Middletown transcript., 1895-02-09

0 com was. She thought over the word
D she had read:
Wanted lady boarder, by a pl
, country woman, who will do The bes
+ she can. The view from the piazza j
beautiful, and you will be sure to lik
it. Addr, IS Miss Martha Bascom
Little6eld, Mass"
/ And here she was, seated on the
piazza. She let her eyes wander owe
the scene before her.
"Yes, it is beautiful" she thought
The house was on hill, and she could
look long way down the valley at hel
feet. Field after field outlined there
the stone walls that marked their
boundaries seemed like children's work
like the playhouses her brother used
to make years ago, marking out the
rooms with row of STOKES. A thick
| growth of bushes and trees told where
a river crept, and she could see the
glitter of the water, Lere and there
between the trees.
II don't wonder" she said to herself
"that the poor woman wanted to keep
her home. 1 will help her all l can" !"
One day they were all in the parlor,
as Marcie called the piazza. She had
hung it around with pretty shawls,
and had bright cushion in the ham,
mock, vine shaded one side, and
Maitha's thrush sang in his cage
among the leaves.
There is one thing l want to tell
you," said Martha. "It don't seem
right to take four dollars a week for
your board. l never was so happy in
my life as l have been since you come.
You don't eat hardly thing, and |
haven't had but one white petticoat to
wash for you since you have been here"
"And there is one thing L want to
tell you," said her friend. II always
go somewhere in the country in the
summer, and never paid less than
seven dollars week for board in my life.
1 intend to pay you as much as that, l
assuse you. -Four dollars week!" she
said scornfully. SIT is very evident
my dear Martha, you are taking your
first baarder.'
Martha sat up straight in her rock
ing chair; her eyes shown like dia-
monds, and there was faint red in
her faded cheek.
''If you stay till September and pay
me seven dollars week." she said ex-
citedly. ''I'll have me COW. can
keep her as we'll as not, if can only
get her in the first place. I've got a
pasture, and can raise a lot of pump
kius and fodder corn. | know how to |
milk. L Can make butter. Why Call
most live ON her milk" aud she bursI |
into flood OF tears, and hid her face
In her hands.
1t seemed as if the poor woman
could not talk enough about her cow.
and her gratitude to the lady who had |
proved from the first such a godsend |
To her.
81 shall have something to love after |
you are gone," she said one day. |
81 got me cat after mother died; she
was really pretty, and thought so |
much of her. She used to sleep on the
foot of my bed, and did not feel half |
50 lonesome nights, if l could not
sleep; for if | spoke to her, she would
purr, and come up and rub herself |
against me. thought here never was
such a cat; but James boys they used
to stone her whenever she went over
on their side, and one day she came
dragging herself home with broken |
leg, and her head was hurt, too. She
died before night, and | buried her un-
der the laylock there. And I misstd |
her so, got me another; but that one
was missing within week, and one of |
the boys kept asking me what had be-
come Of my cat, and laughing in
hateful way. So made up my mind
| could not have any more pets.
"But they won't dare to hurt COW,
they are too valuable; and / could have
the law on them if they did," she
added grimly. anybody can do what
they have mind to to cats, poor
thingsp for Martha had never heard
Of the society with the long name."
"Let me see," said Marcie, what
kind Of cow will you get-JerseyW
Il shall get red and white one,"
said Martha. "Father used to keep a
cow, and that was speckled red and
white. mean t, get one just like her
if can. What will James's folks sayl
l guess they'll think it will be some
time before they'll have my house for
a parlor,"
sit beats ALL" said she one day,
''how little things trouble folks. Now
any great trial, like death and such,
you can carry to the Lord, and he will
help You bear it; but anybody feels SO
mean to trouble Him about the little
things.
''Now, there was mothers gold
beads. She always told me l should
have them after her. Many time I've
put them on my neck when l was a
little girl, and wished mother would
give them to me then; but she would
take them, and say should have them
some time.
''And when she died I was almost
crazy, and James's wife, she had to see
to everything.
''It was few weeks afterward, and
| saw mothers beads on Maria's neck
that is her oldest girl. l felt dread.
fully. l went out to the barn and