THE PROGRESS OF FAIR-MEADOW

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 15, 11 April 1907, Page 3

THE PROGRESS OF FAIR-MEADOW

' The trolley — well, yes, the trolley cars have waked us' up; but I allow I can't ' get. used.- to hearing -tttem whiz past. Fair-Meadow seems a different place altogether, '" "" . With, each hand grasping a picket of her frcmtyard gate, -Sarah Menipenny swayed back and forth as she chatted with Mrs. Kichard Folsom— Myra King that was— who lingered on the walk outside. Sarah, tall, angular, and on the ' verge of sixty, was o>f the " type of New England woman who, it is said, never dies. In truth, this sharp-fe-atuned daughter of the soil is ever with us i; though we are assured; that when she grows old she may, like the withered leaves of her antiquated herb garden, blow ' away unnoticed during some breezy day of the gcid'en Indian Summer— away beyond the haze of the billtops < at the horizon that shuts out the view of the World Beyond. ~ - Long ago, Sarah and Myjra- sat side by side in the schocflhouse at the* crossroads, anti were as devoted" "friends as only two young girls can be-- who "cherish an enthusiastic affection for each other. Myr a nciw lived in the city during the greater part .of the year: She was a sweet-faced,, serene little woman, with silvering locks, and her soft lavender gown, simple as it was, presented a marked contrast to Sarah's blue print and sunbonnet. . , , -.-.-. Myra,' oame- occasionally to Fair-Meadow ;• and once, in a , while Sarah went down to the metropolis ' of New "England, the home of " transplanted, palaces, of symphony concerts, and many fads, ' and visiteu at the house' of her old schoolmate, on a fashionable street near the historic Common, heroically wearing- her 'best black silk ' for three- or four days running.. S.O it was that, although , she was • a farmer^ wife, and Myra's husband was" abreast of the times and 'had made a fortune in^ Western mines, after -the lapse iof

nearly half a century the two women §till loved each other — this love having endured despite the fact that Myra,- to her friend's intense dismay, had, by a Hitualistdc path, ' gone over to Rome ' ; and that Stephen, her youngest .son, was . ,a graduate of a Catholic college. . ' Now, for a few moments, Sarah's gaae roved over 1 the fields of young tobacco plants that extended down the -hill ; then her pleasant eyes came back to the twin white houses on the Menipenny home lot, with their pillared doorways and ' green • blinds. ' Brother Hiram's boys and ours talk about cutting > up the farms into buu'uing. plots,' she continued; • but we older folk think it is as well to " let things rest as they are.' " The summer visitor did not pursue the topic of the progress of Fair-Meadow, and the two women stood contemplating the beauty of ' the panorama before them, each busy with her own thoughts. . • The original village had ~ been in the pla*in below, hence its name. But danger from the Indians in Colonial times, and the menace of river floods, soon led to the removal to its present position on the brow of the- hill. From beneath this vantage-ground, - the Connecticut River .valley extends for miles, far away to > the Berkshire Jniils, like an , open scroll wAtten over the story of the bounteous providence of the ' Creator. Through the well-cultivated farms, the noble river, like the Spirit of Fertility, . half veiled' in azure misitss, passes onward to the sea. On this day the sun shone down in forenoon splendor upon the valley ; but there, too, the hills cast thttir shadows, ~as in the plain of life. Hew often Sarah Menipenny .had .watched those shadows lengthen until darkness covered the valley ! How often also had she seen the sunlight of a new day make " all bright where there was gloom before ! -„ ' I suppose Silas an-d Hiram set as much store by each other as ever ? ' /said- Myra,, at last breaking the silence. Sarah, laughed. 'There never were two brothers fonder,' she answered contentedly. 'It is going cm forty years singe Hiram married Satilda Judson and Silas married me. That same summer, you remember, they built these two houses and dug the well yonder. We needed but one, and its spring is the sweetest of any ' hereabout, The children of both families grew up together. And when Robert Flint came bab3<- to the meeting-house a newly-fledged preacher, and saw Silas awd Hiram sitting together in the same pew, as they have most every Sabbath since they were boys, he forgot'his text and preached instead on the beauty of living in- har- _ mony and brotherly love. As" for their flower-growing, there is to be a Rose Show over ito the. - Fair - Grounds next week. It's a new idea of. the young people, but everyone says either .Silas or Hiram will ta^e the prize.' As Sarah paused for breath, there appeared down the road a horse antf wagon, with a- second horse in leading. In the wagon were two old men, grevhaired but strong, with a tinge of red in their withered cheeks, like the blush on a frost-bitten apple. ' Here . they are now,' she went on.- 'The (bay mare . lost a shoe yesterday ; and as , soon as Silas" - spoke of it~, Hiram found his sorrel must be shod too.' By this time .the turnout had reached the driveway of the - Menipenny place, and Silas drew rein at the gate in order that He and Hiram might greet Myra Folsom, whom they had not met since her arria 11 * 6 town two da y s Myra, as -a blueeyed little creature, had. been a favorite with the girls and boys of- her schooldays, and they still felt'a pride m her. She was one of themselves who, by a fortu-" " nate marriage, had attained to wealth and social position. They fegarded her as an example of what any one of Fajr-Meadow's daughters might become if Fortune did but smile upon her ™,\^ Cl J* Mvry! maA t0 ** you-gla,d;tosee-you ! repeated Silas, the larger and oiler of -c. ol^iTIV aS h V Xtended a -toil-hardened palm and 2ff£ * LL Q ° « er slender fln S er s- 'It seems a long W Sl^al r UU ce S s , US6d t0 £ ° berr^* : +w\ Ha ' ft V Ana tne Dojrs bareroot, too, Just for acros^in t,, r rS nn t ng \lldi"~\ lld i"~ put in Hiram ' leanin S 'By Trinh ?v. tO . c ""h Myra's hand in a tight clasp. +w vr ?' , h Z P lctur e is as fresh in my mmd as

