The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1886-11-06
THAT MORTGAGE.
SUSAN TEALL PERRY.

1t was the time for spring cleaning.
Mrs. Brewster has gone into the best
room to look about and see what wanted
doing. AS she threw open the blinds
she heard robin in the maple tree. 1t
was good sign, her grandmother used
to say, to have a robin come and build
her nest before ones door. 1t had been
a long winter, one of the most severe that
the New England inhabitants had seen
for years, and the bright sunshine was
well appreciated. If it had not been for
that mortgage, how happy Mrs. Brewster
would have been that morning. But as
she looked out of the window upon the
reeurrecting earth, she exclaimed:
"Oh, dear, there is always something
TO hinder the full enjoyment of anything
in this world; at least some folks are
always weighed down with burdens they
can not lift Oft"
After making thorough survey of the
room, she passed into the large farm
kitchen.
81 brought you letter, Mis- Brewster.
I thought as how I was down to the
village, 1 might as well bring up yourn
and Mr.. Hulps folks mail. It's such
hurrying times now that farmers have all
they can do to home"
ooh, it's you, Mr., Hawkins!" Mrs.
Brewster exclaimed, as she looked up and
saw the gray haired farmer standing in
the door, with the spring sunshine fall
ing all about him. ga pleasant day, isn't
it? Thank you for bringing the letter"
Yes, Mis- Brewster, it's as warm as
summer. Our wimmen folks wanted I
should put some garden seed in to-day,
but 1 told 'em that 'one swallow doesn't
make a summer Springs deceitful
critter, coquetish sort of a gal. When
you think you've got her, she hain't
there"
Mr.. Hawkins passed out of the door
laughing heartily at his own wit. Mrs.
Brewster tore open the envelope. "It's
from Marietta" she said. She sat down
in the first chair she could find and read
the letter.
"There's plenty of good times in the
world, but, like Glory McQuirk, I'm
never in EN- Mariette and her folks are
going to the seashore for the summer.
That's the reason she hasn't written be-
fore. She's had dressmaker in the
house for a whole month, making dresses
for her and the girls. declare, Marietta
does have good time"
She was talking to her husband, who
sat by the kitchen stove mending har-
ness. He was one of those men who
never make repairs until just as they are
absolutely needed.
81 suppose, then, they are all well at
Mariette's," he remarked, by way of re-
joinder.
"You know Mariette never thinks she
enjoys very good health" his wife spoke
up in a quick, energetic tone of voice.
"Its fortunate for her that she doesn't
have to work as 1 do; if she did, she
would have been in her grave long ago.
Father wasn't over and above pleased
with the match, but you never can tell
how men are going to turn out. Some
of them are successes, but more of them
are failures"
After she had finished speaking, she
climbed up on a chair in the buttery and
began her house cleaning in the descend
ing scale, reaching up to clean off the
topmost shelf. The door was partly open,
and from her eyrie in the buttery her
husband heard her voice above the clat-
ter of dishes and pans.
81 declare, I'm perfectly discouraged.
It's terrible strain on a woman to be
the wheel horse and do more than her
share of the hauling and pulling. What
are we going to do about the mortgage if
1 don't take those city boarders again this
summer"
Her husband kept on mending the
broken strap, making no reply; but when
his wife got down to the middle shelf she
stepped from the chair, and standing be-
side her husband, said:
Luman Brewster, what are We going