Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-02-24
THE DEACON'S WIFE.
How Mrs Bradley Helped to End
Her Drudgery.

her, between two men on the verand;
Just under her window.
Through the half-open blinds sh,
recognized one of them as Deacon
Bates, a sturdy farmer delegate whc
had shown much good sense in the few
words he had spoken IN the business
meeting.
whether farming can be made to pa,
or not depends a good deal upon Tie
sort Of a wife q man has" Deacon
Bates was saying, and this vas the sen
tence which arrested Mrs. Bradley's
attention.
''If he has to run the farm and the
house too and depend upon hired hell
he can't lay up anything. One of my
neighbors is in that fix: his wife dom;
know how to work herself; she trust'
every thing to help and she spends hel
time gadding about. Things go at sixe,
and sevens; their butter and poultry
are the poorest in the market ] an
sorry for him / believe I've got tn,
best wife in the country. myself" b,
went on, tipping back his chair agains'
the house and clasping his hands over
the back of his head; 'she beats every
thing there is going for work. Sh,
tends to everything herself; is up a
daylight and sometimes before, ane
her butter is tip-top; we get the biggesi
prices going. She's a splendid cook
too. I never need go away from home
to get good victuals, now / tell you
Well, the fact is she is as smart as &
steel trap at anything she takes hole
of She makes all her own clothes ano
most of mine and boards the farm
hands and once in awhile takes some
city boarders. 1 never would "a beer
so forehanded If it hadn't "a been fcI
her. And she's always at home sum
mer and winter; 1 don't b'lieve she'i
been off the place only to go to church
these twenty years"
Poor drudgel'' Mrs. Bradley ex
claimed to herself as the dinner bell
put an end to the conversation.
1t SO happened that in the course OF
that summer Mr.. and Mrs. Bradley,
wishing to find comfortable quarter
for few weeks in the country, neal
enough to the city SO that Mr.. Bradley
could go in and out conveniently, were
directed to Berkshire and to the house
of Deacon Bates.
1t was not until she was seated al
the tea table in the cool dining room OF
the Bates family one July evening
that Mrs. Bradley identified the deacon
as the man with an extraordinary wife.
Mrs Bates did not look in the least
like the busy, bustling worker Mr..
Bates had pictured. She was a small
pale woman with gray hair and wist-
full brown eyes. Her low-spokeu
words were few, and her manner apa
thetic, as if life had lost its flavor il II
ever had any.
During the next few weeks Mrs
Bradley had opportunity to prove that
Deacon Bates had spoken truly of hi,
wife. Her house was a model of neat
ness, her 'victuals" were truly deli
cious, and each day she turned off an
amount of work, assisted only by one
other pair of hands, which was truly
incredible. "a working machine
Mrs. Bradley thought as she watched
the treadmill round of Swimming milk
churning, baking, drel.ing poultry
washing, ironing, cooking and wash
ing dishes, beginning at sunrise anc
not by any means concluded at sunset
Sometimes in the twilight the tired
woman rested a few minutes, ther
Mrs. Bradley, pitying the narrow life
would try to awaken her interest IL
an article in the newspapers, or a bi,
from an amusing book, but the weary
listener usually nodded in the midst
of it.
One evening after tea, as Mrs. Brad
ley wandered about the place, she
came upon Mrs. Bates, who was oui
under the apple tree engaged in pick
ing chickens.
"You are at it early and late, aren't
you?' Mrs. Bradley said, as she watched
the swift fingers travel over the plump
chicken. 81 heard that you were per
fectly remarkable, but had not ina
gined that one so persistently indus
trious existed"
"Yon heard that OF me?" Mrs Bates
exclaimed, with more interest than she
had ever before displayed. "How could
you?"
"It was when the convention was
held at Berkshire. / happened to over
hear your husband sounding your
praises"
Mrs. Bradley hoped that at last she
had found a key TO open this closed
heart, as a CLEAN of surprise flashed
for an instant on the worn face of the
farmers wife, 80 she exerted all her
powers of pleasing; she praised the
flower garden, remarked on the fine
chicken, and admired the luxuriant
vine which clambered over the wood
house, but Mrs Bates seemed absent
minded and less inclined to talk than
usual There was silence for minute,
while she worked as il her life depend d.
ed upon getting done at certain mo-
ment. Mrs. Bradley was just thinking
how useless it was to try to get any
thing out OF such a wooden woman,
when suddenly Mrs. Bates, without
lifting her eyes from her work, jerled
out question:
"Mrs. Bradley, should like to know
would you mind telling me-what
it was Daniel said that day up TO Berk-
shire?"
"Who? Mr.. Bates? Oh, he said he
had the best wife in the whole coun.
try"
And then, searching her memory,
Mrs. Bradley gave n faithful report oi
what she had heard
IL was curious to note the effect OF
her words In the light which came into
the sad eyes, and the faint. flush which
stole over the faded checks.
ibid Daniel say that?"
"Yes, he did, and quite agree with
him." and then remarked to herself:
Poor creature, she has heart after
ALL"
IL was an nour later, when Mrs.
Bradley sat alone on the front piazza,
that Deacon Bates, his chores all done,
came and sat on the upper step. He
was n man of much shrewd intel
ligence, who read his weekly religious
paper from end TO end. and liked occa-
sionally TO discuss an article or n doc
trine with bright woman like Mrs.
Bradley.
His wife was still busy in the kitchen,
as the rattling Of milk pans occasionally
testified Mrs. Bradley's thoughts fol
lowed the tired worker; her kind heart
longed to make the weary life of this
woman different. II only somebody
would speak a few plain words to her
husband, she reflected, and get his eyes
opened.
why not do that yoursclf?" said her
inner voice. She shranls from that,
though, telling her conscience that per-
haps she would sometime IL she got a