New-York tribune., 1903-07-09
-Uhe Ladies' Field.
TWO JOYOUS SPINSTERS.
Their Lot in Summertime One Long Pastoral
Delight

An interesting story of an abandoned farm comes
from tiny hamlet in Connecticut. where a couple
Of New York spinsters have encamped for the last
few
''Of the joy of owning your own house, of tearing
it to pieces and altering it just you please, Of
digging in the ground and raking new mown hay.
or woman can conceive who has never tried
IT after having been deprived for years OF those
blessed privileges" Thus writes one of the spin
sters to a city bound friend.
I'VE have been up here about nine weeks she
continues land in that time we have had every
one Of nine rooms kalsonined, painted and
papered doing of the painting ourselves just
for the fun of it.
I'VE opened one fireplace last fall against the
advice of all the men folks round about, and SO
thoroughly enjoyed IT that soon as possible
when we arrived this spring opened another,
bigger and better without giving any one chance
advise against it. We did 1t with hammers
and the head Of an old axe. and lugged out twenty
pals Of brick mortar and SCOT ourselves 1t was
such fun to formulate this plan during busy
New-York winter execute it so summarily, and
then invite the neighbors in, to them lift their
hands in holy horror!
Fortunately, got this done before the two
weeks of almost continuous rain on. Then
we pulled our long, square, old fashioned sofa up
in front of the fire, piled the oak and hickory
and made it enjoyable for of the neighbors
that she Immediately opened one of her own fire
places and invited They had lived in their
house twenty years and never had open fire
before.
"One day. looking over the wall In one room. my
partner said to me: I believe that partition was
put in after the house was built. wish it were
not there; let's take 1t out I replied. Let's and
in five minutes at it, and up went the
good neighbors' hands again But when the break
had become an accomplished fact and all signs of
devastation had been removed, they agreed with
that 1t great Improvement.
For the first month after I get away from the
city like to get inbedded in some work foreign
possible from my teaching. After that I begin
tn read nd write nd Then he 10
month before returning. study and plan for my
winters campaign. If I had two months or two
weeks, of vacation, instead Of the four months
now give myself I should follow about the same
course proportionately If is tired from mental
work, resting and reading are not change enough
One should become absorbed in some kind of man
ual work for a time, like gardening. carpentering
moving q section of some old stone wall to make
q gateway.
I'VE even talk as little of the city as possible
and have not seen newspaper since we've been
here We try to enter into the lives and interests
Of the people here as much as we can without in
trusion For instance. July most of the thirty
souls composing this little hill hamlet went to the
'doin's down in the manufacturing town two miles
below. At 2:3o o'clock the Congregational rang
and then again at O'Clock, and the assembly
Vened-two dear old octOgenarian minister's the
organ;stt two pretty young girls in the choir. an
two other women and the two spinsters from New
and listened to- America .F6e Sta9 STsngid tgd
Excellent and Stirring addresses were given @ by tbs
cergymen and the soldier and sketch of the
lives of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson was
read by of the townswomen, who invited us all
at the close of the hour TO her pleasant lawn for
lemonade, etc.
Quite number of nice little places are being
offered for sale here, and there people
who: like ourselves. have fed from the city. A
teacher from Springfield has just bought a farm of
where l caught six little speckled trout the other
morning. and. though the house is in terrible
condition there is a beautiful double Of large
maple trees along the roadside. From this point is
one Of the loVeliest Of VieWs-an eXpanSe wooded
hill and dale. where nothing of mans handiwork
L.