1884.] THE TWO MRS. TUCKERS. ' 2ft9 



into the wood-slied. The front of the house contained two rooms. 

 One opened into the kitchen and was a bedroom, furnished sparsely 

 enough; the other was a parlor, with high-backed, rush -bottomed 

 chairs against the wall, a round table in the middle, a fire-place 

 with brass-andirons, and fire-irons, a family Bible on the table, and 

 a " mourning-piece " painted in ground hair on the mantel. Green 

 paper shades and white cotton . curtains, a rag carpet, fresh as it 

 came from the loom — if its dinginess could ever be called fresh — 

 and a straight-backed sofa covered with green and yellow glazed 

 chintz, made as dreary an apartment as could well be imagined. 

 Wealthy shut the door behind her quickly, and went to the shed 

 for material to make her fire. It was almost sundown, and she 

 was hungry; but she found only the scantiest supply of wood, 

 and a few dry chips for kindling. However, she did her best, and 

 she had brought some provisions from home, so that she managed 

 to lay out a decent supper on the rickety table, by the time Amasa 

 came stamping in from the barn. 



He looked disapprovingly at the pie, the biscuit, the shaved beef, 

 and the jelly set before him. 



"I hope ye ain't a waster, Wealthy," he growled. 



" There's vittles enough fur a township and the' ain't but two 

 of us." 



"Well, our folks sent 'em over; and you no need to eat 'em," 

 she answered, cheerily. 



" I ain't goin' to; don't ye break into that jell, set it by; some- 

 time or nuther somebody may be a comin' here, and you'll 

 want it." 



"Wealthy said no more ; they made their supper of biscuit and 

 beef, for the pie also was ordered "set by." 



She was used to economy, but not to stinginess, and she excused 

 this extreme thrift in her husband more easily for the reason she 

 had been always poor, and she knew very well that he was not rich 

 to say the least. But it was only the beginning. 



Hard as "Wealthy had worked at her uncle's, here she found 

 harder burdens; she had to draw and fetch all the water she used 

 from an old-fashioned well with a heavy sweep; picturesque to see, 

 but wearisome to use; wood was scarce, for though enough grew 

 on the hundred acres that Amasa owned, he grudged its use. 



"I shan't cut down no more than is reely needful," he said, when 

 she urged him to fetch her a load; "wood's allers a growin' when 



