Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1873-06-05
TOMS WIFE.

TOMS WIFE.
We had just finished breakfast. Tom
laid down the egg-spoon he had been
playing with, and looked across at
mother.
"Aunt Anne, I think I'll take a wife"
ne said, exactly as he might have said,
81 think I'll take another cup of coffee"
Take q wife ?" repeated mother, by
no means receiving the information as
TRANQUILITY as it had been given. "What
for? '
swell I don't know" answered Tom,
thoughtfully. It's a notion I've got in
my head, somehow"
CAL nonsense !" said mother, sharply.
"Do you think so ?" said Tom, appar-
emily doubtful, but not in the least put
out.
"Think so? know it. What in the
world can you want of a wife? After all
these years we have lived so comfortably
together, to bring home somebody to
turn the house upside down And, then,
what's to become of that poor child ?"
The "poor child"-that was I-red-
dening at being brought into the argu-
ment in this way, was about to speak for
herself when Tom interposed, warmly:
"Im sure May knows [ would never
have any wife who would make it less a
home for her-don't you, May?"
"Of course" said I.
"And I'm sure she knows nothing of
the Sort" persisted mother, "nor you
either, Tom Dean. How can you answer
for what a wife may take into her head
to do, once you get her fixed here ? You
can't expect her to forget, as you do, that
May has no real claim on you"
"That 1 have no real claim on her, I
suppose you mean, ma'am," Tom put in
for the second time, just as I was getting
thoroughly uncomfortable. "But, for
all that, I intend to keep her-that is"
added Tom, with n of his short
sighted blinks sideways at me, "as long
as she'll stay with me, eh, May? And
whoever has anything to say against that
arrangement viii have to go out of my
house to say it-not that I'm afraid of
any such result in this case-and, on the
whole, Aunt Anne, I should like to try
the experiment"
Mother smiled grimly, but Tom was
so evidently bent on his experiment."
as he called it, that she gave up the argu-
ment.
"You can dance, if you're ready to
pay the piper" she said, shortly. "And,
pray, how soon do you mean to be mar
ried ?"
Toms face fell a little 1t this ques-
ton.
well" said he, CT can't say exactly.
1 suppose we shall have to be engaged
first"
WHAT - said mother, opening her
eyes ; why you never mean to say,
Tom, you haven't spoken to her yet ?"
"Not yet" answered Tom, cheerfully.
"Time enough for that, you know, after
l had spoken to you"
Mother, as a minister's widow, was
not much given to the idle mirth that is
as the cracking of thorns under a pot,
but now she leaned back and laughed
till the tears stood in her eyes.
WE'LL" she said, '"if it was anybody
else, I should say he was cracked but
you lever were like other people, and
you never will be, Tom Dean. But, at
least, you have fixed on the lady?"
"Oh, yes," answered Tom "but, if
you will excuse me, Aunt Ane, I would
rather not say any thing about her just
yet for, Tiff any thing should happen,
it wouldn't be pleasant for either party,
you know" With which vailed allusion
to his possible rejection, Tom took his
hat and left the room.
Our household was rather queerly put
together. There was no particular rea-
son why I should have been one of it at
all for I was rot really related to Tom,
nor even to "moGher," Al / called her,
4hD,~1 T a@o 49, r-0 -, Or 1@z. -
each other as any mother and daughter
could be. She was the second wife of
nay father, who, like most ministers, had
been richer in grace than goods, and
had left us at his death very little to
live on. Then it was that Tom Dean
had come forward, and insisted on Civ
ing a home to his aunt and to me, whom
he had scarcely seen a dozen times in
his life before. That was exactly like
Tom-"queer Tom Dean" as his
friends were fond of saying, "who never
did anything like anybody else." I sup
pose, in spite of his clear head for bust
ness, there is no denying that he was
whimsical but I am sure, when think
Of his unfailing generosity and delicacy,
I can't help wishing there were a few
more such whimsical people in the
world. Naturally, at the time I am
speaking of, my opinion had not beer
asked ell I had to do was to go where
mother went. and, while she gave hel
energies tothehousekeeping, gave mine
to growing UP, which by this Time I had
pretty well accomplished. But perhaps
for that very reason-for n sees will
different eyes at twelve and eighteen
my position in the house had already
begun to seem unsatisfactory to me
and the mornings words put it In {
clearer light, since it had been used al