The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-03-24

/ l WAS Out sWcSplDQ ana rcnlllng my duck
pond. Some one was leading a up the
| road tnat goes by our house. l kept on my
Work dreaming of the time when Jack and
| would own cow. and have cream with our
| strawberries, which are ripe now and we have
| more than we can eat. ! felt that Birdie must
have milk before she can become robust
had scarcely got into the house when heard
JACK canlng-'Muggins! ! went out, and
there stood Jack with a little clock under his
arm, and holding little short-horned cow by
a chain which rested on his arm in folds. His
face was radiant. II fairly took my breath
| der was large and of lovely cream-color
She gave milk, them Birdie toddled out
cnging to me- She had never been so near q
COW before. Who shall say we are not rich?
exclaimed Jack-'rich beyond the dreams OF
avarice. We OlCnd contour years old, three
fourths Attorney, and gentler than kitten
| | screamed with delight, and then Jack told
me he had bought the COW of Mrs Wayland
who was selling out, prepatory to moving back
| TO the city. She wanted a good home for this
pet COW, ana happened to need watch, SC
| there was swap made-the COW and twenty
1 dollars for the watch. Jack went and brought
q two-dollar Connecticut clock at once for we
have none How fortunate are we to secure
this lovely cowl We call her Brownie
| June 1S.-Jack got me a dozen milk pans
| Everything in the house was fun of milk
| such heavenly cream and Strawberries! We
| strawberries.
Aunt Judy, who sometimes does work for
me, came by yesterday morning and evening
anu niliheu Tor me. MY handS were very stiff
they are getting used to milking now. Jack
curries Brownie carefully every morning If
| ! could only milk like black Aunt JudyI How
willingly would exchange what know of the
piano for such useful accomplishment!
June 22.-To-day | churned the second
time, and sold again two pounds of butter for
eighty cents. My churn is tall. little yellow,
earthen crock. Jack made me a cover for it,
and little dasher The butter comes in five
minutes. The man who owns the say-mill
says my butter is the best he has ever tasted
bgnd wants all can spare. / can, with a little
economy. spare al least dollars worth every
week, and so In this way we can get some lum-
berfor Brownies house, least can help pay
for it. we have now a temporary shed for her,
about six feet square. 1t is quite touching to
see the aristocratic blOoded creature stand
under it chewing her cud.
July 2.-We had new potatoes, green pease
and lettuce for dinner-all from our own place,
also strawberries and cream. We buy very
little meat, for it is expensive; and since we
have milk and butter we don't seem to need it.
Sometimes we have can of corned beef. |
cut ii in delicate slices and make it last week
Jack says my one idea of economy is starving
him answer by showing him his bonny face
and form in the glass He weighs fifteen pounds
more than when we left the city. G. q. has
cleared more ground and set out shade trees
and evergreens This is the beginning of our
lawn. Our florist and nurseryman came to
Jack for help in making his catalogue. He
wanted to say good deal to his customers,
but had no literary culture. He was glad to
pay in shrubs and flowers 1t does seem as if
everything is turning to gold in our hands-not
that we nave any gold or money in any form,
but feel all the time that | am rich, and GER
tainly we are wonderfully happy.
July 5-Another source of wealth. l had
so much bonny-clabber, or curdled milk, that
| did not know what to do with it, Experiment
developed nice cOttage-cheese, which Jack
says is little like the famous Neufchatel. He
believed they would sell, and carried down q
dozen to our grocer. Now cannot supply the
demand for Mount Hope Cheese Every day
send from ten to twenty and get three cents
each. Of course they are very small. We are
feasting now upon blue-berries they grow all
over our woods. o, how delicious they are
with corn cakes and cream!
August S.-Brownies house is finished 1t
is Il little barn with two stalls, quite loft for
hay, three bins for grains, two little windows
compartment to keep a supply of leaves or
other bedding for Brownie, and quite little
room for workshop.
august 2Q.-I am writing my journal in an
old ledger which has very little writing in It'll
mean besides my own. always had a pleasure
in keeping record of what do This is for
Birdie when she grows up. ] want her always
to remember her home with papa and mamma
with pleasure and trust she will With all
my work and multform cares, L try to keep
the cottage very tidy. ] never set my table
without putting on il bouquet of flowers, if
there is anywhere flower to be found. The
blessed flowers! How many people have ]
known who adore flowers are always ex-
claiming about their loneliness, yet will not
give hYe minutes day to their care an cult
uIts 1nSSG pGISOuSO only lulUS I0ey lOVG HOW
| trs. When flowers do really give them great
| satisfaction. their lives will require them and
they Will make sacrifices to obtain them. After
tea Jack always reads to me while Isew-mend
usually, for we have few new things. am
become expert at mending, and this evening
hour is one of the most delightful of the day
| October 20-Jack S old college chum, James
Norton, Just home from Europe, has made us
| visit of three days, and we much enjoyed it.
Luckily, knew he was coming, and prepared
as best | could. How fortunate that we had an
hnHETnn6f SDmn Md or fnH ryith
| pine needles made a very fair bed for our
| room, While our one good mattress did service
| in the gueSt-rOOm. One chamber set of stone
| CHINA the cottage affords, and this also had to
| 90 to keep company with our best bed When
showed the guest his room | hypocritically
| apologized for not having had time to make
| him as comfortable as 1 wished. He noted
| the pictures in rustic frames, the white muslin
| curtains parted in the center where hung a
| cocoa nut shell hanging basket, in which grew
| beautiful trailing plant, the lovely flowers
| upon his table, and seemed charmed with his
| quarters. The next dav after he came made
my first chicken pie. Two chickens had to be
sacrificed the day before for this luxury. G. G.
| offered to kill the chickens No said Jack;
| ii is so disagreeable that must do il myself.
Now that shows just what Jack is-noblc in
every thought.
This. friend of Jacks is a broker. and
very rich. He asked me If ] would not
| like hot-air furnace in the cellar, and
| q little howerroom with double sashes
for winter flowers. My eyes opened wide.
|
thing like these were to he my Christmas pres
emit"
Here ended my copying from Helen
Burkbank's journal. My idea was to
give it to the world as an example of
happiness independent of outward cir
cumstances. / knew my cousin would
give me ready permission, so that |
substituted othernames for hers and her
husbands. There was not much more
recorded. On the winter following the
late date there was dreadful snow
storm and fearful cold. The struggle
was rather hard that winter, but the
next saw marvellous change. Jack S
friend, the broker, lent him money, with
which he made additions to his build
ings, improved his ground, and gener-
ally added luxuries to that simple and
blissiul home; moreover, he invested in
stock through the advice of Norton.
| From that hour there was shadow upon
| Mount Hope. Finally Jack decided to
move to New York and go into business
with Norton. Helen protested but Jack
was quite heavily in debt, and he saw a
way to retrieve himself. He became
rich, spent money lavishly, travelled
abroad, built Torricelli, gratitied every
whim of his, or Helen's or BRIDES, but
Happiness had forever fled.
On the day ] made my last extract
from Helen's journal / received letter
| In,. ID