Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1889-07-12
PACKARD'S CARPET.
BY MARY C. HUNGERFORD.

border community, where religion was
SO. highly disapproved of by the leading
spirits, that to profess it was to become
in most instances a target for abuse He
was a giant in size and strength, and his
prowess and bravery had won admiration
for himself, and, as personal compli-
ment, some sighting liberation for the
doctrine he taught in his earnest, inlet
tered fashion.
His great age left his muscular Chris
tianity simply a matter of tradition, and
now he and his daughters were kept from
starving, chiefly by yearly pittance sent
them from humane society in the East.
Within large, cherries room, which
was the principal one in the barn-like
house they occupied, sat the pair of ell
derby women, inaptly called by their IA
ther, "thc girls" Idle moments were
rare with them, but some engrossing mat
ter had made one turn from the dande-
lion greens she was washing, and i'm
PEELED the other to drop the shoe to
which she was attaching a clumsy patch.
at seems a pint of duty for us to
write to brother Nathan's child" Lucin-
da, the elder sister was saying
''There aint been ink enough in the
house to drown fly, sense father took
the shaking palsy" was Minerals an
swer; ''an' eff there was, neither one of
us could write letter fit to 90 into
public postoffice."
II don't see" said the other sister,
fretfully, ''what answer we could give,
anyway"
''Well, settlin' on the answer don't
b'long to us; it's for father to say" said
Minerva, nodding her head sidewise to-
ward wooden rocking chair where
''Priest Packard' sat, with pillow at
his shoulders, a pathetic figure, with his
long, attenuated frame and poor, worn
out clothes, which, in immaculate clean
ness and profuse decoration of darns and
patches, testified to his daughters care
The soft June wind, coming in flower
scented from a window beside him, waved
the white locks lying on his thin temples.
One shaking hand lay helpless on the arm
chair; the other held loose grasp of re-
motely dated religious weekly. His blue
eyes, clear and bright, in spite of their
crape-like setting Of wrinkles, were alb
sently turned to the cloudless sky. His
ears, only open to loud sounds, were closed
to the wOmen's low talk, and he was say
ing softly to himself, again and again,
the line: ''Must be kerr1ed to the skies
on f1owery beds of ease?"
"No, no." he calculated at last, in
louder tones, turning toward the ''girls -
''Tain>t fittin' fur private like me to
banker fur better things than the great
Cap'n he'd when He was on airth."
"What is it now, father?"
ooh, the same old story When I'd
oughter be praisin' God fur His goodness,
my mind wanders off to that carpet"
''Lor, father, can't you quit yearnin
fura carpet?"
yes" contritely. GA body would
think tibet arter livin' twenty year on
stomped airth floors, an then gettin SC
fine as to hev regular built plankin' floor
fur twenty year, | might furget Their ever
Wuz a carpet"
'I'm sure I've forgot ever SEEM any
that b'longed to any O 1ly folks" said
Minerva
'You was too little ter take notice.
but we always had 'em fore we moved
out this way | often think of what vel
ma geV up to merry q poor circuit preach
er. I'm when the call come for missionerS
to carry on the work here, when 'twuz
WuSs even than It's now, cause our live:
Warnt scursely safe she les rose an
obeyed the call, Ell lef' her fathers com
Portable farm house in Yarmouth. where
we'd gone on livin' arter we wuz merried
en- where you en- your brother wuz born
Every floor in that house was carpeted
an the best parlOr where we was merried
had one on 1t tibet WuZ jes alive with
big, red roses as large round as a bar
head, an a ground greener'n grass. No
your ma never spent her time complain
in, but | guess she rely broke her heart
in dumb kline er way over her oldest
our only boy, that we left with his gran
ma"
can she never seen him again" sale
Lucinda, leading up to some news she
wished to impart
"No," shaking his head sadly; CIV,
never see our trst-born again, though h(
lived to be a man growed up and merried
fore he wuz sweep away to jine hi:
mother"
Brother Nathan left widder en- child
you know, pursued his daughter, getting
nearer the subject.
Eyes; we got the news in a letter
Poor Nathan, he"
''Well, pa, there's another letter come
an there's more news; the wilder
dead!"
The old man looked surprised; hardly
gr:ef-stricken; for he had never seen hi
sons wife. HAN oone he said eof+ly-