The Van Buren press., 1896-06-13
LYDIA WHEELOCK.
by MARY Il. WILKINS.

very good. Size Wes never handsome,
even as agirl. She never had any youth
full bloom, and her figure was always
as clumsy and awkward as it is now.
Poor Lydia, with her round shoulders
and her high hips, always moved heay-
lily among the light-tripping maids of
Der own age. Seen from behind, her
broad, matronly buck made her look
cid enough to be the mother of them
all. Bright and delicate girlish rib
bons and muslins, which set off their
happy, youthful, fower-like faces, made
poor Lydia's dull, thick checks look
duller and thicker and heavier.
Some women, Us pIain-visaged as
Lydia, seeing themselves, as it were,
like dingy barnyard fowls among
flocks of splendid snowy doves and hum
ming birds, might have deliberately
tried to cultivate loving kindness and
sweet obligingness of manner as an
offset. But Lydia was not brilliant
enough for that, neither had she such
personal ambition. 1t is doubtful if
she had ever looked in the glass much,
except to ascertain if her face was clean
and her hair smooth, and if her lack of
comeliness ever cost her an anxious
hour.
As child at school Lydia never whis-
pered, was never tardy seldom failed in
her lessons, and never leased away an
other girls candy. Besides, her mother
always vouched for the fact hat she was
as good as young and tender infant,
and consequently seemed to have been
actually born good.
"Lyddy never cried, except when she
was real Sick her mother used to say.
(she lived to be a very old woman, and
narpcd upon her good daughter as if
she were the favorite string of her
whole life.) "Neyer knowed her to cry
because she was mad, as the other chill
dren did Lyddy alters took her nap
regular an slept all night without
fussin'. An she never banged her head
on the floor cause she couldn't have her
own way, She alters give in real pleas
ant and smilin'."
What was true of Lydia as baby has
undoubtedly been true of her ever since
she has "allers give in real pleasant
an smilin'." There may be some peo-
ple who would urge the plea that Lydia
had an easy temperament, and not nat
urally such a firm clutch upon her de-
sires thati is agony to relinquish them.
Tut if all the ways that Lydia has pa
tiently and smilingly accepted have
leen her own ways, she must, even if
her temperament had been ever so stolid
have had peculiar tastes and likings
Sometimes it would have been almost
like a relish for the scalping- knife or
the branding-iron. If Lydia has not,
metaphorically speaking, many times
during her life banged her head upon
the floor, it has not been for lack of
proper temptation. She has had from
fnther died when she was young girl.
She had to leave school and go about
Helping the neighbors with sewing and
cleaning and extra household tasks
when they had company, to earn a pit
tonce FOR the support of herself and
her mother Lydia's mother, although
she lived to be so old, was always a
feeble woman, crippled with rheu-
matism.
Lydia lived patiently and laboriously,
earning just enough to keep her mother
comfortably ard herself uncomfort-
ably alive, and that was all. She had
one good meal day when she was
working at u neighbours. Often we
know that was all she had, although
she never said so and never complained.
Her mother never went without her
three meals a day and her warm fan
nels, when the dread of Lydia's life was
that she might faint away some day al
n neighbours from lack of proper nour-
ishment, aud the state of her attire in
midwipter I've discovered. She con-
fessed her great dread to somebody
once, after she was married.
When Lydia was about 80 she sud
denly got married, to the surprise of the
whole village. Nobody had dreamed
she would ever marry. She was so
plain and so poor, and seemed years
older than she was-old enough TO be
her own grandmother, as Mrs. Harrison
White said. She married man who
had paid some attention to Mrs. Harri-
son White when she was girl, and
she was popularity supposed to favor
him, but her parents objected, so she
married Harrison White instead.
Elisha Wheelocl1, the man Lydia mar
ried, all the neighbors had called "a
poor tool" lie was good-looking and
good hearted, but seemed to have lit
tie ambition and little taste fer indus
try. Moreover, everybody said he
drank. I.urinda Smell said she had
seen him when he could scarcely walk,
and many others agreed with her. Al
though the village was surprised the
village gave a sort of negative approval
of the banns. Everybody agreed that
a man like Wheelock couldn't hope to do
any better. No pretty girl with good
home would forsake it for him, and ms
for Lydia, it was probably her first and
only chance, and she could never hope
TO do any better either. Moreover,
Elisha owned comfortable house-his
father had just died and left it to him,
with quite q good-sized farm; and it
was said positively that Lydia's mother
was to live there. "Lydia's got good
home for herself and her mother If
'Lisha don't drink il mp people said.
Some thought he would. Everybody
watched 10 see the old homestead and
the fertile ceres transformed into hery
draughts going down Elisha's throat,