Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-09-12

instead:
"Where is he to sleep2 The Bedfords
have the front bedroom, and your cous-
In Susie occupies the back, and the four
Miss PattersOns sleep in the two garrets. ~
She might have added that she aud
her husband and the baby had slept in a
hot little den opening from the Kitchen
for four weeks vainly expecting Mr.. and
Mrs. Bedford to depart, and that she had
never yet had chance to invite her
father to the farm in pleasant weather.
But she was magnanimous and held
her peace.
"Oh, you can find some place for
him p said her husband lightly. "There's
that little room at the end of the hall
where the spinning wheel is"
. But it isn't furnished p pleaded
Lucy"
"You can easily sew carpet together
out of one OF those old pieces from the
Bedford loom; and its no trouble to put
up muslin curtain to the window and
lift in a stump bedstead; and you can tack
together mattress and whitewash the
ceiling, and-what's that, Lucy2 The
cows in the turnip field Dear me !
everything goes wrong if step into the
house for moment. And really, Lucy,
these things are your business, not
minel' he added irritably.
Lucy could not help laughing, all by
herself as her husband ran up the
steps.
But it was very sad little laugh, and
soon changed into sigh.
81 WONDER" she said in whisper, "if
my poor tired-out ghost would haunt
these stone pavements and scrubbed pave
ments if were to die2 l never heard of
ghost in dairy before, but /
should think that it might very
easily be-"
But the little bedroom was fitted up,
fer all that, as fresh as a rose, and Uncle
Paul arrived, a dried-up, yellow com
plexioned old man, with an old-fash-
ioned cravat tied in many folds about
his neck, and broad brimmed low
crowned hat and fine gold-headed
cane.
He had polite way of half century
ago, and Lucy thought she should like
him very much, if she only had time to
get acquainted with him.
But she was churning ten pounds
of butter a day, and there was the
baby, and the company, and the
young chickens, and the baking to
do.
She was almost too busy to sleep. But
Uncle Paul was watching her quietly all
the time.
He came out to the barn, one day, where
his nephew was putting a new handle on
a sickle blade.
" Pretty busy times-eh, Uncle Paul2''
said the farmer, scarcely taking the leis-
ure to look up.
"Aye," abscntly answered the old
man. "Did l tell you, Nephew Mat
thew. about @, the reason left your cousin
" Not that remember, " said Matthew,
breathing on the table and polishing it
with his silk handkerchief.
Dorothy died-his wife"
ooh, yes" said Matthew. Glow
fever, wasn't it9"
"NoW bluntly answered Uncle Paul
cit was hard work. That woman,
Nephew Matthew, did the housework fol
eight persons. Joe didn't even let hel
have woman to help her with the wash
ing and the ironingw
"Must have been regular-goin
brute" said Matthew, Tightening the
handle little.
"All the sewing, too," added Uncle
Paul" the mending and making. Shc
never went anywhere except to church
Joe didn't believe in women gaddine
about"
"The old savagep' said Matthew.
"She was fond of reading, but sh,
never got any time for it," said Uncl,
Paul. "She rose before sundawn ant
never lay down until eleven o'clock. |
was hard work that killed that woman
and Joseph coolly declared that it wa
sheer laziness when she couldn't dra!
herself about any longer And when sh,
died he rolled up his eyes and called i
the visitation of Providence"
"Why didn't the neighbors lyncl
him2" cried Matthew, fairly aroused t.
Indignation at last.
Uncle Paul took off his glasses, wipe(
them vigorously, and looked his nephev
hard in the face.
"Why don't the neighbors lynch you1
said he.
Matthew dropped the sickle and stared
''Nephew Matthew" said Uncle Paul
impressivelv, ''thou art the man! Ar
you not doing the very same thing2"
'I3" gasped Matthew.
"Your wife is doing the work of
household of sixteen people," said Uncl
Paul. She is drudging as you could ge
J no stranger to drudge. She is risin
early, and lying down late; she is Offer
ing up her life on the shrine of you
farm and its requirements. l have see
} her grow thin and pale even during tn
few days have been here. | hav
seen her carry up Mrs. Belford'
| breakfast daily to her room, becaus
J Belford preferred to lie in bed an
cooking dainty dishes for Helen Pat
terson, because Helen wouldn't eat wha
the rest like. No galley-slave eve
worked as she does. And you, wit
, your farm hands--whose board only add
to her cares, and your array of labor
} saving machinery, stand coolly by an
| see her commit slow suicide. Yes
Nephew Matthew, / think it is case fo
lynchingw
r Matthew had grown pale.
, CT never thought of this" sal
/ Uncle Paul. Matthew BelIenden role
, down his shirt sleeves, put ON his Goa
r and went into the house.
, He told the Belfords and Patterson
that it was inconvenient to keep them an
longer. He gave Cousin Susan to III
derstand that her room was needsl H
made arrangements to board out tn
farm hands, and engaged stout dair
maid and q house servant to wait 0
e Lucy. And he telegraphed to he