Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-12-19
Miss Pickerell's Bay window.

Miss Pickerell's Bay Window.
eff I can ever afford to do it I'm GO
ing to have nice big bay window just
in there where them two nasty little
windows are"
Miss Ciarinda Pickerell's friends had
heard her make this remark over and
over again. Often she added:
ST do think bay window is one OF
the incest things in the world. They're
so nice to set in. You can see so much
from 'em. And how nice they are for
plants. I've planned it all out time and
ag'ln jest how I'd fit my bay window up
if ever the Lord let me have one.
"I'd have my geraniums ard calais
and heliotrope and oXalis and begonias
and fuschias and my wand'ri Jew and
ivy all in that window. Then I'd have
my bird-cage hanging from the center.
and mebbe some day could get me a
gold fish in one of them glass pots TO set
ever ] could afford it I'd have lace cur
tains hangin' from a pole Gross the front
of the window. | think it would be per-
fectly lovely
No one but poor Miss Pickerell knew
how dear this vision of unattained hap
piness was to her heart. She loved to
talk about it, she dreamed about it; and
sometimes, in the solitude of her
chamber, away from the eyes of the
world. she cried softly because she felt
that this sweet ideal would never be-
come splendid reality.
She had habit OF talking to herself,
and giving herself some severe "goings
over" as she called them. On such oc-
casions she assumed a very severe as
pect and said sternly:
CHOW you dry right up, Rindy Pick
'rell. Don't you carry your ongrateful-
ness mite further. Here you are al
ready enjoying blessin's without num-
Der and trettin' cause you can't have
more. You've good lungs and a sound
liver and don't know what it is to lam
g'ish on a sick bed. You've enough to
eat and wear, and you've church and
prayer meeting privileges and here you
might O. been one of those dreadful
heathens and not ever known what it
was to be half decent. You're too on
grateful and REBEL yous to live, 'Rindy
Pick'rell."
And then her thin, cracked voice
would penitently sing
"And air we wretches yit alive
And do we still rebel
IT'S wondrous. It's amaZn' grace
That we are out OF hell"
Miss 'RIndy was very conscientious
woman and could not help thinking
that it was very sinful to set her heart
on anything that was of the earth earth
ly. She made no allowance for the linn
itations of her poor human nature, but
thought she ought to lead lie of inn
possible goodness, and made virtue of
denying herself many things quite in
nocent in themselves.
She was spinster of 40 years. Her
home was snug little home of four in
crediblv tidy rooms on little farm in
Western state. This home had been
lett her by her parents, and for ten
years she had lived alone in it. The
house stood within the limits of a small
village AMI Miss 'Rindy added to her
small income by doing dressmaking
and plain sewing for the villagers.
There were but ten acres in her little
farm, and five of these were pasture
land for her COW. On the other five she
had small orchard, a garden, and a
small field of corn for her cows feed IN
winter.
She lived very comfortably, as she
said, but there was little left for I'M
necessary expenditure when all her
Oils were pa1Q ana something lal0
aside for her ''ralny days" that Miss
'Rindy felt must come to her when she
was too old and feeble to sew any
longer.
THAT bay window would cost me
$685." MISS 'Rindy often said. 1--WE
had it fegered out more than once, and
I reckon I'll have to take it out in fig
gers"
Everybody knew and liked Miss
'Rindy, and sympathizing friends often
said:
Its pity the poor soul can't have
that bay window she bankers after SO.
It's the only thing on earth she seems
to want that she hasn't got. She'd take
more comfort settin' in that bay window
than Queen Victoria takes settin' on her
throne," a conclusion quite correct, I
have no doubt.
And others said:
tits an awful pity 'Rindy Pick'rell
never got married. Some man got
cheated out of most an amazin' good
wife by her stayin' an old maid.'
Not for all the world would poor
Clarinda Pickerell have had soul
known it, but away down in the secret
recesses of her tender heart there was
hidden away an urspoken regret that