Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1895-07-14


wives took no trouble to make things
that they could borrow OF Mrs. Bel
lenden, 'just MS well as not,
And one day, when poor Lucy, I'M
der the blightipg influence of horri'
Bile sick headache, was endeavoring to
strain three oI four gallons OF milk
into the shining pans, the news ar.
rived that Uncle Paul was coming to
the farm.
"Another guest - said Lucy, de,
spairiugly,
And then she uttered the proverb
that heads our sketch.
"Oh, it's only Uncle Paul ~ said
Mr.. Bellenden. 'Don't fret, Lutte
he's the most peNceable old gentleman
it, the world. He'll make no m ore
trouble than n cricket Johns wife
thought she couldn't have him, be.
cause she has no hired girl just now -"
Neither have j. said Lucy, re
bellionsIy.
"Ani Sarah Eliza don't like com.
pany."
81 am supposed to he fond Of tH'
observed Lucy, bitterly.
"And Reuben's girls don't want old
folks staying there. Its too much
trouble, they say" added Seth.
lmcy bit her lip to keep back the
words she might have uttered, AMI
said, instead:
"Where is he TO sleep? The Bel
fords have the front bedroom, and
your Cousin Susan occupies the back,
and the four Miss Pattersons sleep in
the two hall chambers, and the hired
men have the garnet room.
She might have added that she and
her husband and the baby had slept in
a hot little den opening from the kit
chen for four weeks, vainly expecting
Mr.. and Mrs. Bedford to depart, and
that she had never yet had q chance
| to invite her father TO the farm in
pleasant weather
But she was magnanimous and held
her peace.
"Oh, You can find some place for
him - said her husband, lightly.
There's that little room at the end
of the hall where the spinning wheel
is"
"But it isn't furnished?' pleadel
Lucy.
"You can easily sew carpet to,
gether out of those old pieces from
the Bedfords' room, and it's no trouble
to put up muslin curtain to the win
dow and lift in n cot.bed. There are
plenty OF good sweet husks in the
corn house, and you can just tack to-
gether a mattress and whitewash the
ceiling, and What's that, Beniah
The COWS in the rye lot! Dear me
Everything goes wrong if l step into
the house for II moment. And really,
Lutte, these things are your business
hot mine" he added. irritably.
Lucy could not help laughing, all
by herself, as her husband ran up the
steps.
But it was very sad little laugh,
and soon changed into sigh.
81 wonder" said she, in a whisper
"if my poor, tired.out ghost would
haunt these stone pavements and
scrubbed shelves if | were to die?
never heard of ghost in dairy be-
fore, but I should think that it might
easily he.
But the little bedroom WAS filed up
for all that, as fresh as a rose, and
Uncle Paul arrived, a dried-up, yell
low complexioned old man, with an
old-fashioned cravat tied in many folds
around his neck, and suit Of navy
blue, with brass buttons.
he had the polite way of half a
century ago, AMI Lucy thought she
should like him very much, ii only
she had time to get acquainted with
him.
Eat she was churning ten pounds Of
butter day, an there was the baby,
and the company, and the young
chickens, and the baking to do for the
sewing society. which WAS to meet at
her house this week.
She was almost too busy to sleep.
But Uncie Paul was watching her
quietly all the time.
He came ont one day to the barn,
where his nephew was putting new
handle on a sickle blade.
"Pretty busy times, Ell, Uncle
Paul?" said the farmer, scarcely taking
the leisure to look up.
aye, absently answered the old
man. "Did | tell you, Nephew Seth,
about the reason I lett your Cousin
Eliab's!"
"Not that | remember" said Seth,
breathing on the blade and polishing
it with his silk handkerchief
"Dorothy died--his wife y
ooh, yes!" said Seth, "Malaral
fever, wasn't ito"
"Now bluntly answered Uncle
Paul. at was hard work. That wo.
man, Nephew Seth, did the houseworh
for eight persons. Eiiab didn't even
let her have woman to help with the
washing and the ironing"
Must have been II re9ular-going
brute" said Seth, tightening the han.
die little.
"All the sewing, too, added Uncle
Paul-"the mendinG and making.
Never went anywhere except to church.
EIiab didn't believe in women CAD
ding about"
"The old savage!" said Seth.
"She was fond OF reading, but she
never got any time for it" said Uncle
Paul. "She rose before snn-up, and
never lay down until eleven o'clock.
1t WAS hard work that killed that wo
man, and Eliab coolly declared that il
was sheer laziness when she couldn'
drag herself around any longer. An(
when sue died he rolled up his eyes
and called it the visitation of Provi
dencc."
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