Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-02-01
THE TWO MRS. TUCKER.

"You can make the fire while put the
hoss out" said Amasa Tucker, as he opened
the back door of gray house, set on top Of
a trceless hill tracked here and there with
paths the goose had made in their daily jour
neys to the pond below, and only approached
at the back by a lane to the great red barn
and rickety board gate set between two
posts Of the rail fence.
This was Wealthy Ann fuckers home
coming. She Lad married Amasa that morn
ing at her fathers house in Stanton, little
village twenty miles away from Peets Mills
the town within whose wide limits lay the
Tucker farm and had come with him this
early spring afternoon in the old wagon be-
lind the bOny horse that did duty for Am-
asa's family carriage.
Mrs Tucker was tall, thin young woman,
with a sad, reticent face, very silent and ca
pable These last traits had been her chief
recommendation to her husband There was
no sentiment about the matter. Old Mrs
Tucker had died two weeks before this mar
riagc, but Amasa was "fOrehanded,' and,
knowing his mother could not live long, had
improved his opportunities aud been spark
in" Wealthy Ann Miner all winter, in judi
cious provision for the coming event Of his
solitude
He had thought the thing all over, and con-
cluded that a wife was cheaper than hired
girl and more permanent; 50, when he
found this alert, frm-j -jointed, handy girl iiv-
ing at her uncles, who was widower on Il
! great farm the other side of the village, Am
asa made her acquaintance as soon as posi-
| Bile and proceeded to further intimacy.
| Wealthy liked better to work for her uncle
than for a stepfather with six secondary chill
dren, but she thought it would be better still
| to have a house Of her own so she agreed to
! marry Arnagp Tupker and this WAS her hOIne.
coming.
She opened the door into dingy room
with au open fireplace at one end window
on the north and one on the south side,
small, paned with old, green and imperfect
| glass, aud letting in but just enough light to
work by. One corner, to the north, was par
ttionod of to make a pantry, and door by
the fireplace led out into the woodshed. The
| front Of the house contained two rooms. Oae
opened into the kitchen and was bedroom,
| furnished sparsely enough the other was a
parlor, with high backed rush Gottomcd
chairs against the wall, n round table in the
middle fireplace with brass audirons and
hreirons, a family Bible on the table aud a
mourning piece painted III ground Lalr on
| the mGnttL Green paper shades and WhliG
cotton curtains rag carpet fresh as 1t came
from the loom-if its dingiuess could ever be
called frcsh-aud straight backed sofa Gov
cred with green and yellow glazed chintz,
made as dreary an apartment rs could well
be imagined. Wealthy shut the door behind
her quickly, and went to the shed for materi
al to make her fire. 1t was almost suniOwn
and she was hungry but she found only the
scantiest supply Of wood and few dry chips
for kindling. However, she did her best,
and she had brought some provisions from
home, so that sue managed to lay out de-
cent supper on the rickety table 10y the time
Amasa came stamping i'll from the barn.
He looked disapprovipgly at the pie, thC
biscuit, the shaved beef and the Jelly set be
fore him.
Il hope ye amt waster, Wealthy" h,
growled. There's vittles enough for town
ship, and the amt but two Of US
"Well, our folks sent EN- over and you
no need to eat en-, she answered cheerIly
Il amt goin' to; don't ye break into tina
jell, set it by sometime or nuther somebody
may be a comm and you'll want of it,
Wealthy aaid no more they made suppeI
Of biscuit aud beef, for the pie also was or
dered "s,t by
She was used to economy, but not to stin
giuess, and she excused this extreme thrift il
her husband more easily for the reason tina
she had been always poor, and she knew
very well that he was not rich TO say th
least. But it was only the beginning
Hard as Wealthy had worked at her un
cle'z here She found harder burdens: sh
had to draw and fetch a! the water she useC
from an old-fashioned well with a heav.
sweep, picturesque to Sc but wearisome t
use wood was scarce, for though ehougl
grew on the hundred acres that Amasa own
ed, he grudged its use
II shan't cut down no more than is real
necdful," he said, when she urged him l.
fetch her a load woods alters a GROWN
! L. To- lraVsa
ber and lumber's better TO sell, a sight
than cordwood Ye must get along someho'
with brush mother used ter burn next t.
nothin."
She did not remind him that his mothe
was bent double with rheumatism, and die
of the fifth attack of pneumonia. Wealth
never wasted words.
Then there were eight cows to milk, tn
milk to strain, set, skim, churn or make in
to cheese, and nothing but the simplest uten
sls to do with. A cloth held over the edg
of the pail served for strainer; the pail
themselves were heavy wood, the pans oil
and some of them leaky, the holes stoppe
with bits of rag, often to be renewed th
milk room was in the shed, built against th
chimney that it might not freeze there in tn
winter, and only aired by one small slate
r window the churn was an old wooden on
, with dasher, and even the ''spaddle' wit
: which she worked her butter was white
! out of maple knot by Amasa himself, ap
was heavy and rough.
r Then to her belonged the feeding of th
= pigs-gaunt, lean animals with sharp snout
e ridgy backs, long legs and thin hanks, deeI
70 set eyes that CLEANED with intelligent malic
, and never stated hunger. Wealthy grew a
! most afraid Of them when they clambere
Z up on the rails of the pen in their fury fC
food, and tapped their pointed ears at he
! squealing aud fl i5htiug for the scant fare thu
+ she brought. For Amasa underfed and owe
o worked every thing that belonged to him.
\ Then there were hens to look after-tl
= old fashioned, barn-door 'creepers" th
Is wanted food too, and yet catered for then
+ selves in great measure and made free vii
= barn and woodshed for want of their ow
u quarters, and were deoimated every seasc
{, by hawks, owls, skunks, wessels and foxe
4, to say nothing of the little chickens on whiC
l. crows and cats worked their will if they da
cd to stray beyond the Tuinous old coop col
y triyed for them by Amasa's inventive geni
IS out of sticks and stones.
% Add to all this the cooking, washing, ba
% ing and sewing, the insufficient supply
. pork, potatoes and tough pies, the "biled di
ners," whose strength lay in the vegetabl
rs rather than in the small square of fat po
- cooked with them, of which Amasa invari
,
is ing and never ceasing labOrs all wore day
Is day on the vitality of Mrs, Tucker, and VIII
L. to these we're added an annual baby, life
lie came a terror and burden to the poor VOL
D. an.
o, But what did Amasa care? 4? He, too, wor
~ ed "from sun to sun"
" He farmed in the hard old fashion wi
~ rude implements and no knowledge but
. MY father done it afore me, 30 I'm go
n. to do it now, no use talkin'." One by o
rr the waiing, puny children were laid away
#. the little yard on top of a sandhill, where
es old fuckers and their half dozen infants
p; already rough inclosure, full of mullen
IS. burdocks aud thistles, oyerrun with i
blackberry vines and surrounded by a 7
fence. 1t had been much handler for
n fuckers to have graveyard close 10y than
les travel i've miles to the Mills with every
ss neral and they were not driven by pub
de opinion in regard to mOnumentsi they
ed lay there like the hearts that perish, with
"a, one slant gray stone to tell where the first
~ ! cupant left his tired bones. Two children