Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-03-07
CHOSING A WIFE.

~~AAA AAssAA~"3 - J~>AAAo ANS" A~SN 40 v
yer, told his partner that he wanted to
60 home for q week. He said that he
wanted to see his father and the boys,
and his sister, but that he especially
wanted to ride old Bob to the brook
once more, and to milk Cherry again,
just to see how it felt to be q farmers
boy.
"John," said the old lawyer, "be
sure you fix up q match with one of
those country girls; no man is fit for
anything till he il we'll married, and
you are now able, with economy, to
support wife. Mind you get one of
those country girls. The paste and
powder people here aren't fit for a
young man who wants a young wo-
man."
The next morning John had y letter
from his sister. Part Of it run thus:
"I've concluded, old fellow, that if
you don't marry, you'll dry up and turn
to parchment. I'm going to bring
home the smartest girl I know. OF
course she don't know what I'm up to,
but you must prepare to capitulate.
In the old home they were looking
for the son. The family proper con-
sisted of the father, good Deacon Har-
low, Johns two brothers, ten rnd
twelve years old, and Huldah, the
"help." This last was the daughter of
a neighboring farmer, who was poor
and helpless rheumatic, and most of
the daughters hard earnings went to
help out the scanty Subsistence at
home. Aunt Judith, the sister of
Johns mother ''loOked after" the house.
hold affairs of her brother.in-law, by
coming over once a week and helping
Huldah darn, and mend, and make,
and by giving Huldah such advice as
her inexperience was supposed to re-
quire. But now Deacon Harlow's
daughter had left her husband to eat
his turkey alone in Boston, and had
brought her two children home to re-
ceive the paternal blessing. Not that
Mrs. Amanda Holmes had the paternal
blessing chiefly in view in her trip.
She had brought with her a very deal
friend, Miss Jenet Dunton. the accom-
phsh ed teacher in the Parnassus Fe
male Seminary. Why Miss Janet Dun
ton came to the country with her friend
she could hardly have told. Not q word
had Mrs. Holmes spoken to her on thu
subject of matrimonial schemes. She
would have repelled any insinuatio1
that she had ever dreamed that mar
riage was desirable under any con
ceivable circumstances. She often de-
clared, sentimentally, that she wa.
welded to her books, and loved hel
leisure, and was determined to be az
! old maid. And all the time this sin
cere Christian girl was dying to confer
herself upon some worthy man OF con
genial tastes; which meant, in her case
just what it did in John Harlow's-
some one who could admire her at
tainments.
Mr6 Holmes and her friend had ar
rived twenty-fours ahead of John, ant
and{the daughter of the house hnd al
} ready installed herself as temporar,
mistress, by thoughtlessly upsettine
reversing, and turning inside out al
good Huldah's most cherished arrange
ments. All the plans for the annua
. festival that wise and practical Huldal
] had entertained were vetoed, withou
q thought that this young girl ha,
been for q year and half in actua
= authority in the house, and might hav
7 some feeling of wrong in havinga CUES
I for week 0verturn her plans for th
! next month. But Mrs. Holmes was nc
one of the kind to think of that. HUI
+ dah was hired and paid, and she neve
j. dreamed that hired people could hav
I any interest in their work or their HON
:. other than their pay and food. Br
Huldah was patient, though she CO,
. fessed that she had feeling that sll
had been rudely "trampled all over;
/ suspect she had a cry at the end I
> the first day. I cannot affirm it, excel
- from general knowledge of woman.
When John drove up in the bugs
= that the boys had taken to the dep
for him, his first care was to shal
hands with the deacon, who was glad
see him, but could not forbear expires
h ing hope that he would t..shave tn
or hair off his upper lip" Then Jol
h greeted his sister cordially, and W
ia presented to Miss Dunton. Instead
70 sitting down, he pushed right into Il
fe kitchen, where Huldah, in a cali
frock and a clean white apron. W
~ baking biscuit for tea. She had beer
VI schoo]mate of his, and he took h
y hand cordially, as she stood there, wi
ID. the bright western sun half glorifyi
her head and face.
ed "Why Huldah, how you've grown
OF was his first word of greeting.
meant more than he said, for, thou
ito she was not handsome, she had gro
so exceedingly comely as she develop
into a woman.
cd "Undignified as ever!" said Am.
lat da, rs he returned to the sitting-roo
rg The next day the ladies' could
no good Of John Harlow He got
na early and MIXED the COW. He {
re- wood and carried it for Huldah.