Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-07-13
Pure Gold.

You may plow and you may plant,
hut you cant make an onion-bed grow
up into lcttucea," cried Mrs, Oakford,
wmthmlly, Samantha Jane, II you
don't look out You will break that tea
cupl"
ara like to-it's no ugly-and the
whole set, into tho bargain" said the
girl, glancing with huge disdain at the
row OF benowered dishes that stood on
the table,
"You arc about ~ wicked a crcatur'
as ever liyed-I wouldn't have believed
You could make such q dreadful
speech !" exclaimed her step'mother, in
a Mortified voice. Where you'll end,
il You continner a goin on IA you've
done to-day, Is moro'n than can tell,
hut there's judgments in store, no we're
told, over and over, and II ever you re-
member il, should think you'd feel
kind o trembly."
But her listener looked too weary in
body and soul TO tremble at anything.
"There, they're done!' she said,
waving the towel over the dishes, with a
sort of contomptuous triumph.
"Done? II you expect TO put cups
and sacers away, in my house, done up
in that style, with ono touch, you're
Mistaken" said her step-mother, $50
now, Jest take the towel, and rub EN- in
to n shine,
The girl obeyed, obediently enough,
but allowed herself the relief Of observ-
ing:
"Its just wasting time to rub things
with so many cloths.
Mrs. Oakford opened her eyes to their
utmost width.
81 swan to man, il that amt the beat
of anything I ever heard " she said. 81
know what I ought TO dol ought to
box your ears, Samantha Jane, ] really
think you're possessed-I do indeed "
"So do |, sometimes - exclaimed
Jane, bursting into sudden storm OF
tears.
Mrs. Oakford shook her head.
"Narvy-that's what ails you I" she
exclaimed at last. "Jest narvy-an eel
never was narvier I'm going to steep
some valerian, and you'll drink it, every
drop"
81 don't want any valerian-I wantto
be let alonel" cried Jane, despairingly.
81 almost wish now that | was dead
if you torment me you will make me
wish so quite-yes, you will
For moment Mrs. Oakford sat over
powered and aghast at this exhibition of
passion, as she thought it. She had al
ways known that Samantha Jane was
"queer; " of late she had been terribly
fretted, and still more panied, by the
girls inexplicable moods but this
phase was so new, she felt at loss how to
deal with it albeit, as a rule, Mrs. Oak
ford was q woman of resources, quick
perceptions, and a strongwill.
"T'm only your step-mother," said
Mrs. Oakford, slowly, "and step-mothers
are always to blame--everybody knows
that. 1 married your father more be-
cause he was such n helpless cretur',
than anything else, with three gals on
his hands, and You the helplesseSt of
ull-u tNO- Ntttl-OAu pupC'
"Oh, mother!" groaned Jane.
But Mrs. Oakford did not heed.
"I worked and l shaved day and night;
through me, the mortgage on the farm
was paid off; I took care of your father
when lie had consumption and he said,
at the end, that, thanks to me, he
could die e.sy. I brought up your sis
ters; they are good, honest women, not
ashamed or afraid to work. Only last
week, over to Emily's house, at the
baby's christening, their husbands said
they had to thank me for their good
wives, and the girlses, they said so,
too"
"Mother, mother!"
"But I'm only step -mother-Pm
made to slave and to bake-Tm cruel
and wicked. Everybody would jine
with you; say what you like, but mark
my words, Samantha Jane, wait till you
get to heaven, though I couldn't ferlici-
tate you on being in the road at pres
ent, and see what your par says, and
your mar, If so be she's fair enough to
speak up, which I think she would be,
though we wasn't friends when we was
girls, and she looked down on me cause
I hadn't book larnin'
But she could get no further. Jane
threw her arms around her neck, kissed
her passionately, and ran out of the
room. Mrs. Oakford sat for awhile,
quite overcome by this scene, altogether
new in her experience then her firm
mouth began to work, and she wiped
few tears from her shrewd, but kindly,
eyes.
Samantha Jane amt bad-hearted,'
she muttered, as she rose and began
rubbing the cups and saucers with the
second towel" once or twice uncon-
sciously wiping her eyes with the end of
il, "but she's queer not bit like the
others never was, from baby"
She had, indeed, good, honest, iron
bound soul but she had done great
deal that might better have been left
undone. Work had been for years her
tyrant and her idol. If she could find
nothing else to do, she would scrub the
broom handles, and turn over the
boards of the kitchen-porch and scour
them.
At the time of her marriage, people
had wondered why an educated man,
like Mr.. Oakford, should have chosen
her; but her energy and strength Of
will were strong attractions to him. He
was so discouraged by ill-luck in bust.
ness so broken down in health such q
helpless, hopeless creature, with good
deal Of imagination, and very little COM
mon sense to balance il, with three
young daughters on his hands, that her
energy seemed to him something rest