The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1871-01-13

for the son. The family proper eon
sisted of the father, good Deacol
Harlow, Johns two brothers, tel
and twelve, years old, and Huldah
the "help." This last was th'
daughter of neigh5oring farmer
who was poor and hopelessly rheu
matte, and most of the daughter
hard earnings went to exc out tht
scanty subsistence at home. Aun-
Judith, the sister of Johns 1ookeC
after" the household affairs of hel
brother-in-law, by coming over once
a week, and helping Huldah darI
and mend and make, and by giving
Huldah such advice as her expert
ence was supposed to require. But
now Deacon HarloW's daughter haC
left her husband to eat his turkey
along in Boston, and had brought
her twc children home to receive thu
paternal blessing. Not that Mrs
Amanda Holmes had the paterna
blessings chiefly in view in her trip
She had brought with her a very
desr friend, Miss. Janet DuntOn, the
accomplished teacher in the Mt
Parnassus Female Seminary. Why
Miss Janet Dunton came the coun
try with her friend, she could hard
ly have told. Not a word had Mrs
Holmes spoken to her on the subject
of the matrimonial scheme. She
would have resented any illusion tC
such a project. She would have re
PEELED any insinuation that she had
ever dreamed that marriage was
desirable under any conceivable cir
cumstances. 1t is a way we have oi
teaching girls to lie. We educate
them to catch husbands. Every su.
per-added accomplishment is put on
with the distinct understanding that
its sole use is to make the
goods more marketable. We
get up parties, we go to watering
pla- es, we buy dresses, we refurnish
our houses, to help our girls to {
good match. And then we teach
them to abhor the awful wickednest
of ever confessing the great desire
chat nature and education nave com
bined to make the chief longing O
their hearts. We train them to lie
to US, their trainers; we train them
to lie to themselves; to be false with
everybody on this subject; to say
mo-" when they mean yes" to de
ny an engagement when they are dy-
ing to boast of it. 1t is one of the
refnements of Christian civilization
which we pray the Women's Mis-
sionary Society not to communicate
to poor ignorant heathens, who know
no better than to tell the truth about
these things.
But, before I digressed into that
line of remark, I was saying that
Miss Janet Dunton would have re
sented the most remote suggestion
of marriage. She often declared,
sentimentalIy, that she was welded
to her books, and loved her leisure,
and was determined to be an old
maid. And all the time this sincere
Christian girl was dying to confer
herself upon man of congenial
tastes; which meant, in her case, just
what it did in John Harlow's-some
one who could admire her attain
ments. But, sensitive as she was to
any imputation Of a desire to marry,
she and Mrs. Holmes understood
one another distinctly. There is a
freemasonry of women, and these
two had made signs. They had
talked about it in this wise:-
Mrs. Holmes.-My dear Janet,
You'll find brother bear in manners
| fear. / wish he would marry. ]
hope you won't break his heart, for
know you wouldn't have him.
Miss Dmaton.-You know my
views on that subject, my dear. l
love books, end shall marry nobody.
your brothers great legal
literary attainments would frighten
such a poor little mouse as l am.
And in saying these words they
had managed to say that John Har-
low was an unsophisticated student
and that they would run him down
between them.
Mrs. Holmes and her friend had
arrived twenty-four hours ahead of
John. and the daughter of the house
lad already installed herself as tenn
Dorary mistress, but thoughtlessly
lpsetting, reversing, and turning in
side out all the good Huldah's most
cherished arrangements. All the
plans for the annual festival, that
wise and practical Huldah had en-
were vetoed, without a
thought that this young girl had
been for a year and a half in actual
in the house, and might
nave some feeling of wrong in hav-
ng a guest of a week, overturn her
plans for the next month. But Mrs
Holmes was not one Of the kind to
.hink of that. Huldah was hired
md paid, and she never dreamed
hat hired people could have any in
crest in their work or their home,
,ther than their pay and their food.
But Huldah was patient, though she
confessed that she had a feeling thai
'he had been rudely "trampled over
suspect she had a good cry at the
md of the first day. Icannot affirm
t, except from a general knowledge
# women.
When John drove up in the bug
" that the boys had taken to the
lepot for him, his first care was to
hake hands with the deacon, who
vas glad to see him, but could not
orbear expressing a hope that he
Tould "shave that hair off of his up
,er lip" Then John greeted his
ister cordially, and was presented
o Miss Dunton. Instead of sitting
own he pushed right on into the
itchen, where Huldah, in a calico
rock and clean white apron, was
,aking biscuit for tea. She had
,een a schoolmate of his, and he
.e took her hand cordially as she
TODD there, with the bright western
un half clarifying her head and face.
"Why, Huldah, how you've grownp
-as his first word of greeting. He
leant more than he said, for though
he was not handsome, she had
rown exceedingly comely as she de-
eloped into a woman.
"Undignified as everI' said Aman-