New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-09-16

was tidy, for instance and the kitchen utensils
and crockery the little dresser behind her |
chair were bright and clean. 1t must be sup |
posed that her husband, who would have been |
much the better for a share of her attention.
Kept himself Systematically out of reach
heiIZ" she inquired, eagerly looking up as he !
entered
them do thing for me-"
Mrs Frisbie sighed. Come, sit down any !
how, she said "Supper's ready, an the teas
drawed beautiful"
Joe shambled over and sat down His wife,
banning painfully forward in heT chair. moved
the little brown teapot from the hob to the |
table, and then, STOPPING again with yet more
dhilcuity, took up pateful of dry toast and
pronered II to the old man.
"Fherer' she said Il made ye that for a bit
q change The fire was burnin' up so clear an
nice, jist thought I'd do it. Twill be a nice
change for zee, Joseph-twiu sure"
She spoke in a high, Quayering voice, pcering
anxiOusly the while her spouse
He took a piece of toast and turned il over.
then broke off a bit and flung it on the table.
It's as hard as flint, woman he said, in
dignantly. Where dye think L can find teeth
to bite emp
NAY, now, it's not so ard as that comes to-"
urged she Il bite en-. an / han't got a
single tooth left Sop it in yer tea, do zee now,
an it'll slip down nice
slip down. indeed! 1t nd want bit O. but
Ter or a DIT o graise for that But here us be
two old ancient folks has lived in this parish
man an wife for nfty-two year, an theyn not
SO much as gle US a later"
Yes. later 'ud be nice, sure" quaVered the
old woman. 1T I'D be very NICE
'Or bit o green stuff 'ud be nice" went on
FriSby emphaticalIy 81 could eat this bread If
they'd gle l a bit o green To put tot But no
tbs Go away, I've nothin' for ee,' all around. |
There's every man an bwoy in the place work
in up at the lotments gettin' the taters into the
ground as fast ever they stick EN- II
never miss ii, an i could get my bit O. ground
planted up But no., they be all took up wi
therselVes-neYer a thought for We"
Mrs. Frisby rubbed her shrivelled hands to-
gether and sighed.
"Ah, tbs hard she said; Its hard, sure"
And then silence fell between the old couple. |
and each consumed his meagre fare without
any great appearance of appetite
Presently Joseph set down his cup, pushed |
back his chair, and stood up
Where be goin'?" asked his wife, ENORMOUSLY |
I'm goin up to the 'lotments." he responded |
CURLY.
Lave me pail o. water first. do. so as ! can
be waShin up. l reckoned ye'd ha helped me |
BIT -night-rheumatics is terrible bad"
Joseph took up pail without word and
and squeaking was heard as he turned the rusty !
handle OF the windlass. After some time he |
hobbled back, the water splashing from the |
OVERLOOKING bucket at every step.
"Deari what mess the man d make!' |
groaned Mrs. Frisby. Garry it study, for the |
Lards sake. Now sit down, do ee', an gle me
q hand
Nay. I'm or" responded her lord in surly
tones; and in another moment the garden gate
creaked its hinges and his departing steps
fell heavily on the lane outside
This somewhat crcuitous path led first past
q horsepond, then skirted the beautifully kept |
churchyard with the ancient ivy grown edi1icc !
IN the centre Then it darted off at an abrupt |
farm premises in the rear Of the church. where
the picturesque building which had once been /
a 1.-THE barn was devoted to humber pur- !
poses. The lane ceased at its junction with the |
high road. but, crossing the latter and following
the fOotpath for A little way. Joseph came TO /
another lane which. after few hundred yards. /
became a steep ascent
The blackthOrn still in flower here and !
there in the hedges. which accounted, as the !
country folk would have said, for the peculiarly |
keen and chilly quality Of the evening blast:
but the twisted twiss Of the more genial haw-
thorn were powdered. it were, with delicate
dust Of green. Trailing tendrils of honeysuckle
se-ere already in full leaf. and young sapngs OF
-zser stretched ont slender bare limbs tufted at
- ends with crimson. Downy catkins, more
---er on many a willow bOugh gave further
p=eTnise of the rapid approach of the sweet o
the Year" and there were Volets in the banks
and here and there a patch of primroses and
glory of dandeliOns all around.
But poor old Joe -Frisby, he toiled painfully
I'D the stony incline, had eye for any Of these
triyialities: his mind was set upon more weighty
rnatters-he was bent. indeed, upon nothing less
important than appeal to the community at
large Singly the neighbors had rejected and
aespised his petition: taken collectively they
might. for very shame's sake. be moved 10 grant
il No man. as Joseph diTnly felt, likes his in
diyidual generosity to he oVermuch counted
F-T>ou- but whole communicated member
making quite sure that his neighbor does as
much as he-nay sometimes be persuaded to
aeresie TO a claim which all alike acknowledge
Now voices fell upon his ear, accompanied by
the sound Of spades at work. An opening in the
hedge revealed a gate, toward which Joseph
made his way On the other side lay the allot-
rnents narrow strips of ground, most Of which
were already broken up into brown ridges,