Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-06-26
MISS SYLVY.
Her Attempt to Convert a Score
of Female Gossipers.

"A man convinced against hisl will is of
the same opinion STILL" And how much
more a woman! Still more a clique of
women. If Sylvy North had only UNI
derstood this, she might have been an
honored member of Dalton's church sew
ing circle to this day. Perhaps this did
not seem to her the height of honor, after
her experience. Miss Sylvy was a quiet,
honest, si,nple-minded old lady, owning q
tiny house and garden in Dalton, where
she was born, having a few hundred dol
lars in the bank, and supporting herself
from year to year by the various arts
.nown to women of her condition in New
England country towns. She took in plain
Swing, tackled comfortables, wove car
pets, dyed yarn, knit stockings, and made
it her proud boast that she had 'fended
Tor herself" ever since she was sixteen.
She was respected thoroughly in the viii
lage; elsewhere she had small acquaint-
ance, for she 'dwelt among her own peo-
PIE" She was. liberal. too, for she not
only through these fifty years supported
herself, out put q dollar into the contribu-
ion box every second Sunday in the
month, no matter for what object the col,
alike. If Squire Hill, the richest man
IL Dalton, had given his goods in the
same proportion Miss Sylvy
did, his praise would have been
in all the churches. Miss North was,
moreover, a ~kind-hearted creature, and
led with dainty and nourishing food at
her hands, unless they had funds and
friends which rendered her help needless,
all the children shared the fruit of her
two great apple-trees, and the reward of
merit in her Sunday-school class was an
invitation to take tea at her house.
And she was q good woman, good thor
with the ill-temper, the deceit and the IN
kindness of her fellow-creatures; some-
what set in her way, and intolerant Of
other peoples ways; but on the whole an
estimable specimen of an earnestly re-
llsious and candid woman. She had, how
few temptations had beset her; she had
no worldly wisdom, but there was small
need for that in her position; she bought
ier wood, her apples, her potatoes, OF
Squire Hall, who always gave her her
moneys worth and a little more; she had
one price for her sewing, and never had
been beaten down by any customer as yet;
and it seemed to her, when she stopped to
ponder on the metaphysics and mysteries
OF this life, as she sometimes did on Sum
days, that it was very queer that people
should not all be good and respectable.
She believed in hell, because she thought
such a belief was required of her in the
because it seemed to her nothing which
concerned her or her neighbors. But of
ta'e years., since Dalton had set up an axe
lact>ry on it's wide brawling brook, and
rows of tenement-houses dotted its hill
SIDES, the population had increased, the
church was better filled, and the sewing
society much augmented. If a rolling
stone pathars No rnSc q railing snow.
Dall gathers much mass, and Dalton did
likewise.
IN earlier days the sewing circle had
consisted of the minister's. Doctors and
store-keeper's wives, Miss Dorcas Vining,
our W Miss Sylvy, and some eight or ten
tarmers' wives from the outskirts of the
township; women whose innocent gossip
VI sugar and calico, the shortcomings Of
nshs and cows, or that invaluable theme
,ne various weather of their native cli-
mate; but when the employees Of the fac
MLy brought their quota Of women. not
snty 10 increase the society, but to become
leu u mere vivacious and q more acrid
~ IL OF note and comment, and quite set
IIst gu The simple amenities that had reigned
IIto,re' Even the church music was reha-
m.Iated. Miss Dorcas mourned bitterly
hnsIn!s; we used ter have nothin' Sab.
Ia bu5 them good old tunes we could
t II! la! to am sing, but nobody can't foller
sarse 1lss and quavers; 'tisn't fit for the
''mMetuary noways."
ve .Nss Sylvia could but agree with her,
Nv sue herself was wounded more deeply
s another change in affairs. Since the ag-
nssssors had taken hold of Dalton and all
in i, works. with full intent to remake it
s avo a modern and lively village, the
eng circle, Miss Sylvia's greatest re-
to sa'on and social joy,:had taken q new
alike were karried, criticised and Dis
hn 1oe Mrs. BIS new bonnet, Mrs. AS
r"urher'> bill, Mrs. DPS way of having
ohhnpany too often, what Mrs. c. said
h,S MIS-. F., INC what Mrs. f. said folks
sa1a about Mrs. c. when she lived in