Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1890-07-11
by MARIAN BGECT.

We had taken q cottage for the sum
mer in small village on the south Jcr-
sey coast. The place originally was mere
~ fishing hamlet, the inhabitants being
almost exclusively longsh0re men and
their families; but party of summer
tourists chanCcd one day to stumble
upon it, and finding the air salubrious
and the location inviting, they pitched
their tents there for the remainder Of the
season. The next year three or four cottages
sprung up as if by magic, and it was our
good fortune to secure one of them for
the summer
The rusticity and seclusion of the place
delighted Us. John, whose pen had to
earn our daily bread, was in a state of
perpetual self-congratulation. To us
both it was a genuine ''fnd," tLis snug
harDor, 50 quaint and primitive, with
nothing to break the stiffness but an OC-
CasiOnal toOt from a fishing steamer. But
our paradise had one drawback; there
was no church-serviccs, when there was
anyone to oticiatc, being held in the
schoolhouec: and in less than fortnight
after We took possession Of the cottage
our cook packed her trunk and departed,
declaring that the place was ''too hay
tcnish for any respectable person to live
in"
In this emergency Ann Dorner was re-
commended to us. Her father, long
shOreman-''hOncst as the day and pow
erful religious, " the neighbors told US
had brought up his family in a small
: b., IL 6 ~,
Ann had never been ten miles from home
She had clean looking sensible face,
with somewhat retrospective eyes. Her
hair, which was pale Drown, was brushed
smoothly back from her low, straight
forehead. and hung in loose mass down
her shoulders; while her gown-it was
literally a gown, sort of pre- Mother
Hubbard atfair-was a dark blue calico.
hanging unbeItcd from the yoke, and
neither shoe nor stocking graced her sub
stantiaI feet.
In every way size was so unlike the
type Of servant girl to which we had been
accustomed that | hcsitatcd to engage
her. But her honest, sensible face de-
Cidcd me. In time, no doubt, she could
be persuaded to adopt a more civilized
toilet.
But Aur, who had been brought up a
Methodist Of the MethOdists of the ''old
school, had the courage Of her cOnviC-
tOnS, and her ideas on dress were as
fixed as the laws of the Modes and Per
slams. Like the Goddess Of Liberty, she
had but one style of costume, and she
wore it on all occasions. Even on Sun
day she refused to put on shoes and stock
lngs. In vain we argued with her on
the improperly of going barefooted to
church. AIMS tirmness remained I'M
shaken. At first l thought it was down
right obstinacy, but that was before |
knew Ann. In time l found that her
rigid views concerning dress were rooted
In religious COnsCientiOusncss as sensi-
tive and as narrow as that of John
Ward.
Give got shoes aud stockin's, ma am, 5"
she said, in answer to my offer to advance
the money for the purchase of these arti-
Giles; ''but maybe some other folks havn't,
an don't think I've got a right to dress
any better than the poorest person in
the place can afford to, cause if l did,
ma am-dOn,t you see?-they might be
discouraged, and say they wouldn't 90 to
meetin' unless they could dress as good
as Ann DOrner."
But having learned on careful inquiry
that there was no one in the village so
poor as to be obliged to go barefooted,
we at last persuaded her to put on shoes.
After a time she consented too, to gather
her flowing name into braid, and en-
couragcd by these concessions, I ventured
to suggest change in her head-geav.
Ann took OF her calico sun bonnet and
surveyed it critically.
1T amt handsome, that's . fact" she
admitted; but if l amt too proud TO
wear It, nh an, don't think you ought
to mind It's clean and whole, an it's
as good As anything ole Mis- Carson eau
Afford TO W<lr.' --..