The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1886-04-01
THOU ART THEMAN

camels back" said Lucy, bursting in
to tears.
The pleasant June sunbeams came
peeping into the cool, stone-paved dai-
ry, where pans of milk and cream
were ranged in orderly array; great
stsne pots stood under the shelves, and
a blue-painted churn was already on
the table for service.
Mr.. Bellenden was justly proud of
his dairy.
Not chance guest came to the
house but was invited down to see it:
not housekeeper in the neighborhood
but secrstely envied its many conven-
fences and exquisite neatnesss
"And it isn't the dairy alone," tri-
umphantly remarked Seth Bellenden.
"You can go through the house from
garret to cellar, and you'll never find
a speck Of dust. There never was a
housekeeper like my wife,"
Mrs. Bellenden was young, too
scarcely three and twenty. She had
been the daughter of a retired army
officer, delicately reared and quite ig-
norant Of all the machinery of domes-
tic life until she married Seth Bellen-
den.
OTIS very strange" Lucy had writ
ten to her father. "The farm is beau
tiful. You never saw such monstrous
old buttonball trees nor such superb
roses, and the meadows are full of red
clover, and the strawberries shine like
jewels On the many hillsides. But no
body sketches or reads. / know there
is and copy of Tennyson in the whole
neighborhood, and no one ever heard
of Dore or Millais. All they think Of
is how many dozen eggs the hens lay
and how much cheese they can make
in year. And the woman who has
a receipt for making waffles or a new
pattern for a horrible thing they call
crazy quilts is the leader in society"
But presently young Mrs. Bellenden
herself caught the fever and became a
model housewife.
Example is all powerful, and Lucy
began to believe that the whole end
and aim Of life was domestic thrift,
money-saving and the treadmill of
work.
"My DEAR" said Seth, "if you
thought you could get along without
Hepsy, the maid, l might be able to
afford that new reaper before the oat
crop comes in"
"I'll try" said Lucy.
After that she rose before daybreak
and worked later into the night than
ever.
what is the matter with your
hands, Lucy?" Seth asked one day.
"They are not so white and beautiful
as they used to be-"
Lucy colored as she glanced down
at the members in question.
II suppose it is from making fires. .
said she.
And then she took to wearing old
kid gloves at her sweeping and dust.
ing and digging out Of the ashes
"My coat is getting shabby" Seth
one day remarked.
"Why don't youbuy annother oneY
asked his wife.
Seth laughed short laugh.
what do you think Mrs Hig
ginbotham has done?" said he. "She
has ripped up her husbands old suit
and cut pattern by it and made g
new one, and entirely saved him ter
dollars"
Il could do that" said Lucy, with
sparkling eyes. an try it."
"You could do anything my dear, ;
said Mr.. Bellenden, admiringly.
And Lucy felt that she had her ricf
reward. Company began to come al
soon as the bright weather set in
ALI the-affectionate relations Of Mr.
Bellenden soon discovered that the
farmhouse was cool and shady, tina
Lucy's cooking was excellent, ant
that the bedrooms were nsatness it
self.
Some of them were even goo,
enough to invite their relation
as well, and so the house was full
from April to December.
All the clergymen made it thei
home at Brother Bellenden's whel
they came to Sylvan Bridge 70
ecclesiastical conventions; all tn
agents for unheard-of articles discoy
cred that they knew somebody VIII
was acquainted with the Bellenden'
and brought their carpet-bags an,
valises with that faith in human hos