Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-04-18

of and set the poor CRITTERS leg as
handy "a a surgeon. She whitfield up
some splints and bound the leg up, and
fed him out of her hand until he was well,
and when Thankful went home, the dog
would follow her, and do all we could, we
cou dn't coax or drive him back; 40 he
made a new home for himself in Wood
bury.
For all Thankful was 40 good, she had
the least self-esteem of any female | ever
saw. She was very BUNDLED minded, and
always regretted that she had never ex-
perienced religion; and she told me once,
at the next protracted meetin' they had
in Woodbury. she'd be converted, if she
staid all night I used to think she didn't
need converting for she was good
enough without, but mother ssid Thank
full was right, and my foolish unsancti-
f ed thoughts | had better keep to my
self.
Mother always had good crying spell
after Thankful went home; and 1 didn't
wonder, for it was awful lonesome with
ont her; and Mirandy was always disagree
able for good while after, and poor
mother didn't dare go to her husband
with com plaints, for Mirandy was his
in any fass the wimm IN got into, and
from great talker mother became
one of the quietest of wimmen, and a.
time went on she got Very deaf, and rs
the two father and darter) couldn't be
a-shouting at her all the time, | hope she
got some peace.
Woodbury. was very pretty place when
/ was P young maD II Was about seven
miles long by six miles wide; the village
was sorter struggling like, all up hill and
down dale, and there were nign into 70
fine farms, that quite filed up the pleas
ant valley, where Amt Mirandy and her
neighbors lived The valley was quite
level and very fertile, aud the farmers
were always sure of real good crops.
remem Der the sweet corn vent far ahead
of ourin for richness, and as for the rock
turuips and salerY, they couldn't be beat,
All around the valley were high hills that
gave the village sheltered appearance
as it were, and they kept the place real
cool in the summer and warded off a
good deal of cold in the winter. Not far
from Aunt Mirandy's farm were some al
most straight up and down rocks, hoary
with age, and they were all o7ered with
little waving ferns, fine maiden-ha and
other kinds, aud they looked so kinder
smart and cute, waving in the breese.
These rocks made sort of oyerhanging
shelter, 80 that people in early times used
TO 60 there for meditation aud prayer
for their solitude was as good as church
There was one tail rock that you could
see as you we're driving down into Wood
bury and 1t was called "Bethel," and /
nave no doubt IL looks today jest as it
did when | was young chap.
Aunt Mirandy lived in a stone house
ia what was called Judson's lane; the
house was suilt ia 1870 by some Of Aunt
Mirandy's forefathers, and it was ia an
excellent state of preservation whom
saw it last. II wasn't a very large house,
only a cottage with wing; and it was
built of poor-lookinK stone, too, for it
looked ~ though it was full of iron rust,
aud the rust had run down ia little
streams all over the front and sides, and
gave the house a rather dingy appear
ance. There were only two small cham
bers, one in each end, with low sloping
ceilings and windows with lattice frames;
but the windows looked down into plea
SAINT gardens, and over fair fields of wav-
ing grain, and near by was quite
a little grove of hemlook and spruce,
that made pleasant spot of green, when
the hills and fields were covered with snow
and one was shut upon the hou for
DAYS.
TIE mousse was very old-fashloued, with
a hall running through il with door at
each end; and in the top panel of eacA
door was diamond shaped pane of
thick greenish glass that let in a little
dim light; the living rooms we're on one
side, and amt Mirandy's bedroom in
the wing on the other. The keeping
room was always shut up, and it WAS full
OF Cd spnde-legged furniture the pride
and tosmeut of aunt Mirandy's life; for
il took her nearly all the time TO keep 1t in
that state of shine 80 as to be "upsides'
las aunt Mraudy expressed IT'D with the
minister wife, who had old furniture
too. Back of the keepIng'room was the
setting room, with two windows looking
out into the yard and cabbage beds. 1t
had humbly rag carpet on the floor, an
Old fashlongh ebony secretary, with big
brass rings for handles, stood between
the windows, and right opposite was
aunt Mi andy's claw footed workstand,
with two deep drawers with glass knobs;
and on it always stood her Bible, and
work basket, ana a copy of Baxter's
Saints Rest; and over the stand hung a
pioter IA queer looking thing it VAS tool
made by hand, and the work Of a Nanx
sailor, IN his off hours at home.
l. was an awful interesting picter look
ed 40 close; it was worked with worsted
ON canvas, and it represented a ship in
',Al trim, all sails SEQ and carrying the
United States dag, and you could fairly
see the flag bio in the breeze as the ship
sailed along. 1t had hull lot o. little
ensigns a dying on a rope, AMI the sailor
that worked il said "they were the inn,
tiRls of the craft, ard spelt the word
Essex The ship (Which was a big
oue) carried - guns, aud every little
pulley and rope was as natural as life /;
full steam was up you'd jest swear It
ses smoke coming out of the smoke
stack 4 he picter was framed and glazed
and over the back was pasted thick brown
paper 10 keep out the dust. The hull
hing sold for $40, aud aunt Miraudy
drew lt for so cents in raiii,e. fhe
sailor was poor and aunt Mirandy sorter
felt sorry for him, aud bought a ticket
70 help him along but she hankered after
the pieter oou-id'ab and the sailor told