The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1881-05-05

had sent up neither card nor name. IS v
entered the room, ah undorsized, wiry. aS
tive elderly. quaint looking woman ros
10 greet ns. We wero struck at sigh
with tho brightness Of her d.rk, bsndsom
ewes. and the russst rcdness Of her TIM
brown cheeks Her dress ~as Of calico
siarched and ironed 10 a miracle, aud sh
wore sn indescribable air OF independen
out Of fashion ness, which took our fame.
ai the start,
/ She was living on ranch not yer.
great way from San Francisco. She wa
born in England, had eome over TO thi
country in her girlhood. had spent som'
years 10 Connecticut, had married in Penn
sylyania, had tried her fortunes in tb'
West, aud had finally drifted 10 California
all Of which we learned In the course o
after conversation. and noted that hel
speech bore evidence Of her wanderings
She stood for moment confronting us
while she darted forth keen look from
under the great round hat which was tied
down. Canada fashion at the ears, and
projected immensely fore and aft
BE You the woman that writes in the
Pactfe''
Il take charge OF column in the Pdc!ft
for the Woman's Board. Won't you sii
down. The interview promised to be in.
teresting.
She dropped suddenly into her chair,
and revealed as she did so. good-sized
covered basket, which stood by her side.
"Wall, now, am mighty glad / have
found you Ny old man he takes the Pa.
chic bein brought up a Congregational,
and read it for my Sunday readin'-least-
ways your part OF it partikelar, and very
often permiskus, too. So / felt kind o
'quaiu,ed with you like; and thinks | to
myself, the very fust time 90 to San
Francisker. III take run over to Oak
land, and see il can make her out
81 am very glad to see you-very glad
Won like our column so well; we want all
our friends to like it. F."
wall, when you fust begun that col
umn, all about the missionaries and sich,
it kind o, took me- and 1 determined /
would do all could to raise a little money.
I've knocked round the world consider
BILE myself though not doin' it for the
heathen-w which ain't ssyin | haint never
found none; but that amt neither here n or
there. But | know by my own feelins
what il is to be in q strange country, and
everything queer and homesick ike-let
alone the language, which must be power
ful discouragin, especially ifa body's hard
to learn, which don't pose the mission
aries is, but some on 'em may be. We
live ON ranch here a ways, with
jerk of the head-"and my old man he's
tolerably close; and no wonder, bein' we
have twict been burned out, and moved
three times, haint no children 10 look ar
ter us bimeby, and old age comm, if
we live, and our sheep dyin' off the last
year or two"-And she made sudden
halt, lookin' at us intently.
Here was evidently warm heart -one
that had learned sympathy for others by
its own experience; one that was too loyal,
likewise, to cast reflection on any one else
in doing its duty.
Il dare say" was replied, seeing that a
reply was expected, and not knowing very
well what else to say.
"Wall," she resumed, in tone Of good
natured liberation, 81 knowed he had
enough to see arter, and so / determined
to raise what money could myself, and
give him no trouble about it. And of
course make my own butter So, arter
that, when I churned, put away little
each time in missionary jar, which l called
Mexico, and we neither on us ever missed
il; and arter awhile Mexico was full Of
butter, and we no wus off And bimeby
sold it, and put away the money. Says |
to myself and smile came into her
eyes that's my parquisites. Every
body has parq distes in these days; ami
why shouldn't II"
(Which it was all the same about eggs,
,i course We lay our own eggs. And says
to myself, Now, shall ] parquisite two
.ggs out OF every dozen, or two layin'
lens? which concluded to pre-empt to
.wo young layin' hens, me namin EN-
Japan and Turkey. And bein lonely like
,ut there on the ranch, and no one to talk
o, / conyarsed with them as il they was
olks. And j declare fort, rally think
hey understood me; for arter had told
hem two or three times they was parquis-
te hens, and must lay accordin'. and
houldnt have no excuse about grain and |
,ravel, cause ! would give EN- plenty OF
10Th, them two hens went to layin' to that
Iegree that couldn't have done better |
nyself; aud they cut-cutca-da-cut-ed me |
ut TO them nests that much, and that reg |
lar, that it really seemed as il they had
he missionary on the brain. AMI they
aid me forty dozen Of eggs, did Japan and
turkey, last year, and | got two bits q
ozen for 'em all round--which was pretty |
.ood parquisiting for hens-and the mon
y WAS put away with the iust-do you
eey" And she came TO the usual sudden
top. aud waited for us to speak.
Certainly. What wonderful hens you
must have"
"Yes, that rds pretty good. And then
here was my cali, which my husband be-
ng so keen for money, Of course We does
OF eat our own calves. but sells en-. And
ne Of our cows she dropped poor, puny
i,ile creatur and the butcher he wouldn't
i've no,hin' for il, and my husband he