The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-10-28
SOUTH BRANCH FARM,

The Taneys had lived on the South
Branch farm since colony times, and no
Taney had ever cheated a man of a do,-
lar. They lent no money, and they
borrowed none; they never sat at any
mans table, or asked guest to theirs.
The fancy pew-front one-was filled
every Sunday, come rain or sun. Mrs.
Taney, midd e-aged woman, with her
gray hair in tight little knot behind,
and wearing the same rusty. black gown
and bonnet for dozt n years, was al
ways like the others present. But some
times she was asleep. For this was the
one hour of the whole week when she
could sit down on a cushion and 1olG
her hands The air was warm; th'
music soft and sweet; no wonder she
slept. Sometimes the works that were
read stirred her soul; it seemed as if
her childhood woke, as if the tears must
come to her log dry eyes. But they
never did. By the time she had walked
home with her son W illiam, the story
Of Bethlehem, or heavenly glory to
come, had faded into doubtful dream,
and all that was real was the South
Branch farm, the price of pork, or the
fall of potatoes. After church, dinner
must be ready dipping hot, too, on ac-
count of the boarder), in half an hour /;
then she had the sheep to look afttr +,
and the poultry to feed; then milking
The Taneys never had kept any help"
Mrs. Taney had brought up six children,
been sole cook, seamstress. tailor and
dairymaid; yet her husband, old Ben,
always had said: "Sarah's not
capable woman. No Taney blood in
her."
Ben had been Geaf five years, but his
wife went on carrying groaning load
on the back which lacked bone. William
was harder master than his father had
been: the very oxen felt the lash ottener.
and their corn fell off one half. He sat
in the kitchen now, with book before
him, while his mother and youngest
sis'er Lefty, ere cooking supper.
"Take that butter off the table," he
said, suddenly. "Molasses will do.
What are you cooking meat fore It's
not necessary. Put it back in the Gel
lar"
"Yes, William" replied his mother,
submissively. "Only / thought the
boarder-"
"We can't afford to keep him like a
lord. You'll have to exercise economy,
mother; can't be always here to look
after things. How am ever to pay for
the meadow lots if the money is going
away in this style"
I'm what way, WilliamP" Mrs.
Taney's scared eyes wandered over the
spare kitchen, the smoldering coal in
a corner of the CRATE, the half-starved
face OF her little girl.
81 try to save, / am sure. What
way do you mean, sirP"
"Oh, every way!" closing his book
with bang. There's a leak at eyery
corner. Why, toll and slave the year
round; But with such lot of mouths
to feed"
He glared at Lefty, who shrank into
the pantry. she did not come out dur
ing supper, and her mother dared not
call her. The girl was crying as usual,
and her tears always eXasperated Will
liam. Poor Lefty felt the horrible guilt
of her hearty appetite sore upon her.
She was always hungry; hungry enough
to faint now.
Mrs. Taney forgot to eat her dry
bread, or drink her milk. The meadow
lots 1t was to buy those lots that her
husband had made their lives bare and
hard and wretched from their wedding
from the farm, which should have fed
the children, had gone to market, while
they ate the refuse; the money which
should have educated them had been
put in the bank to buy these lots. When
her baby was so i'll no doctor was
brought, and her child died; the money
saved went to the lots; the mother had
begged for a headstone for the grave.
There was Lefty, growing to be a
woman, half-clothed, without sparkle
of fun or pleasure to tighten her young
life; while poorer girls dressed and
went out, and had company, and en-
joyed, as the girls should, days filled
with comfort and happiness. Every
penny thus saved William laid by for
the lots" Yes! those twelve actors
b I'D come to be the absolute God IfoI
these people. Not a happy life, noi
God, nor heaven.