Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1878-05-03
MARRYING TO ACCOMMODATE.


At fifty, David Yopp was a simple, child
like bachelor, with no more thought of matri-
mony than n newborn baby. ~ his life he
had lived with his parents upon the little
homestead, aud apparently it had never oc-
CURED to him that they three might not con-
tinue to live there unsevered till the end of
time for when palsy had lid low his mother,
he looked about him in grieved astonishment,
telling each condoling friend that he couldn't
understand how she came to die she had
never suffered any exposure. and had always
had plenty Of good nourshing food.
At her decease the care Of his blind old
father naturally devoved upon David who.
having recovered from his first surprise that
Providence should have used him SO, tied on
his mothers apron. and essayed to take her
place in the domestic department. All those
were dreary days, chronicling cu' nary results
never before attained let us hope, by mortal
man-results that tried even the serenity of
the sightless octogenarian, who had borne af-
Fiction and bereavement without a murmur.
Seems to me, my son, l wouldn't worry
about the cooking he at last suggested,
mildly. That comes more handy TO the wo-
men-folks."
But let cooking come never SO handy" to
the ''wOmen-folks, what ayailed it to the
'Yoppses" so long as the wOmen-fo'ks would
not come to them, or would come only to go?
Jane Burrill, an apple-cheeked country lassie,
hired out to David for Monday, and left of
a Tuesday before the clothes were dry upon
the line the widow Mulliken her successor
departed at the end of a week Margaret
Ramsay wouldn't stay where there were no
children; and Ellen Dunlap wouldn't stay
where there was no matron. Thus one by
one long procession of females passed in
and out of the hip-roofed house behind the
lilacs, till August found the Yopps again alone
In this extremity David came to my mother.
Il don't know what father and III do for a
housekeeper, Miss Farnsworth-fact, said he
plaintively. DO you suppose Lovisa Braun
would help us spell just to accommodate 2"
My mother smilingly shook her head.
You forget how sensitive Miss Lovisa is,
David, and that you are bachelor. Shed be
afraid people would talk"
"Sho, ma'am; you don't say So" and Da-
vid's face Redeemed furiously, till it seemed to
drain all color from his tawny beard, leaving
it positively pale.
"Rea'y, David, don't see but you'll have
to marry" laughed my mother, mischievously,
going on with her sewing
His lower jaw dropped as if the remark had
been blow and had hit him on the chin.
you don't think, now, Miss Farnsworth, l
sha" be necessitated to 90 that length - he
gasped.
'Oh, no, no certainly not l only spoke
OF 1t rs the best means OF securing permanent
help"
Il don't know but I'd oughter marry, "
unused David, uneasily but the idee comes
TO me rather sudden. hadu't calculated on
any thing like that, and seemss if twas too
much to expect of me-fact"
A few days later he again appeared before
my mother, twitching at his coat collar in the
vain endeavor to hide his embarrassment
IF so be, Miss Farnsworth," he stammer-
ed, with a characteristic corkscrew twist OF
the neck-''if so be l couldn't get round mar.
rying, what's your notion about Loyisa Ac-
cordng to the best of your belief, would she
be favorable to changing her sitOvation =
He ended with his head quite TO one side, and
tipped backward like chickens in drinking
which forced my mother to address her reply
to his Oecipital curls. She could hazard nc
opinion on the subject, she said. She would
advise him to confer with the lady herself,
II hate TO- masterly," groaned he, with en-
gaging candor; but this know-if ASK
any woman to have me, it II be Lovsa."
Oddly enough our minister on the morrow
preached an eloquent sermon ON the duty and
the Joy of matrimony.
1T is not good for man to be alone, " ran the
text, and David, in the corner pew, cast dow
his conscious eyes, feeling that he himself wal
the person indicated.
1t was not good for man to be alone h,
had suspected this for some months, and nov
the Bible confirmed his suspicion. He want
ed to be good he wouldn't be alone any
longer-facti not if he could help it ; and Ii
stole an inquisitive glance across the aisle a
the lady of his heretofore hesitating choice
He did more. Benediction pronounced, h
sided over to her, his face glowing like tn
perennial earnation in her bonnet, and asket
her opinion of the discourse. Didn't sh
think that was a noble text?
Poor Miss LOvisa, taken quite by surprise
murmured something about il being goo'
sound doctrine, but hard TO live up to, AM
! hurried across the way to open her house Il