The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-09-20
..stylish as a fashion plate,n IA reo

shSSo OAiS
ladies supplemented their critical ub.
s%ervations after the manner Of &drten
"Her nose isn't pfetty;'' ..Her mouth
is too larger "her face was powdered
i saw it;;' "Her hat was horrid;'' 81
don't like to see so much agony in a
small place." But Sarah Jane Graves
said: ''She is lovely. 1 would give the
world to be as pretty,,as shels No wonder
Dave loved her." And she ehoked down
a lump in her throat as she said It.
All the neighborihg people called on
Dawes wife the next month, and, with
one or two exceptions, introduced, the
conversation by the question, NWel1,
how do you like sdfnerville?" To the
monetthy Of this query Dawes wife
varied her replies as much as was posi-
BILE without contradicting herself. 81
nm quite delighted with the fertility Of
my mind" she ~laughingly remarked to
Dave at the expiration of the first
month, "Fo at least fifteen people who
have asked mo that one.unvaried ques-
ton l have invented at least ten differ
emit phrases in which to axpruss nv
satisfaction with Somervills. 1 have
said; 'yery much, thank your 20,
OH hiShiy Pio"seut az pe1ter tndn i
anticipated eveh;' Il find it very pleas
anti 1T has made a very agreeable i'm.
preston upon me;' and oh, ever Sc
many more changes I have rung on
that one idea, Dave!" and the young
wife laughed merrily. But under the
laugh Dave seemed to hear a minor
strain. His face grew grave.
81 fear 1 did wrong to bring you here
among these people, he said. 'They
are SO unlike you-so commonplace. ]
fear you are homesick already, Madge.'
mo, no; indeed, you are wrong
Dave; indeed, l am happy here, and
like your friends" Madge protested,
with tender earnestness.
But as the months went by it was
plain to all eyes that Dawes wife was
not happy; that she did not assimilate
with her surroundings. She made hd
intimate friendships; she sat silent at
the sewing society, and would not take
which formed the main topic of con
versation at these meetings. She would
not take a class at unday-school, claim.
ing that she was not fitted to explain
the Gospel to any unfolding inquiring
mind, as she was not at all sure that
she understood it herself.
Dark insinuations were afoat that
Dawes wife was an ''unbeliever," or at
least a Unitarian, and her fashionable
style of dress marked her as worldly
minded, at all events. Deacon Brad
law and Deacon Somers held many an
interview on the shady side of the vii
lage store, and sDave's wife" always
came up for discussion, sooner or later,
during those interviews.
''She's settih' a bad example to all OF
Somerville," Deacon Bradlaw declared.
my gal Arminda's gettin' just as fussy
and proud as a young peacock about
her clothes; nothin' suits her now un-
less it looks stylish and citified. And l
see there's a deal more extravaganza in
dress among all the women-folks since
Dawes wife came with her high heels
and her bustles and her trimmin's.
You ought to labor with her, Brother
Somers.n
Brother Somers sighed. Il do labor
with her," he said, s'but the poor thing
don't know what to do. Her guardian
she wa an orphan, you know-give
her the little money she had left after
her schoolin', to buy her weddin' fixin's.
She'd no idee what plain folks she was
a-comin' among. So she got her outfit
accordin' to the way she'd been brought
up. Lord! she's got things enough to
last her ten years, and all trimmed to
kill, and all fittin' her like a ducks foot
in the mud; and what can she do but
wear 'em, now she's got 'em, she says;
and l can't tell her to throw 'em away
and buy new. 'Twouldn't be economy.
She's been with us nigh onto a year
now, and she's never asked Dave for a
cents worth of anything"
"But she's no worker; anybody can
see that. And you've he'd to keep a Cir
half the time since she's been with you,'
Deacon Bradlow added, somewhat net.
tied that his neighbor made any excuses
for Dawes wife, whose fair face and
fine clothes and quiet reserve had in.
spired him with an angry resentment
from the first.
"Ye-a-s, yeas, that's true" Deacon
Somers confessed. "She's no worker
Lord !! the way she tried to make cheese
and the cookin' she did! Mother he'd
to throw the cheese curd into the pigs
swill, and the bread and cake she made
followed it. More waste from that ex
pertinent of hers than we've he'd il
years; and she was flour from head t.
foot, and all of a perspiration, and sick
in bed from cryin' owe her failures into
the bargain. The poor thing did try
her very best. But it vas like the dap,
pied mare tryin' to haul The plough
she couldn't do it, want built for it. ;
When Deacon Somers reached HON;
his brow was cloud ed. His good wife
saw it, and questioned him as to the
cause. He shook his head.
"I'm troubled about church matters
mother" he said. 'The debt fur thar
new steeple and altar, and all the res
of the expense we've been to the las
two years, wears on me- night an day
And Deacon Bradlaw he's gettin' mao
at some of the trustees, and says he'll
never put another dollar into the church
till they come forward and head a paper
with fifty dollars a piece subscription
l know 'em all too well to think they'll
ever do that, and Deacon Bradlaw he's
a regular mule. So the first we know
our churchill be in a stew that will scnc
half its members over to the riya
church that's started up at Jonesville
with one O. them sensation preacher:
that draws a crowd like a circus" anc
Deacon Somers sighed.
''Isn't there something that can bt
done to raise the money!" asked Mother
Somers, anxiously. Cant we get w
entertainments ?"
"That's old, and faint strawberry
season." sighed the deacon. awe
couldn't charge more'n fifteen or TWEEN
ty cents at the door, and that wouldn't
bring in much fer one entertainment
and nobody would turn out to a second
There don't seem to be no ingenuity
among the young folks here bout get
tin up anything e%ntertainin'. Ou1
strawberry festival was just a dead
failure-barely paid expenses"
Dawes wife, sitting with her palt
face, which had grown very thin ant
wan of late, bent over a bit of sewing
suddenly looked up. Her ~listless ex
preston gave place to one of animated
interest. Father Somers," she began
timidly, ''do you suppose-do yot
thinkI could get up a readingp"
"a what?" and Deacon Somer.
turned a surprised and puzzled fact