New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-06

|
A boy like you"
I'll go and see Squire Barlow rght-off. mother.
ard see what he says 49,. ,
merely TO give il more porcupnlsh aspect anu
10 put OH coarse linen jacket, for he wa III
summer costume OF shirt and trousers, WIN odIe
| feet. hr started off over the fields 70 squire
Barows.
| Squire Barlow was not sangune as 70 Nathans
ability to pay of the MORTGAGE bus ne mas
willing he should try, ard he did not discourage
| him. He encouraged him. in fact. by telling MN
that he was good boy to want TO do H. ana nc
wonld be as easy with him as he could D.. .-,.
| This all Nathan wanted. leave 10 'IN,
and he hurried back 10 tell Liz mother ana begln
/ How eager he was TO make that beginning WIN
the beautiful caeerness OF untrea you'n rriors
before him lay the course. He saw no barriers
| In the way. lie had brt 10 run with vigor Inc
toll, the sweat. The binding foes OF discourage
ment and doubt were mcrcfullY hidden from
| him. He saw only the pri7c-thc old farm OF ms
fathers freed from mortgage: home Tor his
mothers old are made sure.
In the fine old language Of Scripture he glrdco
up his lons" then and there. And the boy who
went back to his mother sitting despondinglv IN
the dear familiar kitchen was quite another from
he who had left her a few hours before IT,.
| The steady purpose of his heart shone in his
eyes. those pale blue eyes with their reddish lids
It was manifest in the carriage of his head WIN
It's crop of carroty red hair. and in his step, which
with all its clumsincss. had taken on. certain
manly frmness His mother looked at him almost
with feeling Of awe as he entered.
| He says / can try. mother. and know can
'Lizhcth could not have loved him better or
admired him more at that moment had he been
an Apollo.
| In little more than fourteen years the morgaGe
was paid, an achievement Of sheer pluck which
may find as legitimate a field OF action 1T the
plough-handle SIS az The cannon's mouth For nc
first three years. mindful OF his youth, the ncqh-
boring farmers had given him an occasional day
at ploughing. haymalling. and harvesting. But
after that he went on alone.
| From years end to years end he toiled. There
\
but money to raise for taxes, repairs. and the
daily expenses Of the home.
| None hit ono who has to get his living from
small and scrubbv New-Encland farm can under
stand the incessant toll OF those fourteen years.
lie had none Of the pleasures and rccreations
Of youth. The young folk of his own generation
knew nothing. They married and settled down.
and another generation took their place. from
which he was still further removed. lie lived
quietly with his mother. and even her few
| familiar gossps saw little of him He became
more and more a solitary man the result of in
vincible shyness. combined with purpose that
gave him no leisure
| He began 10 be looked upon rs fore-hand.
He was known to he something Of reader. and
his opinion considered valuable upon town
and farm matters. and was often sought.
But his shyncss came at last ~ be miscon-
strued, as natural; it was called pride; he
wa said TO feel above his townsmcn. SO he
was left 10 90 very much his own way lie found
liz. however, not unhappy way He eVprricnccd
/
an honest purpose.
When Nathan made the fnal payment OF
twenty-five dollars 10 Squire Barlow. that excel
lent old gentleman promptly returned il. saying,
! Give that TO your mother. Nathan. with my com
pliments and tHll her there isn't better son than
| hers in Massachusetts"
| And now. mother" said Nathan. lyon shall
have your porch"
| porch may seem small and pitiful ambition
| to rule lifetime But il was not porch In the
| narrower accrptstion OF that word that 'Lizbeth
had longcd for all her married life
The old house was of an order familiar TO the
| New Highlander. II was a story and Il half high.
and stood gable end 70 the highway. A south
door opened into a small lobby which in it's turn,
communicated with sittinc-room on one side,
| and the spare bedroom on the other.
An enormous chimney in The centre held thr
house together, and back Of it with doors ooening
into the two south rooms was the great kitchen.
the centre and heart Of the home: Tizhcth's bed
room was al one end Of the kitchen. and the CORE
sronding space AT the other was taken up by the
pantry and small entry leading to the end
| door.
| There great double window in the kitchen
With settle-box under il. and huge fireplace.
narrow staircase led ND TO the unfinished garnet.
in one end Of which Nathan slent. The other was
devoted 10 the loom. where Iizbeth occasionally
cot ont web Of cotton and wool. though factory
cloths were coming into use. The spinning-wheel
| stood in the kitchen
| II was becoming the fashion for owners Of old
houses Of this kind TO add an L. that is n porch"
when the eXicenclcs Of the family demanded j.
| and even when they did NOT. This porch could
| have one or two stories Lizbcth wanted two
|
story porch.
The first story made new kitchen, more cheer
| full than the old one, Tor IL was sunny. IL had
d door looking out Oh the highway, whence LIZ
beth could see all the passing" which, as II was
extremely limited was all the more interesting.
| FROM the sink window, when washing GIsLc,,
| she had command of wide space OF bcrubby
pasture, beyond which was the Wrapping road and.
| with her iar-sghtcd spcctaclcs, she could even
distinguish the passing vehicles on that road.
small interests, doubtless, but Of such is the SUM
OF TIC majority OF lives.
| Two miles away do the bird flies, rose the spire
OF the Congregational Westinghouse to which she
and Nathan went regularly every Sunday.
Il Lizbeth proud and happy woman when
the porch completed door was cut from
her bedroom into it. and bedroom finished of
for Nathan in the upper story Nathan did not
Hnd this pasercd room half as airy as the Old
garrett; but that was neither here there.
The farm freed from mortgage and the porch
built, wonld have said that Lizbeth had now
become possessed of all that life could give But
he who thinks that knows little Of the human
heart. The summit Of one hope attained another
towers beyond. 1t now became 'LiZbeths hearts
desire that Nathan should get married. She really
wished it, though she never thought Of IL without
pang. that jealous pang that even the most I'M
iseish Of mothers feels when she thinks Of giving
her hoy into another woman's keeping.
But she was old. year or two, and her
allotted time would be spent She could not
bear to think OF leaving Nathan with no wife TO
knit his stockings make his shirts. and cook his
lvctuals.
But. when she spoke of il TO Nathan. he only
laughed and pooh'd. lie blushed too, like a
hoy.
IL don't know any women but Aunt Debby
and Aunt Curling. Shall l marry one of them
mother 2"
No: Iizbeth didn't want any old women round.
She wanted Nathan TO marry some nice young
gill There was plenty Of 'em for him TO pick
and choose from.
"But what nice young girl would marry
homcy old fellow like me? No. mother: just
let well-enough alone. You've got Your porch
and don't be worryin' about what's goln' to Dc
} after you're dead and gone"
But Ti1beth persisted. and. from time to time
Invited o bevy of young girls to tea with the
intention OF opening the way for Nathan. But
on these occasions he either bctook himself 10
ncnding fences in remote corner OF his farm
or went OF for AN afternoons fishing or berrying.