Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-07-24
A Golden Text.

Everybody in our whole villag
conc eded that Jehial Dobson was
religious man including Jehial him
self. He went to church regularly
paid his dues without grumbling-s
far as the outer world knew-owe,
no man a dollar and permitted NJ
man to owe him one. He was wellto
do, the neighbors also conceded, hat
one of the finest farms in that region
and a sung sum in the bank to boot.
His wife, Mary Ann Dobson, was {
small, thin little creature, with pail
of faded blue eyes in which ever Turk
ed a touching impression of WEAKNESS
of both body and spirit. She had not
always been pale and weary looking
as friends of her girlhood could vouch
but years of hard toll in kitchen and
dairy-toil which had helped to swell
that sum in the bank very materially
and to add acre after acre to the farm
had taken the roses from her cheeks
and brought that look in the eyes
which spoke of a weary body and a
starved soul ''I'm about tuckered
out,n was her usual response to occa-
sional visitors, and the sigh with
which she dropped into the chair and
the nervous twirching of her toll worn
hands left no doubt in the VISITORS
mind that Mary Ann Dobson told the
truth.
There were neighbors who whisper
ed among themselves that Jehial Dob
son was too "near," much too Enear'
for the comfort and well-being of his
pale little wife, but the majority of
the farmers wives Whereabouts per-
formed daily the same routine of du-
ties, and went to bed nightly much
more weary than the farm hands or
the horses themselves, so they had in
consequence no sympathy to offer
and asked none in return.
One morning in May, in the year of
our Lord 1887, Jehial Dobson said to
his wife: give bought that field, Mary
Ann-what I've been hankerin' fer so
new hand onto the farm. Jim and
me can't do the work of four men
much longer, Pm a-thinkin'"
ssTimothy Smiths field?" asked his
wife, as she passed him his second cup
of muddy looking coffee.
eyes, he had to sell at last" chuck
led her husband. ''I knowed it would
come last year when he broke his leg
and was laid up fer so long. He was
in debt then, you know, and he'd to
git in deeper, OF course, durin' them
long months of Sickness"
eyes, said Mary Ann sadly ssTim-
ofhy has been unfortunit, poor fell
low"
s'He did kick agin sellin' the field,'
went on Mr.. Dobson, "but I under
stand from Deacon Blake that debts
air a-pressin' of him, and he he'd to
sell that or the house, you see."
eyes," assented Mrs. Dobson, "and
it was lucky for him that you wanted
that bit of field, wasn't it, Jehial?"
"Wall, L reckon the luck was pretty
ginerally on my side, Mary Ann, for
SEEM as how he was so anxious to
sell, I hemmed fer quite a spell
afore | let him see as how I wanted
the field jest now at all. you kin
have it, says Timothy, for the same
price you offered last SUMNER but I
warn't to be caught that way, Mary
Ann, SO 1 shook my head and says:
Yes, Timothy, but times amt what
they was, and I hev about give over
buyin' it anyway
Mrs. Dobson sighed, and gave her
husband look of mild reproach, but
said nothing.
f'Tmothy's countenance FELL" con-
tinUed Mr.. Dobson, "and calkerlated
onto gettin' the field for about half
its worth on the instant. And I did,
gleefully, ''and so the field is mine at
Iast.r
"Poor, unfortunit Timothy" re-
peated Mrs. Dobson. 81 suppose it's
all right, Jehial, sense the Scripture
saws: TO him that hath shall be
given; and he that hath not from
hin shall be taken even that which
he hath and 1 reckon you was to
take the little he had for some pur-
pose or other, what we can't see jest
exactly now"
MIR. Dobson cleared his throat, then
coughed, and ate the remainder of
his meal in silence. He was his old
cheerful self, however, at dinner,
when he impaired to his wife the
news that the new hand had been en-
gagged.
sWhat would you say if I'd tell you