Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-07-02
NO. 157

care of. Besides, Tn used to my own
ways, and shouldn't like any one to break
into 'em. Jerry's place is so convenient,
tool know it well it won't be hard to
work there"
Still work, work it had grown to be a
| habit, and there was no charm that could
win her from it.
They were settled in the house-their
own house. and much of the old furniture
was replaced by new: yet so fearful was
the good wife that things would not be
kept up just to the point where she found
them, that it was scrub and delve, delve
and scrub from morning till night-just
the old way only a little worse. AT last
nature would hold out no longer. After
enjoying the new farm for six months,
Sally complained one evening that she felt
strangely, fell down in fainting fit, and
was taken to her bed, never to leave it
again.
Poor John Grimes, he bore a hopeless,
melancholy face at the funeral, and his
new, smart house felt like a new, smart
tomb, where the bricks, the paint and the
varnish are all fresh.
1t took him two years to get accustomed
to his loneliness, and he might have lived
on, single, forever, if some presumptuous
wife, and then almost do his wooing for
him.
Dolly Duncan was the party fixed upon
to fill the place Of the late Mrs. Grimes.
She was an active, enterprising woman
whom no one thought 0 scaling old
maid, though she had turned the corner of
| thirty. She was a merry, almost jolly
person, who knew how TO take care OF
herself and had always declared that she
never wanted husband on her hands.
She had little homestead, full of sun
shine. and ''she wouldn't thank the best
man that ever trod in two shoes to ask her
to change her condition. But somehow
Dolly did come to have the prefix of
Mrs before her name. She went into
the house of farmer Grimes, and gloom
took itself off at the sound of her merry
laugh-at sight of her sunny face.
She must have help, she said the first
thing; smart, capable help. John rather
opened his eyes at this, for it seemed a
new doctrine transfused into the old life,
but he was able to bear it, aid forthwith a
strong girl was installed in the kitchen.
Still John Grimes, having acquired the
habit, stopped as he walked, and looked
as if strange perplexities had got hold
of him. Ii quite startled II, one fine
spring morning, when his wife asked him
to spade up bit of land in a favorite spot,
where she could plant flowers, and strang-
er STILL commissioned him to go to the city
and procure some choice seeds and slips.
Why, Sally would never have thought of
asking hm-she would have done both,
or gone without them; this he did not say,
but he kept up a hard thinking, and Dolly,
with wonans quickness, read his
| thoughts.
In its due season, harvesting came on.
Dolly saw what was expected. of her, and
concluded she wouldn't do it. In her half
serious, sportive way, she protested that
she could not do the work Tor the farm
laborera who were expected.
''Why. Sallyn-stammered he.
81 know was the rapid rejoinder,
''poor Mrs Grimes always did these
things, but you know, and everybody
knows, that She died of hard work. |
don't want to die. | want to run my three
score ard ten, and mean 70, Providence
permitting"
Il don't know but you are right, Dol
ley" said the farmer, nervously lingering
his hair-"but what shall doe There
amt no more help to be had
Dolly pointed from the door. 'See here,
john" She said quietly, there's little
house on your farm doing nobody good,
and being ruined by dry rot. Fit it up
and let Harry Lee take it. Give him
ground for a good garden, privilege in
the wood-lot, and a small sum yearly. tie
will bring his wife here, she will help me;
then let the men eat at their table, you
paving the difference OF expense, and you
will save money and health, besides hav-
ing good, reliable man always within
call
John Grimes looked at the cute little
wife uneasily. 1t is just possible that he
drew Il comparison, mentally, between
the ever saving Sally and this more ex-
pcnsive help-meet. After that they had
talks together, and he felt and saw that
Dolly had mind of her own and she had
made it up. With her merry brown eyes
upon his face, what could he do bnt sub
NIT ? So the plan was putin execution.
The next move of the atlroit little wo-
man, was to induce her .,..soand to pro-
cure neat carriage, and after that, as
she couldn't drive very well, John must
go out every daSand drive her. John did
not like this at first. Ii broke in upon his
habit of taking ''snooze' as he called it,
after tea, but the breakup put a new life
into him. 1t was 4 great point gained TO
get him into clean suitof clothes for sup
per, and John Grimes sitting at the table
with freshly combed hair, and clean coli
lar was far handsomer man than the
John of old, and Dolly took pains to tell
him she thought so.
Now for II paper--was Dolly's next
move and she did pull the wire admirably.
John thought il was extravaganza. New
I tangled notions were not to his liking,
and it took long time for the cunning
Dolly 10 gain her point, Not but what
she might have done it herself, but she
was reforming the man--don't you see ?
Like true woman. she never gave up,
but after every failure, oNSl led her tac-
tits, and came of conqueror ut last. A
splendid paper that treated largely OF
farming, soon lay on his table, and John
acknowledged n year after, TO Dolly, that
it was queer. but he had really learned
some things that he did not know before.
He had actually saved twenty dollars by y
liudicious outlay 9f two,
The result OF all these little plans Is (for