The Story of a Country Town

intended, it became necessary for me to go after the teacher; so it was arranged tha

why we had this impression-and after taking unusual pains with my toilet, she asked Jo to cut my hair, which he k

chitect-the first house of such pretensions I had ever seen-with a gravel walk leading down to the gate, and a wide and neglected yard in front. A broken and dismantled wind-mill stood in the barn-yard, and around it was piled a great collection of farm machinery in an equally advanced stage of decay, all rotting away for lack of care and use. There was a general air of neglect everywhere, and I thought Mr. Biggs was an indifferent farmer, or else an invalid. Boards were off the fences, and gates off the hinges, and pigs roamed in every place where they did not belong. A herd of them, attracted by the sound of my wheels, d

live here?" I

e answered, drawling the first

"if you will open th

by the stables. He followed sullenly, after banging the gate again, and, picking up his fork without looking at me,

Biggs

e," plunging his fork viciously into the h

gnes at ho

in better humor, as though the name of Agne

Agnes to her school to-morrow. If you'll show

se, and the fellow was debating in his mind which was the worst or the best one, I could not tell which. Finally he found a place, but the feed boxes were gone;

o welcome me; but she didn't come, and I began to feel very uncomfortable. I had consoled myself for the rudeness of the young man by the thought that he would be very much ashamed of his incivil

t he had a very little head, on which was perched a hat evidently bought for one of

, after eying me a long while, as though that w

me as if thinking I was larger or smaller than he ha

. I'm the hired man. My name is B

rs great curiosity, and Big Adam's were so particularly sma

lazy, and between them I have a great deal of trouble. I do all the work that is done here, and though you may think from looking around that I am not kept very busy,

better, and said it looked

and show you weeds higher than your head. Instead of spending the money to mend the stables and fences, they buy more land with it, to give Big Adam somethin

reminded me of the brush heaps in which we found rabbits at home, and

e I can't do the work of a dozen men; and they'll tell you I am surly, because I can't cheerfully go ahead and do all they ask me to. A fine opinion of Big Adam you'll have when you go away; but I ask you to notice while you a

eps, I knocked timidly at the front door. While waiting for some one to answer my rap, I noticed a door-plate hanging on one scre

stood before me. Although she was friendly to me as usual there was a constraint in her manner that I co

hall where I had entered, "but we expect him home to-night. My mother is not well, and deman

lain my errand, and I thought she was greatl

aid; and I wondered she could leave her mother, for I had be

we sat, and she looked out through the door leading into the hall

said, seeing I wondered a

, and then I remembered that she seldom ta

I inquired, thinking

nes went quickly to the door to listen. Being convinced that one of th

ear they will annoy you; it is so quiet at yo

ll," not knowing what

p in town fashion here in the country, and they are seldom allowed to go out of doors, so that they can't be blamed for being rude and bad. All of them except the baby would be ou

nd I knew they were peeping over; but some one came out hurriedly after them

They have the greatest curiosity imaginable. There wi

a moment, and then, excusing herself, went out. After a long time I heard her coming back with them. Six of them rushed into the room ahead of her, and, taking u

d the baby on my knee, and I soon had all the children about me, asking questions and going through my pockets. Indeed, I succeeded very well in amusing them. While they were playing around, I heard some one come down the stairs, and go down the hall to a door which I judged led into the kitchen. Presently Agnes went out too, and I supposed they were making arrangements for supper, which thought was probably suggested by the fact that it was late, and that I was very hungry. The ch

ike a mummy's, and that, altogether, she was the most repulsive-looking creature I had ever seen. I half expected that she would give me a rap as she went out, she looked so sour and ugly. I supposed she was a serv

though it was necessary to say something before I could re

y well until one of them fell down, when she contin

ndsomely dressed man stepped into the room. He spoke to Agnes

. I shall go home with him to-morrow, as the

im Little Biggs-because he was very s

ed Wes

ively while he removed his gloves. Placing them in

Mr. Biggs said. "I am glad to

nobody else had said as

ooking admiringly at his thin legs, and brushing at a speck of dirt which seemed

was extremely fastidious in his dress and manner. I manage

, our food, and our ways are rough, but substantial and honest. We have other matters to look after, such as following the plough, sowing the grain, and tossing the

