The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1884-02-06
MEADOW FARM.

Mary Miller came home from the fac
tory, upon that April evening, with a
light, quick step.
The sky was all q jonquil glow the
frogs were croaking in the swamp the
naples were crimsoned with their earliest
banners Of blossom; and, as she tripped
along, Mary found a tuft Of vioets, half
hidden under drift Of dead lcaves--pale
purple, scontless blooms.
"The first violets always bring good
luck with them," she whispered TO her
self, as she pinned them into the bosom
other blue flannel gown.
Home" was scarcely the ideal realiza-
tion Of that poetic word to our factory
girl. She and her mother lived in the
upper half Of shabby, unpainted wooden
house, with the blacksmith's scolding
wife and seven riotous children down
stairs, and one-half Of trampled- down
back yard by way of garden, where moth
ing ever grew but burdocks, nettles and
Mrs. Muggs' long-legged fowls.
But Mrs. Miller, who had been a
school-teachcr once, and still retained
somewhat of the refinement of her early
education, had the tea ready, with a
shaded lamp and bunch of maple bios
SONS on the table, ready for Mary to
come home.
''Good news, motherl'' the girl cried,
lightly. "The Meadow farm is to let
Mother, we must take it,"
Mrs. Miller looked obviously at the
bright, eager face, with its blue-gray
eyes and fringes of yellow hair.
''Can we afford it, daughterln she said,
slowly. "a whole house and farm OF
forty-three acres2"
ut isn't such very large house, moth
orp pleaded Mary, as she laid the bunch
of violets in her mothers lap-''not so
many more rooms than we have here.
And we could keep two cows, and
could sell milk ana butter, and spring
chickens and eggs; and am almost sure
that Will Davidge would work the farm
on shares. And only think, mother, how
delightful it would be to have home all
TO ourselves, where we couldn't hear Mrs.
Muggs boxing Bobby's ears, or Helen
shrieking with the toothachet And a
little garden, mother, where we could
have peonies and hollyhocks, and all
those lovely, old-fashioned flowers that
your seul delights in"
''Mrs Miller's. pale face softened.
''lt would be great temptation, Mol
ly," she said.
s'It is a month now since old Mrs. Dab
ney died, said Mary. "And they say
that her daughter in the city and her son
out in California despise the old farm,
with its one-story house and its old red
barn. So it is TO let. And so cheap,
tool Only hundred and fifty dollars q
yeRrl Mother, we must take it I'll leave
the factory and turn dairy-maid. I've
saved enough, you know, to buy the two
cows and some real Plymouth Rock fowls
to begin with, and, oh, it will be such {
happinessl Say yes mother-do say
yesP'
When Mary Miller pleaded like this
the gentle widow never knew how to re
fuse; and the upshot of it was that they
leased the old Dabney house, and became
co-sovereigns of the realm OF Meadow
farm.
II was their first night there. Oyer
head the young May moon shone through
veil of purple mist. A solitary ow
hooted in the chestnut-wood back Of th'
house., for Meadow farm was situated OF
q lonely mountain-side where no on
ever came except on special business.
The Plymouth Rock chickens wer,
safely shut up where foxes could no
reach them nor minks steal in to bleed
their young lives away; the cows-tw'
fine young Alderneys were chew
ing their eud back of the ol'
red barn, and Mary Miller hat
flung a handful Of cedar-sticks on tn
hearth, where their scented blaze lllumi
mated the old Kitchen with leapini
brightness beautifdl to see.
HBecause it's just possible that tn
house may be damp" she said, ''afte
being uninhabited so long. There
mother. isn't that cheerful And ism
it nice that our old rag-carpet shoul'
chance to fit this floor so exactly z" wit
a satisfied downward glance. And d
you see those tiger-lilies ] found theI
down by the garden-wall-oh, such a re
wilderness of them Old Mrs. Dabne
set them out herself, they say. 1t seen
only yesterday she added, thoughtful!
''that came past here and saw old Mr.
Dabney sitting in the big chair by Il
fire, just whefe>-p
Mrs. Miller uttered little shriek an
grasped her daughters arm at this m'