News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-08-30

It was an old, unpainted, double sort
of a frame house. 1t stood at the foot
of the hill-the beautiful, grassy, green,
sloping hill, from whose side burst out
Township. A compact beech-tree,
double, too, like the house, stood just
above the rock from which gushed the
rill of pure water. Everybody called
the house the "Flint Mill" 1t was
nicknamed that in derision by the neigh
bors, because every one of Deacon
Flint's children lived there a spell after
they were first married. Folks said the
old father put them through the ''tough-
ening process" before he let them go out
into the world.
There was Abijah and Amiriah, and
Dorcas who married Sam Carmichal,
and Peleg and Austin, and Amaryllis and
Amelice Isabel, and lastly, at the time
we write this, there lives in the Flint
AIiIl. Sebastian and Malcolm. Bitssy -
10 Mercy Howard, and Male TO
Linda Price, and two good wo-4cn SO
different it would be hard to find.
If I want to sit down and talk about
books, Linda Flint is the woman want
to see but if am bothered about the
yeast not coming, or the butter showing
never a speck after an hours churning,
or the grease and lye not mixing and
turning into soap, or the spot on
the carpet, or the annoyance of
rats and mice, or the hen leaving
her eggs unmatched, go to good, wise
Mercy Flint and tell her how L am an
noyed. She will smooth her fat red
hands down over the well-ironed folds of
her gingham apron and say, "Well,
you're not the first one who's had that
bother -
Indeed, am glad that neighbors are
not all alike. 1t wouldn't be pleasant.
The variety of tastes is what makes
them useful and helpful.
For instance, L ran over to Mercy S
one day last week with, 'DoD't vou
think the hen on the Plymouth Rock
eggs goes off three or four times a day
and. .walIows in the ashes and sand aud
she behaves Just as if she didn't ike the
business of Matching! I'm afraid she's
giddy and won't settle down to mother
hood and its duties in a womanly way.
What do you think, Mercy ?"
She looked up at the clock with 8
''Well, the brown loaf will be done in
Just half an hour, and then I'll run ovel
and give her a good basting if she de
serves it"
When she came the hen was in the
ashes and sand, kicking out this leg ant
then that, Tipping her wings one at {
time with a hustling, waltzing wrigglt
that scratched the ashes all up among
her feathers, wallowing as with a sense
of intense enjoyment, and making the
dust settle grayly on her very comb.
"Acts as if she was troubled will
mites; let's go look at the nest, saiC
my neighbor. The nest and eggs wert
creeping with mites I had paid three
dollars for the setting, besides the ex
press charges, and my face yisibly
| lengthened.
easy managed" ," said the hearts "me
little. willing soul "well manage, an'
| You'll have one of the finest brOOds IL
Amble3ide-see f you don't now"
She lifted the eggs carefully into milk
warm water, carried the nest out int
the truck patch, emptied ont the con
tents, swept it well, and poured som
kerosene oil into the bottom of it an
put some around the outside and edges
sprinked a little tobacco In the box, an
then put in good, fine, soft straw, Will
I washed and wiped the eggs carefully
then put a little oil about the corner /
which the nest belonged, and replace
it. When the hen had performed he
very necessary dust ablutiOn, she re
turned, craued out her neck, gatherc
her duds about her as if dreading I'll
clook = she stepped in softly, shook he
self into proper setting shape, and settle
herself, satisfied. Four days after ever
chick came out, good as new, except on
One egg did not hatch-it was as igl
as a cork, and Mercy said; GALWAY
save that kind for nest-eggs. They Wi
last through all weathers, and answ,
or a measure Just as well as a good eg
one of the boughten kind"
When the rats found their way in
the cellar at the Flint Mill, Mercy too
some fresh tar and poured little at Il
points Of ingress and egress, and tn
put stop to their "carryin's on, as 81
expressed it.
learn SO many things from her. No
| did think that after chiIds stockin
were worn ont at the knees, there W