Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1900-01-04

TT WAS the ideal place for a summer
holday-a pleasant old farm with
red roof. where lichens grew in patches
Of yellow. and the stonecrop and house
leek in patches of green; a house with
long. low rooms, elbow grease, and beds
whose coarse homespun linen sheets
smelt of lavender.
There were, indeed, two lavender
bushes in the garden, as well ms roses
and stocks, sweet elove-pinks and "old
man" The farm was stocked with in
teresting live creatures-eows' pigs
chickens, turkeys, and pigeons; there
we're sheep dotting the downs BEHIND
the house, and from the front windows,
across the orchard, where the apples
we're beginning to grow hard and
round. You could see the long, shining
blue line Of the sea.
Mabel Roscommon liked that sea line,
ond she liked the garden, the orchard
and the rest Of it-all but the turkeys
She was little afraid of these, because
she was by profession a high school
teacher and had been taught how to
manage children, but not how 20 man
age turkeys-an art, by the way, much
simpler. Now she had come to the
farm for her summer holidays. To be
alone was new to her for she was one
Of a large family; and to be for whole
weeks ~ this country was new to her
TOO, for she had never before been neal
/ the sea for more than a week at a time
I The down country was to her reNe
/ lation.
She had big sitting-room TO hersei
/ and shared the simple meals of thu
farmer and his wife. The laborers an'
the maids ate at the lower end OF tn
long table. Mabel thought IL was suel
a nice plant reminded her somehow
Of the feudal system. The dignihe'
| simplicity of farm life appealed to her
| Gradually a passion Of love awoke II
her for the little, ordinary, usetu
everyday things-the reedful work re
pcated at the appropriate hour, ID
changing magic Of morn and noon an
evening. the restful distances Of dow
and sea. the intimate fairgrounds
hedge and orchard. At first she read
GOOD deal, but gradually more and NOR
lime was spent with Mrs. Fry. Mab'
followed her IN and out to the dairy,
The kitchen, to feed the pigs, 10 colle'
the eggs. And the eyes Of the fade
middIe.aced woman grew tende
, though her words were always the e.
planatory commonplace OF the mour
: ful biographical
But one day-it was the day WIT
Miss Roscommon first churned the bu
tcr-Mrs. Fry sighed and said:
!, "Mv little Alice would ha' been abo
}, your age If she'd lived. / own shou
ba' dearly 20 ha' taught her 10 churn
1t was that night that Mabel kiss
c Mrs. Fry when she said goodnight
- and almost wished as she crept /
tween the cold. lavender sheets, that g
had been born = farmers daught'
She had discovered her vocation.
- was not teaching, as she had steadfa'
n liz believed. nor literature, as she b
| secretly dreamed; her true yocaii
| was the pastoral life-not TO forg
. the great life Of the world, the hur
and hustle. the cleveruess and bravei
the wise and the great; not TO fore
7. them-to honor them from afar, !
10 take no further part in the strife a
struggle Of strenuous life; 20 watch
from the safe haven Of the little life {
quiet. ordered, placid life Of the far
. This was her vocaiiou-her fate y
high school teaching.
nj when Robert Fry came home
snly son Of his mother, the farm,
ut Nife-Mabel shared 80 the hustle
! glad preparation that heralded
| coming. he was in business In L
/ don. but be was coming home for
holiday. Bis mother said.
"But b. hates the business, i" she "
on. "He got scholarship 20 go 10
. ford, for he's very clever, my dear;
n 6 was nos enough 20 keep him IN
1ud 81 was the year we did 50 Ia
With the wheat. 30 father couldn't 80
n enough 70 ie7 him 60; 20 Their Bob ?