Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1882-03-17

The store in a country village is an indis-
pensable institution. For what would the
housekeepers do when their supply of soda
ran low and what would the gossips do for a
place in which to congregate and discuss the
local happenings, if twas not for this estab
lishment-the country store ? The country
store is a combination of establishments, be-
ing dry goodG, grocery, provision, hardware,
crockery and drug store combined, and almost
everything but the one article most wanted
can here be obtained but the merchant
smooths it over by informing you that he's
'all out of that article, but will have it in
& week or So"
In visiting a small country village, you will
usually find this establishment to be the most
prominent building, next to the Westinghouse
in the village, being very conspieuously locat-
ed-generally at some corner where all the
country roads centre. 1t may be known by
the sign on the front of the building: Gen
eral Store-Adam Blank. Its piazza, if it
supports one, is barricaded with farming TOOLS
barrels Of beans dried apple, and the like
and generally these are capped by several
half-grown boys engaged in the non-arduous
task of Stunning" The entire front, with
the exception Of the windows, is very taste
fully decorated with notices, auction bills and
patent medicine advertisements This is the
country store, the great emporium of the
neighborhood, TO which the small boy runs on
various errands for his mother, where the far
mers bring their produce to exchange for
farming implements aud groceries, and where
the huVnF,n syfrI a.
and eggs for thread, calico and pins. This is
also the retreat for the gossip, who is con-
stantly picking up waits of news, which, af-
ter being remodeled, are again set afloat by
this peddler of lies and for the village loaf
ers, who are resting their weary bones and
have ever in mind the motto, "All work and
no play" etc. These personages find more
of real comfort in an hours visit to "the
store" than Spaniard does of pleasure in
Witnessing an all-day bull-fght.
During the day the village store is quite
destitute of excitement for the loafug gos-
sips, having no audience to hold forth to- save
the rustic merchant, reserve their vocabulary
of news until some village spinster, of an in.
quisitive mind, or a farmers wife, calls to
make few purchases, and then full reports
are exchanged, Once in a while, perhaps on
a rainy day, nearly all the villagers come to
the store and talk over the town news and the
best methods of farming. This is busy day
for the merchant since nearly all bring along
their jugs and pals and tobacco boxes to be
filled but such occasions are rare, and nine
tenths of the days of the year the village
store, during the daytime, is as lonesome as a
hemlock thicket in winter time. In the even
ing, however, everybody who is able crowds
into the store "bar-room. Some come for
tobacco, others for molasses and soda, and
others still to hear the news; and all who
come loiter, and talk, aud listen. Evening
after evening the male populace of the neigh
borhood gather and take their regular seats,
astride of nail kegs, -four barrels and boxes,
or recline on the wood. box and counters. All
gathered, the pipes are lit, new quid put in
place, and the discussion begins. One group
argues the national corruptions; another pro-
phesies about the weather or discusses poll
tics while the more prattling portion of the
assemblage talk over home affairs or pick the
minister's sermon to pieces. Finally the old
time-piece strikes nine, the assemblage breaks
ranks and the would-be politicians and theo-
logians return home to seek the much needed
rest of both lingud ct corpus. s. md.