hours before, and that I would depart t

rm. Other great farmers have from four to a dozen hired men about them, but Big Adam and I do all the work here; and we a

my mind than a fop, until Agnes came in and said we were to walk out to supper. There was no one in the supper room when we entered it, and although I

t, except that it is substantial and hearty. Meat and bread and milk make muscle, and muscle is in great demand on a farm. Big Adam and I find a great

shovelling in his food with a knife, and bolting it-he did neither, but on the contrary was very delicate-and as he kept watching me, I thought that he must be apologizing for his guest, which made me very uncomfortable at my bad manners, for up to that time I had not been backwar

r (which he said was a very poor one, but which he observed in the course of the evening, as an example of his extravagance, had

. I heard Big Adam protesting to some one that it was not pleasant to be always "jawed at," and that he did all he could; but when the argument threatened to become boisterous, I heard a pleasanter voice intercede, and establish a peace, and I was sure this was Agnes's. Mr. Biggs

supper room was so great that he went on trying to draw my attention away from it. "I confess to thinking something of them, but

h him, though I could not tell what it was.

iles away, over a rough road. Whenever I go to bed early to make up lost sleep, or come home particularly tired from tossing the hay or holding the plough, either Annie, or Bennie, or Carrie, or Davie, or Effie, or Fannie, or Georgie, or Harry, is sick, and I am compelled to go for a doctor. This never fails if the night is very wet, t

, from holding it in his hand and waving it at me, he

ir teeth before birth, and seldom die except when fat from good health, and at the hands of a butcher. Children, on the other hand"-he used his right hand to represent the pigs, and his left to represent the children-"are never well, and for every tooth there is an insolent doctor with a bill, to say nothing of measles, coughs, rashes,

y arguing the cause of the children, I replied th

which possibly has escaped your own notice, that children do not appreciate good treatment, as do pigs and ot

n't know," but I knew at once that he was impatient that I

ractice I am more of a philosopher than my neighbors; but it is a fact, nevertheless, that the pig that slips into the house and litters it up is beaten with a broomstick until he understands, when tempted on future occasions, that the practice is dangerous. If the pigs get on the porch, and you open the door suddenly, they run away in great haste, having been taught by harsh means that they are not exp

. It was very uproarious, and I thought he was regretting that

ay at your house until you are tired; for then you can send them away, and enjoy the quiet following their absence. You will find that pleasant enough, but if you have a house full of your own, that alters the case; for like th

nt that I did not accept his advice at once. But recollecting himself, he took a delicate knife from his pocket, and after profuse apologies for his ill-manners, p

er," he said, after his fingers wer

ad the finest voice ever heard in Fairvi

acquaintance-I would say to him, 'Quit singing, Reverend John, if you would become great.' How does it come he is not in the Legislature? Because he sings. Th

not, for I had neve

o whitewash, avoid the musical negro, for his talent is likely to be exhausted in that direction. I don't pretend to know why it is against a man that he is able to entertain people with his voice, or

roar the "Hunter's Horn," or "Glorious Day of Rest" for the amusement of my host; but I was now glad she had been so considerate of my feelings, and spared me the h

tell a great many unpalatable truths; I have eyes and intelligence, therefore I cannot help noticing (and mentioning) that the people of this country pay more attention to raising thorough-bred stock than to raising thorough-bred children which you must admit is

he made his living by indorsing the follies of other people, but he had pointed out their mistakes

expect to help bury the rest of them at intervals in the future. While I get a little stronger every year, by care and common sense, they get a little weaker, by carelessness and ignorance, and finally they are buried, with L. Biggs, Esq., the consumptive, looking contentedly on. The trouble with these men is that they eat everything coming in the

else, I should be compelled to make an exception in the pie pa

offered cake, and nightmare in other forms, I do not greedily accept and devour everything set before me, but instead I say, 'If you have cold oatmeal mush, or a bit of graham bread, I will refresh myself with that, b

their assistance, and leading the way up stairs, I meekly followed. Opening a door after reaching the upper floor, he gave me the

he was saying he did the best he could, and that it wasn't pleasant to be "jawed at," which made me think again of the terrible old woman with the parchment face, the little head, the little body, and the little knot of hair on the back of her head. I felt like kneeling down by my bed and praying that the queer wom