The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1870-07-23

| up JuSI " tuC pun HuCiS Sh'
found them, that it was scrub anC
delve, delve and scrub from morn
ing 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 eve
ming that she felt strangely, fel
down in a fainting fit, and was ia
! ken to her bed, never to leave i
again.
Poor John Grimes! he bore i
hopeless, melancholy face at tht
funeral, and his new. smart house
felt like new, smart tomb, where
the bricks, the paint and the var
nish all are fresh.
1t took him two years to get &C
customed to his loneliness, and he
might have lived on, single, forev
er, if some presumptuous friends
had not undertaken to find him a
wife, and then almost do his WOO
ing 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 of miscalling old
maid, though she had turned the
corner of thirty. She was mer-
ry, 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 Dol
ly did come to have the prefix of
Mrs before her name. She went
into the hous 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 doc
trine transfused inLo the old life,
but he was able to bear it, and
forthwith a strong girl was install
led in the kitchen. Still John
Grimes, having acquired the habit.
stopped as he walked, and looked
as if strange perplexities had got
hold of hin. 1t quite startled him
one fne spring morning, when his
wife asked him to spade up bit
of land in a 'favorite spot, where
she could plant flowers, and stran.
ger still, commissioned him to go
to the city and procure some
choice seeds and slips. Why, Sal
ly would never have thought of
asking him-she would have
done both, or gone without them;
this he did not say. but he kept up
hard thinking and Dolly, with a
woman's quickness, read his
thoughts.
In due season, harvesting came
on. Dolly saw what was expect
ed of ner, and concluded she
wouldn't do it. In her half seri-
Gus, sportive way. she protested
that she could not do the work for
the farm -laborers who were ex-
pected.
Why, Sally-stammered he
l 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. 1 want to run my three
score and ten, and | mean to.
permitting.
1 don't know but you are right,
Dolly, said the farmer, nervons-
ly lingering his hair-hut what
shall | do 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 any good, and be-
ing ruined by dry rot. Fit it up
and let Harry Lee take it. Give
him ground for a good garden, a
privilege in the wood-lot, and a
small sum yearly. He will bring
his wife here, she will help me
then let the men eat at their table
you paying the difference of ex-
pense, and you will save money
and health, besides having a good,
reliable man always within call.
John Grimes looked at the cute
little wife uneasily. 1t is inst
possible that he drew compari-
son, mentally, between the ever
saving Sally and this more expen-
sive help-meet. After that they
had talks together, and he felt,
and saw that Dolly had a mind OF
he own and she had made it up.
With her merry brown eyes upon
his face, what could he do but
? So the plan was put in
The next move of the adroit
little woman, was to intuce her
husband to procure neat carri-
age. and after that, as she couldn't
drive very we'll, John must GO out
every day and drive her. John
did not like this at first. L broke
in upon his habit of taking
'snooze' as he called it, after tea,
bus the breakup put new life
into him. 1t was a great point
gained to get him into clean suit
Of clothes for supper, and John
Grimes sitting at the table with
freshly combed hair, end clean col
lar was far handsomer man than
the John of old, and Dolly took
pains to tell him so
For a paper-was ,Dolly's next
4 II, 81