The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-29
THE VICAR OF WAKEFIELD
BY OLIVER GOLDSMITH
Condensation by Carolyn Wells

chose my wife for such qualities as
would wear we'll. She could read any
English book without much spelling;
but for picking, preserving and cook
cry, none could excel her. We were
ever unstinting of our hospitality, and
our gooseberry wine had great repu-
tation, so that our cousins, even to
the fortieth remove, remembered their
affinity without any help from the
heralds office, and came very fire.
quently to see US.
My children were well-formed and
healthy. Two daughters, who, to con.
ceal nothing were certainly very hand.
some: Olivia, of luxuriant beauty, and
Sophia, soft, modest and alluring. My
eldest son, George, was bred at Ok
ford, while Moses, my second boy, re-
ceived a sort of miscellaneous edu-
cation at home.
But, alas, by sudden stroke of ILL
luck, my entire fortune was swept
away, and out of fourteen thousand
pounds / had but four hundred re-
naming. This caused my neighbor,
Mr.. Wlmot, to break off the engage
ment existing between my son George
and his daughter, Arabella. Mr.. VIII
mot had one virtue in perfection,
which was prudence, too often the on
, ly one that is left us at seventy
| two.
We were now poor, and wisdom
babe me conform to our humble sit
| uation. I gave George five pounds
and sent him to London to do the
| best he might for himself and for us.
found a small cure of fifteen poun/s
year in distant neigborhood, and
thither we at once repaired.
On our journey we fell in with one
Mr.. Burchell, pleasing and instruc-
tive companion, who told me much
! of Squire Thornhill, our new land
] lord, who, 1t seemed was the pleasure
loving nephew of the great and worthy
Sir William Thornhill Mr. Burchell
had the great kindness to rescue my
daughter Sophia, who had the mis-
chance to fall into rapid stream, and.
who, but for this timely assistance,
must have been drowned. On this,
my wife Immediately built a future
romance for the two young people.
could not but smile. to hear her,
but l am never displeased with those
harmless decisions that tend to make
us more happy.
Our landlord, Squire Thornhill, be.
came a frequent visitor at our little
habitation, lured. perhaps by my wlfe's
venison pastry-or perhaps by the
charms of my pretty daughters. Mr..
Burchell, too, came often, so we were
not at loss for merry company. My
wife, ambitious to hold our heads 4
little higher in the world. desired
that l sci lour colt at a neighboring
fair, and buy, instead, a horse that
would make better appearance at
church or upon visit.
She sent Moses, who was most
discreet bargainer, and whom his
sisters fitted out bravely for the fair.
They trimmed his locks, brushed his
buckles and cooked his hat with pins
He wore Observation-Disclosures coat
and a gosling green waistcoat; but,
alas, at the fair he was imposed upon
by proving sharper, who, after
Moses had we'll bargained away the
colt, managed to get the purchase
money from him in return for a gross
of green spectacles in shagreen cases!
and so, as usual, unforeseen disaster
frustrated our attempts to be fine.
My daughters planned a pleasure
expedition to town, and this MIR.
Burchell so strongly disapproved OF
LQdL d Qud&IGl SASUSO OStWCS1A AA1AA
and my wife, and the gentleman left
our house in fit Of anger, nor could
Sophia's pleading looks stay him.
The town trip being still in pros
pect, my wife, decreed that I go to
the fair myself, and sell our one re-
naming horse. But when one would.
be purchaser examined the animal
> and declared him blind of one eye,
another observed he had a spawn, a
third perceived he had a windgall, a
fourth observed he had the bolts, and
so on, I began to have a most hearty
contempt for the poor beast myself,
, for / reflected that the number OF
witnesses was a strong presumtion
they were right, and St. Gregory him.
self is of the same opinion. However
l at last sold my horse, but had the
misfortune to receive in payment a
forged and worthless draft, the same
bein, indeed, the wicked work of the
very man who had sold Moses the
spectacles.
Mr.. Burchell being absent from our
f1reside, only Sophia missed him, for
the rest Of US were greatly pleased
by the visits Of our landlord, who
now came often. 1t must be owned
that my wife laid thousand schemes
to entrap him as a husband for Olivia
and used every art to magnify the