled piece OF furniture
but passed review under her vigilan,
, eyes, and was made to stand back
"there," she cleared the chambers Of
extraneous things, pitiiessIy sending
them to quiet rest close under The
now orderly and parlor proper gable
quarters descending she made wal
upon deeps unfathomable of chips in
the wood-house, and splints and dus,
in the coal room. She overhauleC
the cellar. and made John do sore
penanee for an enjoyable way of do
ing work during the Doctors -four
years of widowerhood, in cleaning ou
of corners, hoeing out of bins, ant
scrubbing with stubby broom. end:
OF the cemented floor. She ranged
around out of doors, and drove thu
unhappy man into obscure fence cor
ners, whence he reluctantly gather
ed sticks,papers, broken teacups,a no
other "reminiscences of his past days
and even obliged him to thoroughly
clean the easy, unobservant doctors
barn, which was in a mouldy condi
ton.
And oh THE long steps that Bird
get and Kate had to take What
cleaning of paint, cIothes-presses
pantry shelves. what routing of dir
out of crevices, what raids upon Their
pet places for putting anything un
: seemly out of sight, the glories o
Ireland fell before her. She con-
qGered girls, man and disorder.
1t was not done, however, without
struggle. Bridget rebeiled, Kate
sulked, and John threatened to leave
Matters worked into tangle, which
was becoming inextricable; yet al
that had been done was necessary
proper, and wise, had my friend bu
been slower, Every day troubles
thickened. not so much in conse
quence of doing, as of doing so fas
and taking time so obstrictiously By
the forelock. when fortunately, ar
attack of typhoid supervened. oblig
ing her to let go her hold and during
the illness that followed, things right
ed themselves.
/ believe my friend concluded that
she had shown too much zeal for th,
general patience, or brought TOT
great a strain upon her physica
strength, and thereby lost time BY
being sick, which must be avoided
I in future. or something of that sort