The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-07-18
DEACON BATES WIFE
BY MRS. c. NJ. LIVINGSTONE

Mrs. Bradley ilau come up 10 Bcrk'
shire with her husband and many 9th
crs TO attend the annual convocatiOn o
their church. While she rested in hel
room after the morning session, sh,
heard conversation which interested
her, between two men on the veranda
just under her window.
Through the half-open blinds she rec
oguized one Of them as Deacon Bates,
sturdy farmer delegate, who had
shown much good sense in the few
words he had spoken upon one of the
resolutions in the business meeting.
"Whethcr farming can be made to
pay or not, depends a good deal upon
the sort of wife man hasn Deacon
Bates was saying, and this was the sen
tence which arrested Mrs. Bradley'>
attention.
"If ne has to run the farm and the
house too, and depend upon hired help,
he can't lay anything up. One Of my
neighbors is in that fix; his wife don't
know how to work herself; she trusts
everything to help, and she spends her
time gadding about. Things go at
skies and sevens their butter and poul-
try are the poorest in the market. | am
sorry for him. / believe Eve got the
best wife in the country, myself" he
went on, tipping his chair back against
the house and ciasping his hands over
the back Of his head ''she beats every
thing there Is going for work. She
tends to everything herself; is up al
daylight, and sometimes before, her
butter i tip-tOp; we get the biggest
prices going. She's Il splendid cook,
too; | never need 10 80 away from
home 10 get good victuals, now / tell
you. Well, the fact i, she Is a smart
as a steel trap at anything she takes
hold Of She makes all her own clothes
and most Of mine, and boards the farm
hands, and once in a while also takes
some city bOarders. / never would a
been 50 forehanded if il hadn't been
for her. And she's always AT home,
summer and winter; don't believe
she's been off the place, only to church.
this twenty years"
''Poor drugger' Mrs. Brady ex.
claimed to herself, rs the dinner-bel
put an end to the conversation.
1t 50 happened that in the course o.
that summer Mr.. and Mrs. Bradley
wishing To find comfortable quarters
for "A few weeks in the country, neal
enough to the city 50 that Mr.. Bradley
could go in and out conveniently, wers
directed to Berkshire and to the hous,
of Deacon Bates.
II was not until she got seated at the
tea table i'm the cool dining-room of tn,
Bates family one July evening, tha
Mrs. Bradley identified the man with
an extraordinary wife. Mrs. Bates did
not look in the least like the busy bust
ling worker Mrs. Bradley had pictured
She was small pale woman, with gray
hair and wistful brown eyes. He
low spoken words were few, and he
manner apathetie, as if life had lost it
flavor, if il 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 "victuaIs" We're truly deli
cious, each day she turned off al
amount of work, assisted by only on
other pair of hands, which was truly in
credible. "A working machine" Mrs
Bradley thought, n she watched tn
treadmill round of skimming milk
ehurning, baking, dressing poultry
washing, ironing, cooking and washing
dishes, beginning at sunrise and not b!
any means concluded AT sunset.
Sometimes in the twilight the tire,
woman rested a few minutes, then Mrs
Bradley, plying the narrow life, woul'
try To awaken her interest in an article
in the newspaper, or bit from al
amusing book F.; bat the weary listeneI
usually nodded in the midst of it.
One evening after tea, as Mrs Brad
ley wandered about the place, she cam
upon Mrs. Bates, who was out unde
the apple tree engaged in piekin
chickens.
"You are at it early and late, aren'
you?' Mrs. Bradley said as she watch
ed the swift fingers travel over tn
plump chicken. II heard that yo
were perfectly remarkable, bat | ha
not imagined that one 50 PERSISTENT.
industrious existed
"Yon heard that of me-" Mrs. Bate
exclaimed with more intesest than sh
had ever before displayed. How coul
yousn
at was when the convention WI
held at Berkshire. happened to owe
hear your husband sounding yor
prai~es.n
Mrs. Bradley hoped that at last 81
had found a key TO open this close
heart as a gleam of surprise flashed f