The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-12-13
her lip to keep back the words she

four Misses Paterson sleep in the two
hall chambers, and the hired men have
the garnet room.'
She might have added that she and
her husband and the baby had slept in
hot little den opening from the kitch-
en- for four weeks, vainly expecting
Mr.. and Mrs. Bedford to depart, and
yet she never yet had chance to invite
her to the farm in pleasant weather.
But she was magnanimous and held
her peace.
ooh, you can find place for him,
said her husband, laughing. There
that little room at the end of the hall
where the old spinning wheel is.
But it isn't furnished! i pleaded Lucy.
But you can easily sew carpet to-
gether from those old pieces from the
Bedford's room, and it'sn trouble to
put up a muslin curtain to the window,
and lift in cot bed. There are plen-
ty ofgood sweet husks in the courthouse,
and you can just tack together mat
tress, and whitewash the ceiling, and
what's that, Beniah2 The cows in the
rye lot :! Dear me everything goes
wrong if | step into the house moment.
And really, Lutte, these things are your
business and not mine 4 he added, ir-
ritably.
Lucy could not help laughing to her.
self as her husband ran up the steps ;
but it was very sad little laugh, and
soon changed into sigh.
Il WONDER said she in whisper, IF
my poor, tired-out ghost would haunt
these stone pavements and scrub shelves
if 1 were to die I never heard of a
ghost in a dairy before, but think it
might easily be.
But the little bedroom was fitted up,
for all that, as fresh as a rose, and
Uncle Paul arrived, dried up, yellow
complexioned old man, with an old
fashioned cravat tied in many folds
around his neck, and suit of heavy
blue with brass buttons.
He had a polite way of half a Gen.
tury ago, and Lucy thought she should
like him very much if only she had time
to get acquainted with him.
But she was churning ten pounds of
butter day, and there was the baby
and the company, and the young chick
ems, and the baking for the sewing So
ciety, which was to meet at her home
that week.
She was almost too busy to sleep.
But Uncle Paul was watching her quiet
ly all the time. He came out one day
to the barn, where his nephew was put
ting a new handle on sickle blade.
pretty busy times-eh, Uncle Paul ?
asked the farmer, scarcely taking the
leisure to look up.
aye absently returned the old man.
did I tell you, Nephew Seth, about the
reason l left your cousin Eliab's?'
Not that 1 remember said Seth,
breathing on the blade and polishing it
with his handkerchief
dorothy died-his wife
ooh, yes said Seth. Malaria fever,
wasn't it p
'No!' bluntly answered Uncle Paul.
1T was hard work. The woman, Neph-
ew Seth, did the housework for eight
persons. Eliab didn't even let her have
a woman to help her with the washing
and ironing
Must have been regular going
brute, said Seth, tightening the handle
little.
'All the sewing, too, added Uncle
Paul-'the mending and making.
Never went anywhere except to church.
Eliab didn't believe in women gadding
about
The old savage said Seth.
'She was fond of reading, but she
never got any time for it, said Uucle
Paul. 'She rose before sun-up, and
never laid down until II O'Clock. 1t
was hard work that killed that woman,
and Eliab coolly declared that it was
sheer laziness when she couldn't drag
herself around any longer. And when
she died he rolled up his eyes and call
ed it a visitation of Providence.
'Why didn't the neighbors lynch
him? cried Seth, fairly aroused to in
dignation at last.
Uncle Paul took off his glasses, wiped
them vigorously, and looked his neph-
ew hard in the face.
'Why don't the neighbors lynch you ?
said he. Seth dropped the sickle and
stared.
Nephew Seth,' said Uncle Paul,
thou art the man. Are you not doing
the same thing2'
I?' gasped Seth.
your wife is doing the work of a
household of sixteen people, said Uncle
Paul. 'She is drudging as you could
hire no foreigner to drudge. She is
rising early, and lying down late, she
is offering up her life on the shrine o1
your farm and its requirements. l have
seen her grow thin and pale even dur
ing the few days have been here.
have carried water and split wood fol
her, because there is no one to do it.
I have seen her carry up Mrs. Belford'
breakfast daily to her room, because
Mrs. BeltOrQ preferred 10 lie III Deu,
and cooking dainty dishes for Helen
Paterson, because Helen couldn't eat
what the rest like. No galley slave ever
worked as she does. And you with
your hired men-whose board only
adds to her cares-and your labor saw
ing machinery, stand coolly by and see
her commit suicide. Yes Nephew Seth,
l think it is cause for lynching !
Seth had grown pale.
I'll never thought of this, said he
sWhy didn't some one tell me?'
where are your own eyesa' asked
Uncle Paul. \
Seth Bellenden rolled down hi:
sleeves, put on his coat and went into
the house.
He told the Bedfords and the Pater
sons that it was inconvenient to keeI
them any longer. He gave cousir
Susan to understand that her room wa'
needed. He made arrangements te
board the hired men at the farm house
and engaged stout dairyman and
bouce cervant tO wait on ucv And