Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-05-01
rom RYDER'S CHILD.
And Mr. Mnrsh,s Rebellion.

-.
An" WIZ
Mr.. Marsh. when he was sitting in the
village store with the heels of his we'll
tallowel boots carefully poised on the edge
of the corrugated cylinder stove. was a far
larger man than when he was at home
Perhaps it was for that reason that he spent
so much time i'm the store. 4 man likes
to feel large, and to hawk and pNpcctOrate
i'm an independent manner.
When under the protection of his own
roof this gentleman was very much i'm the
shadow of his wife He never hawkpd and
he never eXpcctOrated there. He shrank
up into the smallest possible COMPASS and
seemed TO deprecate the fact that he was
alive at all. If he could have come i'm and
gone out at the key-hoe he would have felt
an unutterable relief. As it was. he was
in constant fear lest he should forget to
wipe his feet, or lest he should leave door
Unattached He often told himself "he'd
ruther be darned any day than TO forrit to
wipe his feet twice, first on the husk mat
in the snk-room, and next on the braided
mat at the kitchen door. When Mr.. Marsh
said "he'd ruther be darned.' he meant
that he preferred being consigned to Hades.
He often thought il would be kind of a
relief to be in that place land done with
it," But he always was very meek indeed
when he had INDUCED in such thoughts.
Mrs. Marsh was large. dark. mustached
woman. who was believed by some To he q
good nurse. She certainly had the merit
of subduing her charges into absolute nuies-
cence. She boosted that folks that "sbe
took care on knew their places mighty
quick: n their places was to lest law still
m let the Lord do as he pleased -
She was fond of mentioning the | ord at
the most unexpected and irritating times
She had referred to him on so many occa-
sions in regard to her husbands brinuino
in ''medder mud" and other kinds of soil
on the soles of his boots that Mr. Marsh
was continually harasscd by fear lest he
might become preiudiced and acnuira =
habit of thinking disresnectfuIl, nf tho
Lord If he did acouirp such a habit ba
hoped feryently and i'm nIain forms that II
might be laid to D'rindy's charge rather
than to his. Dorinda was his wife's noma.
and it was the name given to each of five
consecutive daughters who had been horn
to Mr.. and Mrs. Marsh who had all diad
when children
There were residents i'm the vill,o. wbo
ALWAYS took friends who came from a dis
lance to the graveyard to see the ROY of
D'rindies," as this series of mounds was
usually termed.
These continual bereayements were var,,
hard to bear during their occurrence bIt
after some years had passed and the wounds
were Scared. Mrs. Marsh was conscious of
a certain distinction coming from the fact
that she was, in certain sense owner of
that row in the cemetery. She had a nrids
in keeping the small graves and their head-
stones in the very best condition. or rather
she made Mr.. Marsh keen them so
When have seen that woman striding
toward the hill slope where the grave,,ar ri
was. | have wondered if she did not feel a
satisfaction that there were five moundo II, ,
stead of four: five made a much more i'm
pressiye row. If one of those bahies had
gown it would doubtless have brougbt i'm a
great deal of mud In the sprino snow in
the winter. and road dust In tbe summer
1t would have Uttered things up iest aw-
full" to use fayorite expression of Mr..
Marsh's. Was il possible that tLere were
compensations9 ii is a distinction TOO n
have had a 'dretful sight of sickness in
your family;n to have notes put ms for
the sufferer and the sufferers friends Ia
YOU know what it means TO have a note mt
up? 1t is to arrange that the minister sbaII
find apparently i'm the hymn-book a scran
of paper asking the PRAYERS of the congra-
CATION for family i'm atiIiction. The name
of the person is often given and then thare
is rustling, and turning and a Iooking
at the nearest relative who bapnens 10 he
present. When things by land and bv sea
have been prayed for. when peonle scat
tered up and down this sinful earth, have