The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-10-14

brought upon hef head the bottled
wrath Of her future mcther-in-law, and
this was her decided inclination to 70
With her nez uncle and pass southern
winter ID bis society. To be sure, after
the solemn assurance, which she was At
first slow to understand, that delicacy
and propriety would be dreadfully
shocked BY such step, she Immediate
~ ceased to express her wish for il;
but the fact she had done 50 rendered
conference necessary between mother
and son, and they decided that a very
quiet winter at home with as little com
pany as possible except that Of her fu-
tore lord was in ever? way desirable.
After her uni14e9I., g49,,. dePvture, Esther
was always her surest plan for happi-
ness. And Mrs Loder having taken a
severe cold, which ended in Rheumatic
affection, che assumed the sole charg.
Of the housekeeping to her own crest
delight, and was busy about one thing
or an other from moEpiDg until night.
Her elder sons chief financial sbiE-
ties consisting of bis unlimited power
to spend money and his utter avers.oa
to making it, Mrs. Loder had always
been in the habit of looking to Tom
for all assistance Of this nature. 1t was
he who took all her household orders.
looked over and settled her accounts,
laid in the Goa, and kept the receipts.
To him Bessie now applied for direc-
tlons aud ready money. and after their
very first conference was so astonished
to find that this quiet, imperturbable
young fellow, whom she had sometimes
even called stupid and boorish, made
and kept il motion the complete ma
chinery Of the family comfort and mairt
tenance, that she could do nothing but
stare at him silently whenever he came
near her. Even Frank, her smooth
and d;gniGed lover, could condesceud
to call upon the plodding worker for
funds, as she foupd out by consulting
the mcthodical book OF accounts be
kept, and she no longer wondered at
his persevering business habits that
sometimes degenerated into drudgery,
and for which she had accounted by
his apparent want of higher taste when
there seemed no necessity.
Totally without wordy self.asscrtion
Tom willingly left her to think as she
pleased, and setting her down as one of
the family, for allof whom he had
steady, quiet affection, without q par
ticle of res pect, he was exceedingly in
different to her opinion so long as she
seemed we'll aud comfortable.
When she care to him one Monday
morning with book and pencil, and
said, with bright ansh Of something
like Importance in her face:
"Please, Tom, give me a few mo-
ments Of your time. Aunt: Loder. has
given up the housekeeping to me, and
I want some money to begin, she says"
Hc looked at her with. his heavy
brows tr1ae raised, and formed hi,
lips into noiseless whistle: 1s
"You won't get tired of thst, Oh no,'
he remarked. ironically. "Carrie b.
gan it about year ago and kept At il
long enough to blot all the accounts and
mislay the keys. I'll give you a week
Or two longer; but how's mother? Are
those pains no better p And he 1elaps-
I'd into the kind, attentive son in bis
one.
eyes, she's better, but I'm to take
charge all the same, and. please don't
confuse me by your eneers, Tom. It's
my duty to learn Housekeeping, you
kno";" and she blushed slightly as
she spoke.
Tom had by this time laid his hat
and gloves on the table near which
they stood, aud unlocking a small draw
er in the little bookcase, took on. a
long black book and opened it at a
clear page. He paused, aud at her
words bit his lips moment; then he
gave her full, serious look.
"Do you really mean to marry Frank,
Essie p he asked kiodly, but in a low
md almost solemn tone. :
She looked at him surprised, aud a
title distressed by his manner: -
"lsn't il; right ?" she asked, simply.
"Risht, il you; like him." he answer
ID, coolly. ".Just look over last weeks
outlay it will give you an idea, and
write down here, received twenty dol
ars. That's right-don't trust to. Pc
er too much about marketing, and 90
make that woman Dorothy more par
:icular about the roasts."
He took up his hat and gloves, being
i've minutes late, he said, and hurried
III.
This was the first of many conferen-
'es, but the last of any hint about her
position in the family.
Ess;e fals;Ged TOMS prediction about
Ter haste in becoming tired with the
ares Of housekeeping. She grew, on
he, contrary, more absorbed in them
very day, and was more than once
by him about the improv-
d comfort Of their living. -
Gro BE coNT1NuED.)
at Is announced that = literary IN.
of vast extent has been. pro-