Anything Else that would lighten her
Labors, Henry would Moan and Grumble and say she was trying to land him
in the Poorhouse.

They had a dandy big Barn, painted Red With White Trimmings, and a
Patent Fork to lift the Hay into the Mow, and the Family lived in a Pine
Box that had not been Painted in Years and had Dog-Fennel all around the
Front of it.

The Wife of the Respected Farmer was the only Work Animal around the
Place that was not kept Fat and Sleek. But, of course, Henry did not
count on Selling her. Henry often would fix up his Blooded Stock for the
County Fair and tie Blue Ribbons on the Percherons and Herefords, but it
was never noticed that he tied any Blue Ribbons on the Wife.

And yet Henry was a Man to be Proud of. He never Drank and he was a Good
Hand with Horses, and he used to go to Church on Sunday Morning and hold
a Cud of Tobacco in his Face during Services and sing Hymns with Extreme
Unction. He would sing that he was a Lamb and had put on the Snow-White
Robes and that Peace attended him. People would see him there in his
Store Suit, with the Emaciated Wife and the Scared Children sitting in
the Shadow of his Greatness, and they said that she was Lucky to have a
Man who was so Well Off and lived in the Fear of the Lord.

Henry was Patriotic as well as Pious. He had a Picture of Abraham
Lincoln in the Front Room, which no one was permitted to Enter, and he
was glad that Slavery had been abolished.

Henry robbed the Cradle in order to get Farm-Hands. As soon as the
Children were able to Walk without holding on, he started them for the
Corn-Field, and told them to Pay for the Board that they had been
Sponging off of him up to that Time. He did not want them to get too
much Schooling for fear that they would want to sit up at Night and Read
instead of Turning In so as to get an Early Start along before Daylight
next Morning. So they did not get any too much, rest easy. And he never
Foundered them on Stick Candy or Raisins or any such Delicatessen for
sale at a General Store. Henry was undoubtedly the Tightest Wad in the
Township. Some of the Folks who had got into a Box through Poor
Management, and had been Foreclosed out of House and Home by Henry and
his Lawyer, used to say that Henry was a Skin, and was too Stingy to
give his Family enough to Eat, but most People looked up to Henry, for
there was no getting around it that he was Successful.

[Illustration: THE FARM]

When the Respected Far