Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-08-28
Who is my NeIghbOr /!

Who is my NeIghbOr!
"Oh, what lovely bunch of pansies
Is it possible they are for me?'' l exclaim
ed to II tiny brown eyed girl who placed II
fragrant bouquet of the gold and purple
dewy blossoms in my hammock in which
| was idly swinging under the big maple
Aunty Lee sent them" said the wee
child, "and she hopes the mountain air
will soon make you well. and she's your
nelghhor down under the hill"
"Who is this neighbor Aunty Lee?" |
asked the woman with whom | boarded
when next she came within hearing of my
voice.
80, then, sh's sent ye some posies," re-
piled talkative Mrs. Evans, coming brisk
ly from the garden and sitting down on
the steps of the little porch so that she
might entertain me while she was shelling
her peas thus KILN tew birds with one
| stun" as she said. 81 Was wondcrn
tew myself not tew minutes ago how long
twoud be afore she'd find We out an send
We suthin'. can't see, for my part how
she can afford to do as she does"
why, what does she do?" inquired.
Oh, she says she aims to be neighbor
y, and if anybody happens 10 be sick any
where's around she sends 'em up as she
says; and she always has her knittin'
work in her pocket, and her odd Job o
knittin', as she calls it. grows eout lEe
magic into gloves and mittens and wrist
lets an stockin's that she gives away"
To her friends, people fully able to
buy them. suppose
"Oh. dear, no. To poor children an
tew old men an old women that, | spOse,
are real needy, an that set great store by
her warm and handsome presents, for her
yarns are as bright us her flowers. an I've
told my man good many times that the
color went half toward maxim her little
gifts so welcome. An then she has so
much comp n.y..
"Rich people from the city, whose visits
she returns?"
"Oh. land sakes no; poor folks that are
tickled most 10 death to git an invitation
to her pleasant little home. Yis. her home
is an amazin' pleasant one, though her
man is only a poor mechanic. She's al
ways sayin' that she'd rather dew little
good every day as she goes along than
tew be waitn' to dew some great thing
when she gifts able, and then. p raps. lose
her opportunity and never do nuthin'.
told her one day last year. says |, Miss
Lee says |, | should ruther be Il putin
by little sumthin Elm the bank for rainy
day than to be a givin away all the time
And SAYS she, Miss Evans says She
that your way, an it's II good way.
don find no fault with it. but all these lit
tie things that give away would never
git into the link, an so, you see, they'd
be lost, AN should pass away without
ever doin' anything for my Master. An
don't want to 90 to bed night without
thinkin' that | have that day tried tew
tighten some feller- -mortal's burden,
brought smile to some face, or a streak
O. sunshine tew some heart, if it's only
givn' bunch o posIes in the right
speret.'
And these flowers cost her good deal
first and last, suppose?' said caressing
my pansies.
"Oh, 'twoud cost me great deal to
run such flower garden as she does, but
Mis- Lee says she's not strong, so she gifts
fresh air sunbaths and exercise in her gar
den and spends her time workin in there
instead of visltin'. She returns all her
calls by sendin' her compliments with a
bunch O. poses."
"She hires some one to carry them
about, presumed"
"Massy, no. There isn't child in the
village but what wonld run its legs off for
Aunty Lee" and having finished sheling
her mess of peas, my talkative little hostess
trotted about her work again, saying as
she disappeared through the don W y,
Z" It's well enough to be ,ighborly. of
course, but Mis- Lee may see the time
when she d wished she had a leetle sum-
thin eout at int rest"
The Vermont mountain air agreed with
me. my health gradually improved and l
stayed ON and on, week after week. spend
ing greater part of my time. when the
weather did not positively forbid, in my
hammock under the naples. As yet had
not once seen my neighbor, Aunty Lee,
but grew to love her on account Of the
pretty nosegays that daily fund their way
from her hand to mine by one and anoth-
er child messenger.
One night late in August there was
heavy thunder shower. The sudden down
fall of rain swelled the little river that
skrted our village to a veritable mountain
torrent. A mill dam, some miles up the
stream, had broken away and the angry
flood came rushing down, sweeping all be-
fore it.
"Aun'y Lees husbands shop has gone"
shouted my hostess, Mrs. Evans, rs she
knocked ut my door in the early morning
after the storm; land that's not the
worst on t, for her garden is all washed
eout and undermined so that it'll take a
purity pile O money tew fix it up again, if
ever It's fixed. wonder know ef Mis-
Lee don't wish she hadn't been quite so
neighbory. and so had little sunthin'
eout at interest" and it really seemed to
me as if the brisk little woman chuckled
TO herself as she patted down the stairs.
In less than an hour she came back to
nv room with as doleful looking visage
AS I ever saw. Whatever is agoin' to
become O. me and my man." said she
" and we a gittin' to be old folks, tew.
Our savin's were all in the stock comply
up to Minotsville, because they paid more
interest than the bank we only took it
eout O. the bank - little while ago, and
meow their old mill has gone clean of. an
they'll all go to gineral smash and we
along with EN-" and this time she went
slowly groaning down the stairs. | could
not help plying the woman from the bot
tom of my heart.
There was great excitement in the little
village, as matter of course, but Aunty
Lee was reported to be as chipper' as
ever. The nosegay came to me every day
AS usual, not quite SO many, nor so great
variety as formly. for a part of the garden
had been washed away, but enough to
give me an increased admiration for the
sweet old lady who was persistent and un-