The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-02-18
THE DEACON'S WIFE.

Mrs. Bradley had come up to
Berkshire with her husband and
many others to attend the annual
convocation of their church. While
she rested ir her room after the
morning session she heard a conver-
sation, which interested her, be-
tween two men on the veranda Just
under her window.
Through the half open blinds she
recognized one of them as John
Bates, a study farmer delegate, who
had shown much good sense in the
few words he had spoken upon one
of the resolutions in the business
meeting.
Whether farming can be made to
pay or not depends a good deal
upon the sort Of wife a man has,
Deacon Bates was saying, and this
was the sentence which arrested
Mrs. Bradley's attention,
If he has to run the farm and the
house, too, and depend upon hired
help he can't lay up anything. One
OF my neighbors S in this fix; his
wife don't know hoH to work her
self; she trusts everything to help
and spends her time gadding
about. Things go at SKIES and
sevens; their butter is the poorest in
the market. | am sorry for him. |
believe | have the best wife in the
county myself, he went on, tipping
back his chair against the house and
clasping his hands over the back OF
his head; she beats everything there
is going for work. She tends to
everything herself; is up at daylight
and sometimes before, and her but
ter is tiptop; we get the biggest
prices going. She's splendid cook
too; | need never to go away to get
good victuais, now | tell you, Well,
the fact is, she is as smart as a steel
trap at anything she takes hold of,
She makes ali her own clothes and
most of mine and boards the farm
hands and once In a while, takes
some city boarders. | never would
have been SO forehanded If it had
not been for her. And she's always al
home summer and winter; | don't
believe she's been off the place only
to go to church this twenty years.
Poor drudge! Mrs. Bradley ex
claimed t. herself as the dinner bel
put an end to the conversation.
1t so happened that in the course
of that summer Mr.. and Mrs Brad
ley. wishing to find comfortable
quarters for few weeks in the coun
try, near enough to the city SO tha
Mr.. Bradley could go in and ou
conveniently, were directed TO Berk
shire and to the house of Deacon
Bates.
1t was not until she Was seated a
the table in the cool dining room o
the Bates family one July evening
that Mrs. Bradley identified the dea
con as the man with an extraordin
ary wife. Mrs. Bates did not look
in the feast like the busy busting
= worker Mrs. Bradley had pictured
She was a small pale woman viii
gray hair and wisttui brown eyes
Her low spoken words were few, ant
her manner apathetic, as if life hao
lost its favor il it ever had any
During the next two weeks Mrs
Bradley had opportunity to prov
; that Deacon Bates had spoken trul,
. of his wife. Her house was a mode
! OF neatness, her victuals were trul,
. delicious, and each day she turne'
9 off an amount of work, assisted onl,
by one other pair of hands, which
/ was truly incredible. A workin,
machine, Mrs. Bradley thought a
she watched the tread mill round c
skimming milk, churning, dressin
poultry, washing, ironing, cooking
and washing dishes, beginning a
r sunrise and not by any means con
IS ciuded at sunset
Sometimes in the twilight the tire
- woman resf
} Ms Br