' I'll wager there are as fine in my rose patch, ' protested (Silas, abruptly. Mrs. Polsom had winced a trifle at the homely reminiscences of the two old men. What a sensation . the fraternal Damon and Pythias would make in her accustomed- social circle were they transported to the city ! - But .she had' not lost her affection > for the days these friends <-f her -chjilcihood recalled. <; Perhaps it was because 1 the glamor of departed, youth C irradiated the scenes whereof they spoke that, even looked Lack upon through the sunlit mists of- prosperous years, they yet, seemed among the happiest • of life. 1 I'm going to exu-.wit my roses at vne Show,' Hiram declared. • Aitd, by Jonah, I'll call them the Myra Folsom : ' The compliment evidently touched and pleased Mrs. Folsom ; but, wHh the ready . .tact that -in part accounted for her popularity, ; she said, at the same time smiling appreciation of his rural chivalry : 'Oh, thank you! But ," the , Satilda " has a far prettier sound, and will be quite like a florist's name for them, don't "you think so ? ' 'Humph! Maybe you're right; Myry,' hV ruefully admitted, upon second thought. 'For I won't gainsay but that some roses are thorny — powerful thorny.' ' Hiram must be getting old, he's so set,' Silas confided to his- wife- tnat "same evening. ' How can he claim to have the finest roses when he -has not seen mine since 'they blossomed out. Mine can't be beat, that is sure ; and I am" going to -call them the Sarah Menipenny. 1 * His practical helpmate suddenly found her spectacles grown dim. ' Though it is, indeed, a faded rose Silas has at home, he 'has never changed for all that,' she said to herself, with a thrill of pride. 'But no more hasHiram, and I will allow he has had morev-to put up with. Satilda can be "faying, at times.' - The day of the Floricultural Exhibit, came at last. Before it was civer, all the visitors at the Fair G-rounds were* agreed that never before had such" mag- " nificent roses " 'been grown in , the county as those , shown by Silas and Hiram. But alas for, .the latter's recent boast ! On this oqcasion verily^ the thorns" proved his portion. -The judges detl'Ued in favor of his brother and the Sarah Menipenny roses. The next summer when -Myra. Folsom came to.-the-village, Fair-Meadow had a different tale tb tell - of the erstwhile exemplars of fraternal affection.' * ' It was the. new stir in the place that- di«d it,'. Sarah confided to her friend. '.When Silas ;and Hiram, got through, arguing about their floral exhibit, - the activity of the building- companies set them ~to bickering over the boundaries of their lands,. . ' Hiram says the well is on his ground, and Silas declares it forms part of his property. Now they- talk of going to lawto settle the matter.' Myra was resourceful. As a method of soothing over the difficulty she suggested that her son Stephen, who was studying engineering at the- ' Technology,' should come up .and survey the farms. One September morning, accordingly, the owners of the two farms tramped 'over the fields . with Stephenand his chum. Silas /.carried a time-yellowed deed,, from which he . read at intervals ; Hiram followed with a map of the property, and the young survey o-s measured and figured and -drove stakes. At last the 'bounds were clearly defined down to the home lot, where stood the homesteads side by side. Onward strode Stephen until he came to the well whence for so many years water had been drawn for both households— sweet spring water that yet, of late, had grown bitter to fche taste of -each brother be--cause of their dispute"" as to which- of them had the' right to .drink it. . • 'Here's' the nlace ! The line runs just to the -off side of the wellV' cried one eagerly, and as though he were speaking of a horse ; while he followed the man- with his index finger, pointing out the spring that lay. on his side of the. field. _• No, the ' line certainly runs on the- nigh side,' protested, the- other. 'Hear what the deed says: "three hundred feet from the fence." ' * . _ Folsom silently continued his figuring. After a few moments he drove his last;. stake squarely in a line with the pump,' and, standing erect, said as he met the look of amazement depicted on the faces of the two old men : ' 1 Well, Uncle Silas and Uncle Hiram, the matter rests this way : the well was dug directly on the boundary that divides your farms. The line cuts the pump in, "two, leaving the handle on one side and the" snout on -the" other. So, Uncle Hiram, you .can pump all the water you have a mind to, but how are you going to make use of it unless Uncle Hiram, lets ; *".% - - _ -_" __

