Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-09-15
THE OLDEST INHABITANT,
A Character sketch.

THE OLDEST INHABITANT.
A Character sketch.
"Neighbor Frost" was the oldest in
habitant Of Wenlow. There was no
doubt about it. The parish register at
tested the fact, and the whole village rec
ognized its truth, and respected her ac-
cordingly. A woman who was capable
of attaining the patriarchal age of ninety
eight, had displayed energy and powers
OF endurance worthy of the veneration Of
the neighborhood. She was petted by
the parsOn and his wife, triumphantly
quoted by the doctor as an incontestable
proof Of the salubrity of the locality and
the prevailing longevity of its inhabi-
tants; proudly exhibited to admirlng
visitors as one of the curiosities of the
place and much cherished by her rela-
tives, ms valuable help from pecuniary
point of view, besides comforting dis
tinction upon the family. Many shil-
ling or half crown were dropped into her
withered palm, as token of admiration
of her brave defiance of "the King Of
Terrors." Although her brown face was
puckered into as many wrinkles as a
withered apple, her small, dark eyes had
shrewd twinkle, and her little bent form
had not utterly lost all trace of the stur-
dy vigor which had helped her through
30 many years of toll and privation. Her
memory, too, still served to recall many
quaint, old world histories, and perhaps
few forgotten scandals concerning folks
who had long since ''gone over to the
majority" in the quiet churchyard. Alto
gether, she WINS, as her fellow-villagers
said, "a wonder She led life of lux
urious ease, in n comfortably padded
easy chair, in the warmest corner of the
tireside of her eldest grandson made
much of by her numerous descendants,
amongst whom she was familiarly known
as "the owd crittur," to distinguish her
from another grandmother who had only
attained the tritiing age of seventy
seven.
Although there was fair sprinkling of
old people in Wenlow and the adjacent
villages, there were but two or three tot
ttering on the verge of ninety, and none
beyond that therefore, to "Ncighbor
Frost belonged the proud privilege of
having passed all in the race with time,
and nearly wrested n century from his
niggardly grasp. 1t was grand pre-
eminence, and much gloried in by the an
cient dame herself. 1t was her specially,
the crown which no one could take away
from her In respect of age she WAS un-
rivalled in the neighborhood. Her name
might be handed down to posterity, and
obtain honorable mention with Metluse-
lah and Old Parr, or with the evergreen
Countess Of Desmond.
SuIlaply hnwayar th;a l1;.,f,l
was rudely and cruelty disturbed A
great grandson came rushing home from
school one morning with the appalling
news that very owd woman, owder
than grannie, wor just come to Wenlow.
You can See her, grannie, il you look
out. She's Master Simpsons mother
and they're a-lifting on her out O the cart
agin his house. They say she's close on
q hundred"
what |" shrieked old Mrs. Frost A.;
John Simpsons mother come here /
thowt shed been dead years agone.
What did they bring the owd crone her
for? niver liked her y
"Well," observed the boys mother,
who had just come in from a gossip,
"she's been living with daughter who's
just dead and as she was born here,
Simpsons people thowt the ovid gal
might as well end her days here"
"And rare old article she looks !" dis
dainfully snarled old Mrs. Frost, who
had been watching her rivals laborious
descent from the cart to the ground.
Dame Simpson certainly was not in
such good preservation as our venerable
friend. She looked painfully old, with
the fardell of her years overprest," with
cred and heshless-a mere little bundle
Of bones and with lack-lustre eyes,
which seemed to look dimly at you
through the haze of vanished years and
with a feeble piping voice, that seemed
to have been long ago left behind also.
However, she was old, very old, and a
genuine production of the parish.
On looking into the records, it was dis
covered that she was just year older
than "Neighbor Frost" Having left her
native place early in life, her existence
had been forgotten by all but her imme-
diate relatives but now every one seem.
Cd anxious to make amends for previous
negligence, and many modification did
the Frost family endure seeing the tickle
public lavishing its attention upon the
new conner as the greatest curiosity. The
presents of tea, eggs, dainty little pud-
dings, "a few broth, which used to be
old Mrs. Frost's perquisites, and the
visits from "the gentry" were now di-
vided with the interloper. "Worst OF
all. said Mrs. Frost, "Miss Alice, the
parsons daughter, went and drawed a
pictur' of the poor, toothless owd critter
and the parson, he went to talk to her,
but she wor wholly waffied, and could tell
him she wor tired out, and longed to be
laid at rest and then Nurse Simpson
says, in her carrying, fawning way. '"Tis
only the beautiful soup and WINE and
sich, as you kindly send, sir, as keeps her
from sinkin' bat trust We shan't lose
the poor old dear yet she seems to bring
blessing on the house. She's gra.
cious soul "
"a pretty penny she and John are
making just now, warrant" was the in.
dignant comment of Mrs. Frost's grand
daughter
This snd state of heart-burning and
rivalry did not last long, however, foi
four months after her arrival the poor,
harmless cause OF it retired from the
contest, glad to leave this bustling world
From that time forth "Neighbor Frost's'
face wore an expression Of unruffled seren
ity. Her prestige was restored, and
when, some two years later, she was ly
ing at the point of death, and her ire
pressible grandson burst into the room
with the intelligence that 'people hai