The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1863-07-16

to take the place of the late Mrs. Wells
She was an active, enterprising girlish
| old maid as the term goes, and a woman
who knew how to take care of herself
! too.
At first, she laughed the idea to scorn
| What she be married /? No indeed =
Not to the best man that ever trod in two
shoes. The idea She, Sally Holt; il
wasn't going to do. But it did do, and
Sally had the prefix of Mrs. before hel
new name. Sie went into the house
and gloom took itself off before her bust.
ling ways and sunny face. She must have
a girl, she said, yes girl, the first thing
and a smart capable one, too. John
rather opened his eyes at this, for it seem
ed indeed new doctrine, but he was able,
| and forthwith a girl was installed in the
kitchen. Still John Wells stopped and
looked perplexed and careworn. 1t quite
startled aim on the spring in which they
were married, to hear his wife ask him to
spade up bit of land in favorte spot,
where she could plant some flowers, aud
then strangest of all commissioned him
to go to the city to buy some choice seeds.
Why. Sarah would have done both, her.
self, or else gone without them-this he
only thought, however, but said aloud,
''he didn't know as he could spare the
time" Sally said che must" very play
fully, though under the trifing air she
assumed, lay resoluteness that conveyed
itself even through smiles. John went.
Not long after, harvesting time came
Sally saw what was required of her,
and in her halt serious, half sportiye way
protested that she could not do the work
for all the men who were coming; that
she didn't like the manners aud the con-
versation Of those she had seen, and it
would be very much against her inclina-
ton to have anything to do with it.
'sWhy Sarah never said or thought OF
such thing )" was his astonished Omen
taD exclamation
Sally OWNED his thoughts. She was
cute, was Sally, and sometimes very alb
rupt with her tongue.
Il know that poor Mrs. Wells always
Gid these things she said mercilessly,
''and l know, and every body knows that
she worked herself to death"
"Well, true enough, it might be -
said the farmer, slowly and thoughtiully,
she never thought Of it. But what shall
do 7" he asked, lingering his hair
nervously.
81 will try and get along with little
extra help, but 1 have plan - said the
determined Sally, her black eyes shining
That little old house or your place!''
"Well, what of it % asked John Wells,
not little curious.
"Fit it up and let Harry Lee take it
Give him ground for garden, a privilege
in the wood lot, and pay him small sum
over He will bring his vile here; she
will he'll p me enough to allow me to dis
pense with the services of a girl except
in harvest and planting time then let the
men eat with them, you paying the
difference of table expenses, and you will
save yourself money, and me my health,
besides having a good reliable man always
within CALI
John Wells looked and thought, toyed
with his hair, knit his brow, and thought,
and looked again. He couldn't see into
it just then, but it didn't take long after
that to appreciate the whole thoroughly,
and to put the plan ihto execution. The
next move Of the adroit little Sally was
to induce her husband to procure a neat,
Inexpensive little carriage, and after that,
she found it convenient to affect that she
wasn't used to driving, and it would do
them both good to take daily drive
John Wells did not like this at all, at
first 1t broke in upon his habit of taking
''snooze," as he called it after tea, bat
the break up put new life in him. 1t was
great point gained to get him to put
on clean suit of clothes for supper, and
the John Wells sitting at the table with
hair curled and clean collar on, John
was really handsome man. would not
be known for the same dirty, tired, stoop-
ing husband Of the first Mrs. Wells.
Now if he would only take paper =
1t was pity, but he had sort of moral
horror of newspapers. He thought all
the fashionable foibles and extravagancies,
even crimes of the country, originated in
the columns of the newspaper. 1t took
a long time for the cunning Sally to gain
her point. Like true woman she never
gave up, but after every failure turned
her tactics, and of course came off con-
queror A splendid paper that treated
largely of farming, soon laid on his table,
and John Wells acknowledged to his wife
a year after that, well, really it was
astonishing how much one could learn
from a little paper; it was really! He
had actually saved all of twenty dollars
by judicious expenditure Of two
Didn't / tell you 500" asked Sally,