you rest your bucket on his ground under the pump ? Uncle Silas, you pan have all the water that flows' from *the .pump, but Jiow«, are you going to get any unless 'Uncle iiiram gives" you leave ? You will have to settle this question amicably between yourselves, or else one of -you wUll have to sell out to the other.' . For. some seconds Silas and . Hiram eyed each other angrily over the top of the pump. Then the wrath of both turned upon the would-be pacifier, who, with the rashness of youth, had told them v the unwelcome truth. - ; ; '"Humph ! I always"' thought you were demented, Stephen Folsom ! ' exclaimed Jbairam gruffly. ' Seems. as"" if being a Romanist made you see thHngs different.' > The young man checked the hasty reply that roseto his lips. He was sorry for the discomfiture of his old friends ; yet he congratulated himself that he had not been- forced 'to announce- the triumph of either in this their first real quarrel. ' ' ' Being a i^omanist, as you call it, Uncle Hiram, has nothdntg to do v witih surveying, unless to make me more- eager to be just and accurate,' he answered forbearirigly. ' But 1 -will admit it is my moral'theodolfte, and an unerring one too — ' ' I'm not attacking your convictions, boy,' inter- . posed Silas, regretting his brother's illi'berality. '' All | I say is, you don't kno.w your profession.' Thus was Stephen offered up as a sacrifice to his mother's ambition to enact the - role of , peacemaker. In vain, nevertheless, did "the Menipennys have the lot again surveyed. The result- was - the same. Hir&mi could not legally take the water he, , pumped without the consent of Silas, and Silas couldnot pump any water unless with Hiram's permission.'/' ' Duraed if I ever give Hn ! I'll draw water from the river first ! ' Silas announced to Sarah! 'By Jonah, I will never ask a favor of Silas ! '. ~ Hiram declared to Satilda. Sci during the remainder of the autumn, all the watler used by the two househoWs was brought ~in casks from the Connecticut River, a male away; and the brothers avoided both the puimp and each other. ■ When winter came, and the roads were rough and".' broken, the problem prew more difficult. One " dull morning, when the ground was covered with snow . and the air filled with a drizzling sleet, Hiram stole" out to the pump. 'It is too early for Silas to be around, '''he muttered to himself. : And who will be the wiser if I pump a- bucketful of water ? The river's frozen over ae^ain and the neighbors are getting tired of letting us draw from their wells.' As he approached the old try sting-place, howeve-, the spot whore he and his brother had been wont to discuss family matters, the town gossip, &nd the affairs of the nation, he, perceived that some one else had come out surreptitiously- liVe himself. At the pump stood »Silas, working the long wooden handle up and down vigorously, . and so engrossed in his nefarious occupation as lo be oblivious of everything besides. H»is coat was powdered' with snow, his fur cap was pulled down over his ears, and the ends of his. trousers were stuffed into his high-topped rawhide boots. Hi-ram was about, to cry out to- him in angry protest ; but as he continued to gaze at the familiar figure, his- heart smo^e him. Silas had aged much dulling the last few months ; - there was no shutting one's eyes to the fact. He was less hale, and the fringe of white hair that showed beneath his cap was thinner. He was more round-shouldered too, and as he - lifted his filled buckets, it was as though he felt them heavy. Hiram decided quietly to make -his way back to the house. But he . had delayed too long. His brother turned, and -Hi* two old men found themselves confronting each other, and only a few steps apart. Silas started, thereby spilling some of the precious water from the buckets. For a moment he looked shamefaced enough, like an urchin caught in mischief. Then, suddenly realising the situation and that Hiram was likewise an intentional trespasser, he stared blankly before him, wheeled around, and started homeward. • , It was' the climax. K«iram Swung' hisi o-wjn frostcovered buckets defiantly. But pleas&wt memories crowded upon him. The evenings had. been long, and dull -since visiting between the two houses' had .ceased. A man's wife, whatever pise she may do for his comfort, can mot be expected to smoke a sociable pipe by the hearth with him. Moreover, " Hiram's conscience pricked sharply. Jf Silas had been obstinate, was not he Mmself as s1 übborn as a mule ?

