The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-09-22

partly brought on by carrying away
those heavy planks that I'd been prom
lslng her for two months to take to the
barn. always intended to do it, but
somehow I've forgotten, though I'd
rather have got up out of bed at mid
night and done it than let her strain her
poor weak back by carrying 'em herself.
That's the way it was with fixing up
the ash hopper when she wanted to
make soap. She asked me st least a
dozen times to do it for her, but some-
how / never got at it, and so at last she
got discouraged and did it herself.
When mans got an ambitious, ener-
getic wife who takes pride in her home
and surroundings. he can't do her a
greater wrong than to throw cold water
on her efforts and be milestone in the
way"
The approach of an old farmer friend
living a short distance down the road,
who stopped his horse at this moment
to inquire after Mrs. Birney, put an end
to the husbands bitter reflections.
I. You have nice place here" OBJ
served Farmer Doyle, as he glanced at
the vines and rows of bushes in the
yard at the rear of the house. 81 Your
wife took sight of comfort in cultivat-
ing this little patch of ground before
she got sick. used to expect to see
her nearly every time passed in the
morning just as regularly as expected
to see the house itself standing there.
Sometimes she was digging around the
vines and shrubs and sometimes
carrying basketfuls of earth, or maybe
she would be working with her bees up
there in the hives under the trees, or
making new beds for her flowers, or
trimming of the grass with her sickle.
l used often to tell her it was too hard
work for her to be bending over that
way to cut the grass. but she never
seemed to mind it particularly; l sup
pose it was just her energy and deter
mination to have things complete that
kept her up. Yes, you've got nice
place, Birney. 1t don't look much as
it did when you moved here. remem-
Der | used to think it would take good
deal of money to fix it up and make it
salable, but here your wife's just gone
ahead and, without any expense, has
made it blossom as rose, and to-day it
would bring double as much as you paid
for it. l tell you, neighbor Birney, just
these little improvements that. cost only
labor and care, are the best investments
man can make, and the kind that
adds to the value of property more than
costly buildings. I'd rather have your
little home with its cheerful porch.
covered with that Queen of the Prairie,
and your shady front yard and choice
small fruits, than Mr.. Buckland's big,
bald-l looking house over there with its
mansard roof and colored glass, and not
a vine or flower to be seen, and weeds
as high as mans waist. IL they had
your improvements, it would be the
most desirable place in this part of the
country, but they've lived there seven
years, and so far as / can see, they
havn't much else but mustard stocks
and burdock to show for it. !"
Every word that th e farmer spoke in
eulogy of his property was stab to the
conscience-smitten Birney, for he real
lied, what he had never done before,
that to his stricken, suffering wife he
was indebted for it all, and as he
watched the retreating figure of Farmer
Doyle as he rode away, he made a new
resolution that if poor Kate was spared
to him he would endeavor in future not
to add to, but to save her every step he
could. Let us hope that he kept his
resolution. Country Gentleman.