Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-12-07
SOMETHING TO BE THANKru,
FOR.
Thanksgiving story by Harriet Pres
colt SpO6ord.
From swinton's Story Toller.I

From swinton's Story Tcner,1
A lonely little house on spur Of tbe
NIL, so tnat there was valley all about it
except where the mountain rose behind
1t, was the dwelling of Miss Mowbray
and Miss Betty Mowbray.
Some way beneath it Law the villoco
With its splre but Miss Mowbray and
Miss Betty were dependent on the VILLAGE
only on sundays, when they enjoyed the
one excitement and dissipation of their
nVcs, lhduing the raiment that had been
Their best for thirty years and over. and
sallying down the hill to meeting" in nil
the state they could command so eager.
~, indeed, that long before the bell tolled
they We're to be seen prancing up and
down 'he garden path, wheeling at the
hrst stroke of the church.bell and off and
away.
But Tidy Tillingust, their friend conn.
scilor, tyrant, and general maid-at.a arms,
was dependent on the village for a great
deal, for about all the variety and liyeli.
ness IN her life in fact, always coming
nome from her gossip there, wild with in
terest on Monday to tell story which she
was equally wild with interest TO contra.
dict On Tuesday. And, moreover. Job
Ransom lived in the village. nnd when
you mad said that, to Tidy Tillingusts
mind you had said everything.
To be sure, Job was only the DOCTORS
man. Keeping his garden in order and
waiting on Old Boreas, the horse but he
was ciad, TO the eyes of the young wo-
man who adored him, with an incubus
mat separated him from all other men,
and even made him superior to the doc.
tor VINO was poor creature OF many wants
winch he was unable to crafty himself,
pur r. must needs have Job to crafty them.
:, Ilidy Iillingust felt herself to stand in
tue same superior relation to Miss Now
pray and Miss Betty,-helpless old wo-
men who could not take care of them.
serves, and might have gone to dust and
ashes but for the tender morcies Of Tildv
Illlingust, who took all the care of them
that was to be taken. and allowed them
10 pay her dollar week, more to save
their feeling than to fill her purse.
1t used to be said, indeed, that the care
which Tidy Tillingust took was accord.
ing to her own ideas, and not according
10 dnnther but the villagers seemed to
thlnk everything was condoned when add
ing to this expression of opinion the Tow.
mula that Tidy meant it ali right Thav
knew that If she put forward The clock IN
winters afternoon, and gave the old
ladies their tea at half past four and saw
them safely in bed and was off to the vii.
lage Mt six, it was SO that she MIGHT ho
home all the earlier and ND betir9es fo.
the morrow's washing, or because oo;na
to meeting twice day had tired them oni
and they were so welded to routine tLat
they would not take their needed re,t an
hour before the set time if thew dronnod
unless the kind deceit were proct;soJ
and so. taking one thing and another Il
Iildy Tillingust's administration were ~
oil 1t should be, it was generally conceJ
Ell that the old ladies would not Iouo
thrlven so well under an administrat;on
that was all it should be. We ali Of us
need little tyranny and perbana Till
Iillingust's was sort of tonic That ~.
OLD ladies' found beneficial. Tidy Till;n.
gust herself thought that, far from beina
severe with her mistresses. she was ms
indulgent than was good for old laI;oa
For instance, Tidy often said sLo ala
not approve of so much church. go;na
she thought it conduced to melancboIy
always holding up ones latter end befoye
one bnt she took as much pleasure 40 ;f
she had been dressing dolls in doing what
she called Tagging them out" for cRnrch
Which expression, as regards their cIotb'
ing, was more grievously near truth than
She herself had ceased going to church
Tor n singular reason, or want of reason
She had been little wild some ten veora
or 80 before the especial season of which
speak, when she was scarcely more thar
Fl child-a wlldness that had no obsolnta
viciousness about it, but which at the
ume gave her 80 questionable repute
that when, during a revival, she experi-
ehced some OF the general emotion and
applied for admission TO the church il
was considered by the ruling elders that
her admission was likely to be of jess nd.
vantage to Tidy than Of disadvantage 70
Ine church, on which it might cast dis.
credit. It was something of a dilemma
ior poor Parson Keene but he solved #
easily by telling her that inst now tbe
cnurch was full, but that he would lei ber
khow as soon as there was a voc,nn,,
ana tnen supposing it was all temnor.
~ ebrlition on Tildy's part moi hn aippf
from her again in relation 10 Il hhe a
miSsed 1t from his mind. "''
Tidy Tillingust, however. had .ouo
away perfectly satisfied, and had to-
service IN the kitchen OF the innocent oId
misses Mowbray, who never beli,ved a v,
harm Of anybody because tbav a. any
Know what harm was and there s%.
waited as decorously as was possible ssi st 10