278 



MONTHLY JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE. 



" Where has Phebe Maiia been ? " said one 

 of the girls. 



" She has n t been anywhere to-day, as far 

 as I know," said L 



" You must have met her, for she just went 

 by here." 



" I lemember I passed a young woman, but 

 I did n't mind who it was," said I.- 



" I think it is pretty well," said Mrs. Har- 

 dy, " if a father do n't know his own daugh- 

 ter." They had quite a laugh about it. 



" I suppose you joined in with them," said 

 Mrs. Duropus. 



" I rather think I did laugh some." 



•' I do wish you would n't run down your 

 own children, or, what is just as bad, let other 

 folks do it. Tlie Hardys need not say any- 

 thing. I do n't think that one of them has 

 had a new thing for six montlos past." 



" I do n't believe they have," said Mr. Du- 

 ropus, with a quiet smile ; " you would cer- 

 tainly have known it if they had ; but do you 

 think they are less respected on that ac- 

 count?" 



" If parents wish to have tlieir children be 

 anybody, they must have them do as other 

 folks do." 



" I rather guess, mother, that neighbor 

 Hardy's girls will make out as well as any of 

 the girls in the place, after all." 



" They may, accorduig to your ideas of 

 making out well. They may marry men like 

 their father, whose hearts are set on improv 

 ing their farms, instead of makmg their iiimi- 

 lies comfortable." 



Mr. D. made no reply to this remark. A 

 cloud passed over his good-humored counten- 

 ance. What were his thouglits as he sat gaz- 

 ing at the place where, in whiter, the fire was 

 wont to glow? Was it strange that the 

 phrase, " they may man-y men like their fa- 

 ther," struck him unpleasHUtly ? Would it 

 be a calamity to tliem if his own daughters 

 should marry men like tlieii- father? Did 

 their motlier regi-et that she was wedded to 

 one whose notions differed so much from the 

 new ones she had adopted ? Ho liad toiled 

 under the scorching summer sun, and amid 

 the storms of winter, to gain the means of ren- 

 dering his family comfortable. Was this un- 

 appreciated ? True, Hardy was the man 

 spoken of, but his own views and practice 

 had not differed materially from those of his 

 neighbor. But thoughts like these were soon 

 dismissed. " She has been," thought he, " a 

 faithful and loving wile; when we began the 

 world with nothing, she did her full share of 

 the labor ; true, now, some of the notions 

 which are filling everybody's heads, in these 

 days, have got into hers; but she will get 

 over them, when she comes to think more 

 about them." He fell pained at the thoughts 

 which he had indulged. By way of atoning 

 for tlie same, he determined to grant the favor, 

 whatever it might be, which he saw his wife 

 ■was preparing to ask at the connnencement 

 of their conversation. He rubbed his face, 

 and changed his position, and talked on vari- 



(566) 



ous topics so cheerfully and pleasantly that 

 Mrs. Duropus was emboldened to prefer her 

 request. 



Mr. Mason, a merchant in the village, had 

 just returned from the city with a fresh sup- 

 ply of goods. In the fullness of his benevo- 

 lence, he had informed Mrs. D. that he had 

 procured certain dress patterns, with especial 

 reference to the adonmient of her daughters ; 

 and that, in expectation that she would pur- 

 chase the same, they should Ije withheld from 

 the public eye till noon the next day. Mrs. 

 D. was authorized by her relenting husband 

 to make the pui'chase on the following morn- 

 ing. 



CHAPTER II. 



Let us now look in at Mr. Hai'dy's. It was 

 about ten o'clock in the morning ; Mrs. Har- 

 dy and her two daughters, Mary and Jane, 

 were busily employed in the labors appropri- 

 ate to their calling. Occasionally the sweet 

 voices of the girls might be heard m song, and 

 then in an affectionate dispute with their 

 mother relative to the division of labor. A 

 knock was heard at the front door. Instead 

 of fleeing in various directions, and slipping 

 on dresses, whose rebellious folds clearly indi- 

 cate the suddenness of their appropriation, 

 .Jane continued at her work, and Mary went 

 to the door. She found there Miss Phebe 

 Maria Duropus, and a young gentleman (the 

 brother of the minister) who was spending 

 his vacation in the village. 



" Good morning," said Mary, with a slight 

 want of composure at the sight of the stranger 

 — " walk in!" 



" We were making a few morning calls," 

 said Miss Phebe, after she had introduced Mr. 

 Foster, " but perhaps you are engaged." — 

 This \vas spoken while she was still standing 

 before the door. 



" We are not more engaged than usual ; we 

 are always happy to see our friends. Come 

 ui ! " said Mary. 



They entered, and Miss Phebe seated 

 herself on the edge of a chair ; whether 

 through fear of soiling her new dress, or 

 because she thought it more genteel, is not 

 known. 



" You are veiy indush-ious," said Miss Phe- 

 be Maria, •' I wish I were so." 



"We are obliged to be; so we do n't de- 

 serve any credit for it." 



Jane came in without waiting to be inquired 

 for ; and after a very lew moments spent in 

 labored conversation, and after amusing her- 

 self by lapping on the bare floor with her sun- 

 screen, and then becoming very ostentatiously 

 conscious of the impropriety of tlie act. Miss 

 Phebe Maria rose, saying that thbj must not 

 hinder their friends from their work, and bade 

 them good morning. Mr. Foster bade them 

 good morning with rather more politeness and 

 respect than was qinte agieeable to Phebe 

 Maria. 



" Phebe scorns to be very fiiendly, all al 

 once," said Jane with a smile, after they had 

 resumed their operations in the kitchen. 



