Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-04-11
THE STORY OF The GREYS.
And the Baptlsing of the Israelites.
Sarah DaWolf Gauweu


my thread and was ready TO begin tht
overstitching of the Sheets Aunt if yoI
will sew these long seams, am going tc
help you. will turn down and basic the
hem6."
Now, | never haste my hens in sheets
there's no need of it; but was anxiou:
Mary should begin something, so GU
off a sheet and handed il down to her
Folks may say what they please about
those elegant lives OF leisure; believe
the happiest men and women, the wide
seas DER, are those that work.
"now," said she, with real pleased
smile as she took her tape measure, eve
are ready, but you must begin at the be-
ginning"
"Well, Mary" said I, 1.-The very begin
ming, as far as Bay Lodge is concerned
was little old brown house, with only
three rooms on the first floor, and nc
garnet to speak of; and there Judge
Grey and his wife came the very weeh
they were married. Small as the house
was, it was large enough to contain al
of their worldly goods; for they were
poor as churoh MICE"
"But they were deep in love with each
other, weren't theyY" sal Mary, hel
eyes shining. "That wac true love in G
cottage, away In wood"
mo, Mary" said 1, there wasn't any
Iottage about it, The little old brown
lean-to wasn't as good as Squire
Thomas's carriage house, and there WASN'T
a tree near it; it was stuck right down
within foot of the sandy road"
But they had shutters to keep out the
sun, hadn't they.
mo, there wasn't blind on the house
but it didn't make any difference 10 6
woman like Mrs. Grey. She vas one OF
those wso would make home out of 6
sand bank"
"Oh," said Mary, drawing breath
And the judg0f" Her slipper began to
pat the leopard skin, and | thought she
was getting interested.
He wasn't Judge then-only poor
sprig of a lawyer, just graduated and
Just married, with not decent house to
cover his head, with no book case aud but
precious few books TO put in it, if he had
one. But poor as he was, it didn't take
Us Bay Lodgers long to discover that this
sprig of a lawyer had the stuff in him that
made one think of still yeast-it is bound
to rise. No matter where such a man
begins, he will work his way up. Mrs
Grey was one of the kind whose misfor-
tune it is to be married TO the steam
enginey sort of man he was. She was
one of those women who always make
idols of their husbands and affairs of their
homes"
"Why, aunt" said Mary, don't you
think every woman ought to make an idol
of her husbandP"
mo, Mary" said I, ~ don't. l don't
believe the man lives who Is worth max
ing an idol of. Now, if Mrs. Grey had
only been bic strong-minded on her
own account, spanked up and found some
sphere of her own, written book or
headed female prayer meeting, or start
ed some kind of crusade for the heather,
or had more of her own way in her own
house-it would have been better for her;
but sakes alive! the women who keep up
with lnen like Judge Grey ought to be
born with dozen pairs of hands, backed
by 40 pound power of heat and brain"
But, aunt" said Mary, perhaps all
women do not wish to keep up as You
call it; perhaps they are happie in their
own characters as quiet keepers at home"
mo doubt they are," said |, land hap
by is the man, be he boot black or presi-
dent, who knows how TO appreciate such
women at their true value. No doubt the
Judge loved his wife as much as it was
possible for him TO love anybody but
himself; and if he had only told ner so
once in a while, or spent any time with
her when he was at home, it would have
chirped her up wonderfully. But he was,
to use humbly figure, all the while
strengthening his stakes not SO much in
his own house as outside in the town and
among the people. He hadn't been in
Bay Lodge much more tnan year before
he was selectman and ovsrseer of the
poor and school committee, and though
he never Joined the church, he was elect.
ed first trustee. He had wonderful gift
at making orations. There wasn't ceie-
bration or muster of any kind for miles
around that he wasn't first and foremost
on the platform: and l must say | never
saw man 81 move an audience.
'sThe Widow Pettibone sat next TO me,
one blazing Fourth of July, and she kept
hitching around on her board-for our
seat wasn't anything but plank, without
a back-and mopping Ler eyes sill the
time. And finally | got so nervous l
couldn't stand it any longer, and | said,
Sister Pettibone, don't blame you for
is harder than Pharaoh's heart, but why
do you sit here, and cry all the timer If /
was III your place, I'd go oat, if couldn't
stand it,
.Oh,' said she, Sister Smithere, it isn't
the plank, its the touesr
"'The vhstr said l.
"'The toues,' said she, they are so
heavenly, they thrill me through, they
"a
word Mr.. Grey's saying, but | could sit
here till the Day of judgment and listen
to such burning eioquence,-couldn't you,
Sister SmithersY'
"'No, Sister Pettibone,' said I, Tn free
to confess that could not. The men
that stand on q PEDESTAL fifty foot high
in their own homes are MT the men
whose burning eloquence l banker after
in public
Il lived on the hill very near the Iittls
house, and ] used to be over with Mrs
Grey great deal, because I knew she
was lonesome. She had been brought uE
with large family of brothers and sis
ters, and it wss like taking one little vio-
let or innocent, from its cluster in the
bank, and trans planting it into the mids
of the solitary Sahara, to take her from
tnat pussy nlNe OF nap p1ness anu leave nc
alone in the lean-to. in the dusty street
The Judge didn't believe much in womer
folks going around neighboring. He sais
if there was one thing more than anothe
that be disliked in women it was gaddlrg
''Her place is to stay at home and mlnt
her house according TO st. Paul. LIE
women be keepers at home"
"St. Paul said some other things wortl
dyrcr OF n q
all, or I'm no Judge, said to myself, bu
didn't speak aloud, for the judge was q
fiery IS flash. But Mrs. Grey neve