Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1909-09-23
The Enlightenment of Mrs. Tuppins.

The Enlightenment of Mrs. Tuppins.
CuriousIy enough, Mrs. Tuppins hated
the country and Mr.. Tuppins hated the
city. They could not agree--at least
Mrs. Tuppins could not, for it happened
that the Tuppinses lived in the country,
on the old Tuppins farm; and although
this was an arrangement that suited Mr..
Tuppins to a T, it did not suit Mrs. Tup'
pins to any alphabetical designation what
ever.
Mrs. Tuppins was city born and bred,
while as for Mr.. William S. Tuppins, !
need only say that S stood for Silas. AT
the age of twenty-nine Mr.. William S.
Tuppins had left the farm to seek his for
tune in the city at the age of thirty he
had returned to the farm, bearing no 9TH
er fortune than Mrs. Tuppins. And as
for his experience in the city, will say
no more than this the morning after
William returned to the farm, which the
hired man and his wife had been running
on shares, he went TO his work whiStling
for the first time in year, and when with
a stick he scratched the backs OF the little
black pigs, and listened to their grunts OF
ecstasy, it seemed to him that sweeter
music mortal never heard.
But as for Mrs. Tuppins, it did not seem
that way to her at all. She looked with
a sigh of regret at her. high-heeled shoes
and her long silk gloves, which were
never intended for walking over bottom
meadows or picking blackberries out OF
the brier. She missed the crowds and
the lights and the shops and the cars. In
short, she grew to hate the country; and
she did not hide her feelings, either, as
William soon found out.
"Well," he said one evening, "the po-
tatoes are all in"
Mrs. Tuppins shifted.
"All the beets," he continued.
Mrs. Tuppins shifted again.
"Too cold out here 2" asked MIR. Tup-
pins. "Shall fetch you shawl or some
thing 2"
"No," said Mrs. Tuppins, distinctly,
"Pm not cold"
Tomorrow" said William, "a think
I'll start them putting new lining in the
upper spring."
Mrs. Tuppins shifted again, and when
William looked at her he saw that her
citified little nose was pointed most dis
dainfully at the poor old country moon.
"Why, what's the matter ?" asked
William.
"William," she said, "you know the
way you like the country?"
eyes"
"Well-that's the way like the CITY,"
That was how the difficulty began.
William in vain argued that he was not
worth his salt in the city; in vain he
enumerated all the advantages of country
life-the fresh fruit and eggs, the fresh
air, and the milk and the cream and the
vegetables, to say nothing of the freedom
from worldly cares.
To all these eloquent arguments Mrs.
Tuppins had simple question: "Will-
lam, you know the way you like the
country ?" To which William could on
ly miserably answer, Eyes" "Well,
then," said Mrs. Tuppins, "thats the
way like the CITY,"
Now among the fowls which clucked
about the Tuppins farn-yard there was
certain speckled hen known as Old
Spotty, and whether or not it was be-
cause she took offense at this familiarity
do not know, but the fact remains that
Old Spotty began to sulk and keep to
herself.
al can't make out what's the matter
with her." said Mr.. Tuppins, one morn
ing, seeking for subject of conversation
that would be pleasing to Mrs. Tuppins.
Doesn't seem to take any interest in life
at all. Just mopes round all day and
pecks the other hens when they come
near her."
Somehow Mrs. Tuppins felt interested
for the first time since she had become
member of the farming population. As
soon as breakfast was over, she went out
and looked at the disconsolate fowl.
Old Spotty looked back at her discon-
solately enough, and Mrs. Tuppins at
once sought the advice of the hired man.
and began to pamper the hen.
Now, even if one wished to do so, one
could not single out a hen from flock
and pamper that particular one-the other
hens would see that no fayoritism was
shown. You could not, for instance,
throw handful of green stuff at one hen
and expect all the other hens to stand off
at a respectable distance and watch the
favored one with an envious eye. That
is not the nature of poultry.
So it happened that Mrs. Tuppins,
striving to alleviate Old Spotty's discon-
ISOLATION, pampered all the hens, with the
result that they scampefed toward her,
clucking infriendly excitement, whenever
she showed herself in the yard. Thisse-
credy tickled Mrs. Tuppins, although she
pretended the contrary
And here is another thing: one cannot
keep going into the barn to get corn for
the chickens without patting the horses
and saying $50, boss, to the cows.