Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1868-09-18
Farmer Heath determines to Out OF
aAn Extra"

. - AAS0A SAOeSAA ASSSA SAAeAASS W. Wv VA
"An Extra"
The old farm house wore a quiet,
pleasant look as the setting sun glded
its small windows, over which the lux.
uriant grape vines were carefully
trained. In the open door sat the
farmer, with little morocco covered
book in his hand, on which his atten-
ton had been fixed for the last hour
He was a man of method and order
old Richard Heath-and, aside from
his regular account books, which he
always kept with scrupulous care, he
always set down in the simplest man
ner possible, all his expenses mo very
complicated amount by the way), and
all tie had received during the year, in
the metal, as he said-not by the way
of trade.
The last account he had Just reck-
oned up, and the result was highly sat
isfactory, it one might judge from the
pleasant expression OF his face as he
turned to his wife and addressed her
by her pretty, old fashioned name:
"Millicent," !" said he, this has been
lucky year. How little we though;
when we moved to this place, twenty
FIVE years ago, that we should ever
get five hundred dollars year out of
the rocky, barren farm
1T does pay for great deal Of
hard work" said she, 'to sec how diff
tercnt things look now from what they
did then"
Now, l am going to figure up
how much We have spent" said Mr..
Heath; don't make a noise with
your knitting needles, cause it puts
me out
The wife laid by her knitting in per-
feet good humor, and gazed over the
broad, rich fields OF waving grain,
which grew SO tall ar ,unu the laden
apple trees that they looked Ike mas
sive piles Of foliage. Hearing her own
name kindly spoken, led her own
thoughts far back to the past; for, at
ter the lapse OF twenty five years, the
simple sound OF the name she bore in
her youth, means more, 70 awite, than
all the pleasing eplth@ts ct dearest,
darling, so layishly offered IL q long
past courtship.
Very pleasant was the retrospect TO
Mllicenl Heath. The picture Of the
past had on it some rough places and
some hard trials, but no domestic
strife or discomfort marred its sunny
aspect, There We're faces on it--h.p-
py childrens faces; without which,
no life picture is beautiful. soft blue
eyes, sIione with uncoutled gladness,
and wayy hair iioated carlessly over
unwritten toreheads. She forgot, for
moment, how they were changed,
and almost tancied herself again the
young mother, and tiny hands stole
lovingly over her bosom, and young
heads nestled there as OF old.
The illusion wants ed quickly and
she sighed; she thought OF her young
est born--the reckless boy who had
lett her three years before Tor a home
on the sea. Once only had tldings
reached her OF the wanderer. The let
ter spoke Of hardships and home sick
ness, in that careless way that reached
the mothers heart more surely than
repininS and complaint. To know
that he suffered with strong heart,
with noble and unyielding resolution,
gave her unyielding resolution-gave
her feeling OF pleasure, not unmin-
gled with pride.
"He will surely come back" muir
INJURED the atfectiona,e mother to her
self; and l read the paper SO carefully
every week, that ii it says anything
about the ship Ayrsd sailed in, ! shall
be sure to sec ii.
"Mrs. Heath" said her husband, in
terrupting her meditations somewhat
rudeiy, I'VE have spent thirty dollars
more than usual this year, where can it
have gone to?
"The new harness." suggested Mrs.
Heath; that don't come every year
you know"
"Well, there's twenty dollars ac-
counted tor"
1--WE had the carriage fixed up when
you bought the harness." continued
the wife.
swell, that was eight dollars; that's
twcnty-e ght we don't spend every
year-but, the other two, where can
they have gone p
Glancing his eye over the pages
Of his memorandum book. he exclaim
ed
"I'll tell you what It's the newspa-
per costs just two dollars, and We can
do without it. 1t isn't anything to
eat, drink, or wear. I don't do any
thing with it, aud you only lay it away
up chamber. 1t may as well be LETT
out a. not, and I'll stop my subscrip-
ton right away"
"Oh," said his wife, "you don't know
how much set by the newspaper. |
always have sort OF . glad feeling
when you take 1t out OF your hat and
lay it on the mantlep,ece, jast as l do
when some OF lhe ealyiren come home,
and when ann tired ! SIT down with
my knitting aud read--I can knit just