Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-03-20
A FARMHOUSE TRAGEDY.

the world ~ When q woman says that Bhe
either means exactly what she utters or tn
phstically the reverse. Any other woman
understands her. The average man takes her
at her word.
Tilly Burney glanced apprehensively at
her mother Her father said:
Mother nj want that you young folks sh'd
hev good time. We old ones II stay at
hum n keep house. s too late in the day
for US to ketch larks."
Mrs Burney bad not seemed at ell like her.
self for several months. While performing
every task with mechanical diligence, SHE
had grown taciturn aud gloomy, and, when
not busy with regular household duties. had
a way OF Withdrawing herself from the fam
lily circle to her own room, and, il she re-
mained with the others, sat aloof in listless
quiet. She was quite well, she declared.
Sue wi5hed people wouldn't take notions
about her. Once she had told Tilly, her ia
vorite daughter, TO "mind her own busi.
ness !"
There was q great deal Of business TO be
minded. Like all farmers, Luke Burney was
a chronic grumbler, but this season he found
less fault with Providence and Applauded his
management more often than he had had 90
casion TO do within the memory Of his eldest
born. Dairy, poultry yard, garden and field
y
tive profit TO his bank store, and Of positive
labor to bis vifes hands. Up at In the
morning to look after the milk, baking and
the breakfast for the men folks, she filed
every minute with tasks stated and incidental,
until, hours after the rest had retired, she
sought the pillow that often brought anoth
or form of soicitude instead OF surcease Of
care. When there was so much to be done
it was but natural that she should lie awake
to plan the morrow's operations; as natural,
she deemed it, that such planning should
bring doubts and breads as to the success Of
her schemes.
Luke Burney was not, in one sense a oov-
etous mAn. He would not have cheated an
enemy of half q cent rendered to custom
ers fair measure aud weight; asked of the
Lord only that which be honestly earned.
His view OF desert was not perhaps invAria-
bly, coincident with the Lords. 1t is certain
that he wanted more than he had ever yet
received. The gnawing greed Of men in his
craft and station, expressing itself in the
slow accretion Of cent upon cent, the adding
OF dollar to dollar, and the dogged grip OF
mind aud fist upon the tardy board, is incon-
ceivsble by those who have not studied the
action Of Rvarice on narrowed minds.
Mrs. Burney did not care for money for
moneys sake. Her husband did; and her
She was an orphan and schoolmistress when
Luke Barney offered her the only real home
she had ever known. Her contribution to
the plenishing of the farmstead was q melo-
| deon and book case toleraby well stocked
with standard works. She "led the singing
in church until, babies at first, then the woeI
OF them who make haste, however slowly, "a
get rich, made her attendance upon public
worship irregular. By the time the children
were grown, her voice was cracked by the
steam of suds and the dry heat Of cooking
stove; her fingers we're too stiff for the me
lodeou keys, and her mind too stif for the
books she used TO enjoy.
IF Luke cared for such things II would be
different" she would say to herself "0r, II
1 had been intellectual. Being only intslli.
gent, / wasn't likely to keep up by myself
Mind has some Of the properties of mat
ter. Oompressibility is one the two hold Ii
! common.
| Matter" had worked hard, even for her
all this year. The cark OF must be .dones'
had bound her soul as to a body of death
over which her watch was like that Of Riz
pah, the daughter of Alab, from the begin
ming OF harvest until nov that the "slacl
season" In mid September gave most peopl'
q breathing spell.
The first full breath was drawn in com
|
Inheld and EKheld putting forth thei
strength to accomplish creditable affair
The Burney girls, Mary and Tilly; the Bur
ney boys, Sam, joe and James, were early
enlisted in the enterprise, Of which the mos
| novel feature was to be o brass band frou
town. After the suggestion that they ooulC
secure aud afford this became a certainty, eV
cry egg-beater and rolling pin in the town
ship moved TO the imagined strains Of ma
tional airs and popular quicksteps Mrs
Burney would have been ashamed 10 comics
how the thought of the band moved her
She had not heard one in quarter OF cent
uTy. There ia always enough to keep /
housekeeper mother at home too mucl
more than enough when wife, housekeeper
cook, laundress, seamstress, and mother /
the "smart" helpmeet of q thriving lant
tiler. Mrs. Burney was conscientious Il
abiding by the stuff. Her children we're uset
to seeing her do it, They had their ''ROo'
times" at home and abroad. The boys visit
ed on Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon
and evenings, and at like times there wer,
seldom less than two spruce buggies in from
OF Farmer Burney's gate, and twice tina
number of beaux, more or less uncomforta
BILE in their best suits, chatting with the girl
10 parlor or on piazzas.
The young folks were the hands on tn
face OF the watch their father was an i'm
portant cog-wheel, and believed that b
moved the entire machinery. The main
spring, fine of temper, exquisite In delioacy
ooiled close and unseen, back of all, was tn
mother. The appointments of the farm
stead were perfect, according to neighbOI
hood standards. Everything was of the beI
aud well kept, and there was no waste any
where
'Mother'll make pound o. butter go 4
fur as the next woman, don't care who sh
be-" Luke had been heard to ohuekle, out Q
her hearing IAN dollars likely to do th
work of a dollar'n half when she turns
over"
She grudged neither butter nor dollar
making ready for the gala day, the II III {
September. Three great hampers wer
packed over night with such baked and boil
ed meats such rolls, butter, cakes and pie
as no other hampers would disgorge. Tabl'
linen, silver, glass aud crookery went int
another All we're slowed away in q sprln
wagon, with bags of feed for the horses,
tea kettle and two or three water. pals, b
fore an early breakfast on the oloudless morl