The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-11-04
" Them Wigginses."

Some folks say there's no sort of
call for old maids in the world, but 1
say there is. They are made to fill up
the chinks. If you've sech large
family connection, with lots of married
brothers and sisters, you've like enough
seen an old maid among 'em, and if
you've looked anyways sharp, you've
seen no end of chinks for her to fill.
If there's christening, or a wedding,
or party, or a funeral, or any other do
ings where there's plenty to do, you'll
find her there. If there's sudden sick
ness, or twins teething, or children
with the whooping-cough, she's sure
to be sent for.
"Time was when 1 didn't expect to
fill up chinks for the old folks-when
l thought I'd have place of my own
to fill and make bright for some one.
But when Abraham Littlefeld had that
long spell of sickness, and l saw, day
by day, the light fade out of his eyes
and the strength go from his arms that
thought would be a support to me
along the way, made up my mind that
the house we'd been planning together
would never be built with hands, and it
wasn't.
Not but what some of the other
boys after while tried to make me
think providence hadn't cut me out for
an old maid; useless, lonesome life,
some of 'em said to me. Well, 1 have
not found time to be useless; and as
for lonesomeness, except the lonesome
spot in my heart, there amt many
wives and mothers that has livelier
times than me, no more kisses of chill
dren and patting with their soft little
hands, nor more soothing of long hours
of pain, nor more looks of love out of
dying eyes. For you see there was
big family of us and plenty of chinks
to be filled.
Well, set out to tell you about the
time when went to John Enoch Plum
mer's. His wife, Phebe Maria Plum
mer, was Todd-second cousin to me
by the mothers side. Phebe Maria
wrote me the mournfulest letter you
ever sect made my heart fairly ache
to read it-telling how they'd lost their
two little children with the canker-rash,
and begging I'd 60 and stop with them
spell. OF course hadn't the heart to
say no, though Susannah (she's Ellis,
my oldest brothers., wife-her maiden
name was Snelbarker) said she didn't
know how they could ever spare me e,
for the oldest boy hadn't got about after
breaking his leg climbing a tree after
young birds-though I'd told him it
was sin and shame, and thered be a
judgment on him-and the apple-butter
was not made, and the fall sewing
hardly touched, and Eli keeping more
cows than common that year. But we
hurried things up, and at last L got
q dow n txyn hafpra Uh IN nj cc,it
taking lot of yarn to knit up for the
children, for 1 allowed there couldn't
be much knittin' to do where | was 90
ing, now that the little feet there had
been put to rest.
lorn enough, poor thing! l forgot to
tell you that when the little ones died
she took it so hard that she couldn't
stand it to stay on the old place any
longer, so she just sold out and moved
place you never see, though John Enoch
had bought as pretty farm as you'd find
anywheres. There wasn't much to do,
for he didn't board his hired hands; so
there was only them two and me, and
time, that house did. l sat and knit
anu hhlU tAll UhOuSHU L COulu Hay Y
flown out of my skin, and would have
given anything just to hear, 'Auntie,
please give me piece or Auntie,
some one, Wipe your feet, child or
or, 'Sh-h-h-h!-don't wake the baby.
l hadn't been, 1 suppose, for twenty
years to house where there wasn't
nlantU nf chi11rar and -,
the quiet l thought to myself, What
ever would have become of this world
anyhow, if the good Lord had seen fiji
to make us already growed!'
The first evening was there John
Enoch looked up quick from the paper
he was reading, and says he:
60 Get the lantern, Phebe Maria.
Hurryl'
She got it and follered him out. !
went out after her, and heard him hav-
ing racketing time out in the hen
rOOst
GO What on airth's the natter says
"sThey're SET says he, that come
along a spell ago, afore l bought this
farm, and squatted down there in the hol
ler-poor land that nobody thinks worth
cultivating They say old Hicks sold ou
Jooe oSS'"oo ohSJ PoopoiOu hlo Ilc OuI
and shouldn't wonder if it was so
There amt n thing them boys won
steal that they can lay hands on
and the old mans no better. Wher
we first come the neighbors told mt
never to let 'em set foot on the place
or I'd regret it, and wouldn't even lei
them have the apples that was rottine
on the ground, nor the milk that was
souring in the cellar. But it wasn't nc
sort of use to try to keep 'em out
They'd get into the orchard and picl
the best apples, and break down the
branches of the trees
"' Humphp says I. If you had giver
'em the windfalls, as any Christian
ought, don't believe they'd done it..
90 won't let 'em have chance i
can help it, for they're up to som'
devilment all the time. I'll give clear
ten dollars to anybody'll make them lie
me alone