Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1873-11-21

4
Iehine, then started fire and made
feed OF skim milk and meal for tlis
NOISY nolicsone calves that ran in thu
door yard. Then she swept and picked
UP the playthings after the children
hung up their coats and aprons, and
set their old shoes away, and moved
their sled and wagon and hoops from
about the doors.
While the dish water was heating
| she hurried up stairs and made Till
fbeds, then washed the dishes, and
went down in the cellar and SKINNED
the milk. There was cream enough
for churning, and the churn was
scalded, and then left a pail Of cold
water standing in it, so as to be fresh
and ready. By this time baby woke
and cried, and tired little mother was
compelled to sit down and take him in
ker sheltering arms.
In half an hour Or SO he was ready
4 to sit on the floor on a quilt, and she
left him long enough to carry three OF
four pals Of the skinned milk to the
pigs-two pals full at a time, and she
went on the run. She always fed the
pigs; when she asked her husband
once to carry the milk to the pen, on
his way out to work, he said, "T'hat
belongs to woman's work; a man
whose name is out for commission
should not be asked to slop the pigs
that's a little too steep.n
1t was no trifing job to feed those
pigs; the pen had been made out OF
some house logs, and the opening
through which the pals had to be
lifted before they could be emptied
was so high up that it came just even
with her neck, and was only wide
enough to admit the pail with the bail
lying down. Twice, when she was
dressed up clean, had the unsteadily
poised pail tipped back and poured
the contents upon her, from her neck
even to her little feet, drenched as by
"a watersnout.
Withal the mother was quite patient,
and almost every day could her voice
be heard, even down to the lower field
and the school house singing, "a
charge to keep | have;'or /" God moves
in a mysterious way
But before another year change
came. The strong, hard man, her hus-
band, was stricken down with typhoid
fever, and for long, weary weeks he
Flay balancing between life and death.
His recovery was very slow, and his
confinement. irksome; no prison walls
could be gioonnier than were the home
walls that held him prisoner. Day
after day the ceaseless patter Of his
wife's patient little feet fell upon his
ear; he could hear them up stairs and
down, now here, now there, her voice
was always kind and gentle, her hand
ever ready to minister to her dear ones,
her words full Of consolation, and love,
and cheer. John Jones was not wholly
unimpressible; slowly the scales fell
from his eyes, the light came, and he
was one born into a higher and better
life. He drew his bony hand across
his eyes, often the sobs made him catch
his breath suspiciously, and he mar
veled much that he had walked beside
this little woman for years and not
known that he was mated with an
angel unawares. His voice grew softer,
tenderer, his great, talony hands
touched her forehead and her hair low
ingly as would a woman's-touched
her as though he was afraid she would
fade away into white mist.
Weeks afterward, when he was able
to ride out, the old whimsical buggy,
that had done good service in he-days
of his church going parents, was made
comfortable by soft woolen blanket
and an armful of sweet-smelling oat
straw. John did not tell where he was
going, but he looked wise, and his
mouth had a perky look about the
corners that seemed say: "Just let me
alone; know what am about"
It was evening when he came home.
He was still as wise as when he went
away. His cup of hot tea was waiting,
and his toast, and the tender little pul.
let fried nice and brown. He seemed
really happy-.jolly. He trotfed the
baby on his foot that night, and he
called his wife Jenny, as IN the days
when he won her, and there was such
a contented, rich-nan expression On
his face that his wife could not help
wondering what made such q change
in him.
The next morning the crazy old rig
was called out again, and the SOIL
blanket spread in 1t, and John Jones