The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-02-20

i tSs norrors, Dut rather added thereto; IL 10
the crucial test before which all the menities
OF LIE, Its convenieuces, its comforts its ele-
| gancies, 60 down helplessly into the valley of
humiliation. Furniture, bric-d-6rac, carpets,
paintings, china, only exasperate this insatia-
BILE epidemic, and give II more and more VIC
tins, TILL their number Is legion.
II foily Bangs was cross over the lustration
OF house with one carpet, two cracked look
and pewter platters-a house where soap and
water could be stopped about with absolute
freedom, and the white-wash brush smeared
literally every where-what would she have
Crown Derby, French porcelain, Japanese en-
amel, Bohemian glass, Venetian crystal; car
pets OF Persia, India, France and England
furniture carved and upholstered as II for pal
aces; priceless pictures; paper of Eastlake
and Morris; and the ten thousand costly dusty
baubles OF . modern mansionf Let lunatic
asylums answer! IL We have gained much in
these latter days, how much have we not lost !
Polly was cross naturally; her mother was
cross; her father fairly growled. The Bangs
temper was proverbial in Bassett, and now It
was In active exercise. for house-cleaning
would test an angels amiabtlity, and tries that
of common mortals to the EXTREMIST limit,
even unto utter failure; why should q bad
temper fall to find 1t exasperatingi But how
much more furious would Pollythi have been
had she known of that discussion to her fu-
ture which was being held on the fair breast
Of Long Lake, while the budding trees shed
soft shadows into the water. white clouds
gently sailed along its depths, the fragrant re-
luctant breath Of a New England spring sigh
ed tenderly over wave and shore, and Cal and
Jim slaughtered little fishes with relentless
hook and line, as they discussed deeper ang-
ling with livelier bait! Would she ever have
risen to their hookl Never! But no ofi1cious
telephone betrayed them; time and space kept
| the secret with their ancient honesty. They
| are demoralized now, and that which Is spoken
In the bed-chamber is declared on the house
top, even on the house-top miles away. Who
1 Shall ever know aQfetv Of mi
Pollythi Bangs was all that Jim Beebe had
painted her, and perhaps more; strong of
body and viii both imperious, quick-temper.
She inherited all these traits from q father
and mother 80 alike in character that they
never were at peace with each other or their
in the Bangs family, and 50 notorious were
their quarrels, so continuous their wars and
| fghtings, that the hill halfway up which their
old farm house stood was known all through
Bassington townshiD as Squsbble Hm-a
name borne by II to-day. But II Polly Bangs
was scold, she was also smart, great work
| er, and . woman who could turn her hand to
anything. She could weave any sort of fabric
could outspin any other woman in the town,
having once, In Q acontest of wheels spun seven
runs OF yarn between sunrise and sunset-an
achievement that would have half killed any
mate days work, but which seemed to have
| no eject on Pollythi's strength of nerve and
muscle. Her bread was town talk. her Quilts
elaborate beyond every thing-the seven-stars
ny-Mountains pattern having originated in her
own accomplished brain. As Tor knitting,
and yeast, nne darning, election cake, train
ing-day gingerbread, and pot.pis, she was
ed, her nut cakes fried just right, and her
pork and beans were inimitable. These things
never are the forte Of amiable, gentle, "pret-
ty-9enaved" women; energy, force. Sturm
strokes: they have their own power, but It is
not the power Of leverage. Yet Polly had
certain rough kindliness about her when every
thing went right.
Tomake wash would hardly stew a child"
She did not like children or snimals but abe
would fish screaming infant out of the brook,
lame dog that lay down on the doorstep. Il
was wonderful to her mother that Polly had
no lovers People who live together get used
someumes to each others faults; q husband
win ignore great deal in . wife, because he
does not notice her shortcomings as others
do who do not come under their disturbance
daily; and mother will love and admire the
spoiled child who is nuisance to every body
else about her. Polly was handsome, after q
fashion; she had hard black eyes, strong
curling dark hair, red cheeks, strong white
teeth, and . good tall figure, angular and awk-
ward, to be sure, but roundness, grace, dim
pies, are not the rue In New England; and
Polly was better-looking than most Of her
compeers, yet she had attained the respect
able age Of thirty-ave without an oner, even
from widower, when Cal Culver took heart
Of grace and asked her to marry him, after =
three weeks courtship, following directly on
his consultation with Jim Beebe.
Pollythi neither said yes nor no on that in.
teresting occasion, nor did she 70 through
the ordinary formulas OF speech or action;
she blushed not, neither sighed, nor dropped
her head on Calls shoulder. She was too far OF
for such tender demonstration II she had in
NAw.s sIa<lk .. <,akx. Ax.1& -x-LA
and answered, sudlbly: "fll think ont"
Wen, 1 wisht you would. +" manfuliy re-
He knew and she knew, and she knew he
that there was no particular love In the mat,
ter. Cal wanted . capable wife, and Pollythi,
being q woman, fully understood that Il is
more creditable to an individual Of the weak
ss ss e. ext to be any Sody's wife than nooody's.
shiftless, lazy, penniless fellow, who wanted
her to help him; handsome, to be sure; but IL
Polly's heart warmed the least to his goodly
such absurd flames Immediately. Yet even
that very "level' head gave q casting vote in
favor OF Cal. II she married him, she would
have her own house and her own way, for she
family. At home her mother and her father
both "drank delight Of battle" with her, and
not infreQuently got the victory, when thew
were @ as astnte @,e enough % TO Join forces against
take on her the state and privileges Of q ma
tron, while now she was fast sinking into that
Purgatory OF women-old maidenhood. So
she she Stn9ugns Sn't" as she promised, and
little Parson Robbins published the banns of
marriage between Calvary Culver. of this
place, and Pollythi Bangs, Of Squabble Hili,n
greatly TO the edincation, II not the amuse-
some shook their heads, but the parson looked
like . small thunder-cloud, and, before the
day was over, enectually turned the thoughts
OF his mock from Cal and Polly in this wise:
1t seems Jim Beebe had laid q bet with
Squire Battle that Parson Robbins couldn't
preach sermon without mentioning the devil
literally his befe noire-at least q dozen
times, and agreed with him that they both
should keep count the next Sunday, and so
settle this peculiar wager. Jim accordingly
went to meeting armed with Q paper of big
pins, and at each mention of the devil made
by the parson stuck one Of them upright in
the front edge Of the gallery where be sat. A
fine row they made before that day was over
thirteen for the morning sermon, fifteen for
the afternoons discourse, and positively twen-
ty by evening.
Jim won his bet, and triumphed. Brief ex.
uitatton! The parsons keen eye had noticed
his hxed attention, and q peerfng raw of SUM-
shine had twinkled on the new pins. Parson
all, of mortal flesh and blood. and to have ar
rested the attention Of such an tncorriRible
idler and "chuckie- head" as he had more than
ohcS seiBn.asLAcu jim DECIDE QiQ the natural
man deal OF good, and impaired power and
fervency to his address. He could not quite ex-
plain the pins, but tried hard to believe Jim was
so absorbed In the discourse he did not know
what he was about Even SO have known
modern minister speak with pathetic gratin-
cation OF the effect a few simple words'' of
his from the pulpit had upon q certain vola-
tile young lady accidentally present, whom be
and who, alasl as had the best reason to
know, was merely struggling, with hidden
face and abashed head, to conquer q fit of
mighty laughter brought about by the machi-
Robbins was more unlucky than the blessed
man who gave me credit for my false-faced
emotion, for, going home, Q little more up
right and confident than ever, he heard Q loud
cackle Of laughter from the steps Of Brother