• This cannot go on for ever,' he resolved there and then. r And I 'spose the one who began the quarrel ought to speak first.'.. He stepped fciward. ~ _' Silas ! ' At the call, Silas, turned • again, and the .brothers were once more face to face. Hiram's • 'voice was husky.. with emotion.' •Silas,' he said. ' 'Pears 'to me -that we've been the durned idiots, 'stead of them yoamg. surveyors from the dity.' A" similar - thought had shaped Itself in the mind of- Silas. It was only what -his wife Sarah/ had been^ telling him for weeks, sometimes clinching- her argument- with : _, „ ;- - ' "-' ' And Myra Folsom says such hard feelings 1 aren't Christian.' Hiram's present generosity cut him "as -though he had 'been stung by a lash from a- whip. In the beginning, had- not he, Silas, been the offender ? Had he not been too stiff-necked to bend* .his pride 1 : - . 1 'Pears you^.are about right, Hiram,' he -replied, grasping Ms brother's outstretched- hand. 'I- reckon it .is meant that in this world folks must depend a little on one another. • There -is no dne~ so independent that he can go it quite alone." I'm sorry I started the quarrel— yes, I did ; but we will not get "so arguing over it again, for it is 'settled now.' ' Yes, it is now ; and we're a heap wiser • than we were, since we know that we - both were , , wrong,' agreed Hiram, as, clapping Silas. ;on- the shoulder, he broke into a happy laugh, which brought ' ,a boyish smile to the seamed face of his brother. Yet the eyes of the old men were misty. Their quarrel and reconciliation formed a landmark / in the social history of the neighborhood, whose material prosperity continued. Few in the little New England village realised, however, the broader progress it attained in .the breaking down of many of its -Puritanical- prejudices and some of its narrowness through the gentle influence of luyra- Folsom, the • ] daughter of whose worldly success • Fair-Meadow " was .so" pTCjpd— its transplanted rose, whose heart, all white j and golden, ' but g;ave forth added sweetness with the . passing years.—' Aye Maria.'

Of the . thirty-six Australian - Senators eleven are Catholics. \ „ - : Miss! Marie Narelle sang at the St. Patricks Night Concert in Melbourne, and was enthusiastically received. She had previously given a successful season of four nights in the Melbourne Town Hall. The ''Age,' .commenting on the Victorian elections, - says that the sectarian agitation was fruitful in at - least spurring the electors,. " ' but that it failed to achieve ifs purpose. indeed, maybe said' to be one of the features of the contests. In every case but one where a '■; sectarian candidate challenged a seat on - the Education question he was defeated.' - ' St. Mary's Convent, Lismore, was formally opened ' a few Sundays ago his Lordship Bishop Doyle in - the presence'of upwards of 3000 persons.- Bishop Doyle sadd they had met that day to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and to open the handsome new convent for the Presentation Nuns. A collection realised upwards of t£soo. - The new building is a three-storey one, and has . also a basement. It covers a plot of. ground 100 ft. square, aM cost over £10,000. - Victor - Emmanuel has his hobby. As the Prince of Wales has devoted ftim'self to philately, so the Ming of Italy .has -given -much, of his spare time to the- collec- • ting of coirs? His Ma'estv's collection of the coins of his own country alone amounts to over 50,000 specimens, with a catalogue of nearly 35,000 slips. , He is a • member of the Numismatic Society of .London, and has received ,iAie society's, gold medal in recognition of Ms ■ distinguished services to .the ' pursuit. " .'

As the Prince of

For Bronchial Coughs- take Woods' Great Peppermint Cure.. Is 6d and 2s " 6d.... MYERS &- CO., Dentists, Octagon, corner of George Street. They guarantee the highest class of work" at moderate fees. Their artificial teeth give general satisfaction, and the fact of them supplying a temporary denture while the gums are healing ,does away with the inconvenience of being months without teeth. They manufacture a single artificial tooth for Teh 'Shillings, and sets equally moderate. The administration of nitrous oxide gas is also a great boon to those needing the extraction of a tooth —