Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1873-06-05
TOM,S WIFE.

We had Just finished breakfast. Tom
laid down the egg-spoon he had been
playing with, and looked across at
mother.
ssAunt Anne, think I'll take a wife, %
he said, exactly as he might have said,
sc think I'll take another cup of coffee. %
Take a wife ?' repeated mother, by
TRANQUILITY as it had been given. 'What
for ?''
We'll, T don't know, answered Tom,
thoughtfully. It's a notion I've got in
my head, somehow.
&c All nonsense l'' said mother, sharply.
ssDo you think SO % said Tom, appar-
entity doubtful, but not in the least put
out
Think so? know it. What in the
world can you want of 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
I'm sure May knows would never
have any wife who would make it less d
home for her-don't you, May
sOfcourse," said L
&c And I'm sure she knows nothing of
the sort, persisted mother, "nor you
either, Tom Dean. How can you answer
for what 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 I have no real claim on her, I
suppose you mean, ma a'am," Tom put in
for the second time, just as I was getting
4o1, Il Rr1f- f/n,-
all that, intend to keep her-that is, !"
added Tom, with one 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 I" 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 little at this ques-
{. Well, said he, "I can't say exactly.
I 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 2'
Not yet, answered Tom, cheerfully.
'tTime enough for that, you know, after
I 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 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 never were like other people, and
you never will be, Tom Dean. But, at
least, you have fixed on the lady 2"
ttOh, yes" answered Tom but, if
you will excuse me, Aunt Ane, I would
rather not say any thing about her just
yet for, h-if 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 should have been one of it at
all for I was not really related to Tom,
nor even to &C mother" as / called her,
though L am sure we were as dear to
each other as any mother and daughter
could be. She was the second wife OF
my 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 dozen times in
his life before. That was exactly like
Tom queer Tom Dean," as his
friends were fond of saying, who nevel
did anything like anybody else." 1 sup
pose, IN spite of his clear head for bust
ness, there is no denying that he was
whimsical but 1 am sure, when 1 thinl
of his unfailing generosity and delicacy
can't help wishing there were few
more such whimsical people in th'
world Naturally, at the time I an
speaking of, my opinion had not been
asked all I had to do was to go wher,
mother went, and, while she gave he
energies tothe housekeeping, I gave min'
to growing up, which by this time ha1
pretty well accomplished. But perhaps
for that very reason-for one sees witt