The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-10-16

through which the pails had to be lift.
ed before they could be emptied was
so high up that Il Just came even with
her neck, and was only wide enough
10 admit the pail with the bail lying
down. Twice, when she was dressed
up clean, had the unsteadiiy poised
pail tipped back and poured the con-
tents upon her, from her neck even tC
. her little feet, drenched as by 2 water.
spout.
WithsI the mother was quite pa.
tient, and almost every day could hel
voice be heard, even down to the low
. er field and the school house singing,
: a charge to keep 1 have" or 'G0d
) moves in mysterious way"
But before another year a change
came. The strong, hard man, hel
husband, was stricken down with ty-
phOid fever, and for long weary weeks
he lay balancing between life and
death. His recovery was very slow,
and his confinement irksOme; no pTis-
on walls could be gloOmier than were
the home walls that held him a pris-
oner. Day after day the ceaseless pat
ter OF his wife's patient little feet fell
upon his ear; be could hear them up
stairs and down, now here, now there,
her vOice always kind and tender, her
hand ever ready to minister 20 her
dear ones, her words full of eonsola-
ton, and love and cheer. John Jones
was not wholly unimpressible; slowly
the scales fell from his eyes, the light
came, and he was as one born into 8
higher and better life. He drew his
bony hand across his eyes, often the
sobs made him catch his breath sus-
pieiously, and he marvelled much
that he had walked beside this little
woman for years and not known that
he was mated with an angel un-
awares. His voice grew softer, ten
derer, his great, talOny hands touch
ed her forehead and her hair lovingly
as would a woman's-touehedh her as
though he was afraid she would fade
away into a white mist.
Weeks afterward, when he was able
to ride out, the old whimsical buggy,
that had done good service in the
days OF his church.going parents, was
made comfortable by a soft wooden
blanket and an armful of fsweet-smell-
ing oat straw. John didn't tell where
he was going, but he looked wise, and
his mouth had perky look about the
corners that seemed to say: "Just let
me alone; 1 know what I'm about"
1t 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 pallet fried nice and
brown. He seemed really happy
Jolly. He trotted the baby on his foot
that night, and he called his wife Jen-
ny, as in the days when he won her,
and he let Johnny play horse with
his boots, and there was such a con-
tented, rieh-man expression on his
face that his wife could not help won
dering what had made such a change
| in him.
The next morning the crazy old rig
was called out again, and the soft
blanket spread in it, and John Jones
took the lines in his emaeiated hands
and drove off in the direction as he
did the day before.
When ne returned he was accom-
panied by brOad-shouldered, good
looking German girl, whom he intro
duced to his wife as four girl.n
She looked with amazement upon
"our GIRL" then stared at John.
He soon explained things to her
satisfaction. "The upshot o. the mat
ter is, Jane, that pve 'bused you long
enough; the Lord helpin' me I'll new
er see you make q drudge o. yourself
ag'in. It's q burnin' shame for a
great lout like me Is see frail little
body like you to be a man, an' boy,
an dog, an wife, an mother, an
niger, an me savin' an hoardin'
up money and means to leave for the
Lord only knows who. 1 beg your
pardon, JaEe; and now you'll tell this
girl, Barbary Groetz, how you want
things done, am let her take your
place an work in your std, an you
will live hereafter like human mans
wife ort tor
By the time his speech was made,
the poor, weak fellow was blubbering
like whale.
Poor little surprised wife! She flew
to his neck and laid her head on his
bosom and cried like a baby, as she
said:-"John Jones, you old darlingw
mo not bit of darlin'; just an
old bear, a reg'lar old heather, to sac
rifice the best little woman under the
sun, inch by inch, this w0y tnHJ's
been goin' on for years an years."
snuffied he, as he fumbled over her
face in an aimless, loving face.
Then our girl, Barbary, went into
Jane Jones' harness, and it fitted her
to fraction.
Snow, we've turned over a new
leaf, go and dress up, Jenny, bless
you ~ said the new convert.
So, with the memory of auld lang
/ xr-arn1fnO hnr hoorf lana nm
earthed her wedding dress in the af-
ternoon, and put it on with pretty
old-fashiOned collar, and brushed out
her nut brown hair that once upon a
time curled beautifully. Perhaps she
felt foolish and girlish and out of her
sphere, but she looked sweet enough
to make up for all discrepancies.
She sat sewing, putting a new band
on Ruby's white skirt, when the chill
dren came home from school. Her
back was toward the door. Tom came
to dead halt as he stepped upon the
sill and then ran round to find his
mother. No mother there, but the
smiling pinky-faced German girl, who
was pairing potatoes for supper.
Tom bawled Out:-" Is mother dead?
On, / want my mother!n and circled
! round the house and peeped in shyly
with wet eyes. Was that lady in a
soft, gray merino dress, wearing an
embroidered collar and gold ear-drops,
his mother? That pretty woman I!
Surely it was, for Nettie was feeling
of her face, and was sparkling all over
and was saying, " Is this you, moth
er? Why, where have you been ?"
40, mai" said Tom, holding her
round the neck as though she might
fit away the next minute; "Why
/ where did you go and when did you
come back?" Poor little ones, how
proud they were of the household
drudge in her new and beautiful
transformation.
But this is not all. Before the
first cold blast Of winter came, steps
were taken to save and tighten the la
bors of the feminine portion of the
farmers household. An addition
was built to the house, a new siding
! Ya5 put on and painted white. New
windows were added, and green
blinds, and spouting, and a wide,
long, roomy porch. Closets were put
/ in all the rooms; the old verminy
I Oc0cbCdOo opAAI Up duu uSCu AOA hiAN-
lings; new chairs were bought, in
Guiding a new rocking and sewing
chair for mother; a new sewing ma
chine that was love of friend, the
door yard was paled in, and the
calves and colts Kept where they be-
longed; and evergreen trees and
! Towering shrubbeTy and rose bushes
made beautiful the new yard. An
easy chain pump took the place Of the
moss-covered bucket that held as
much as a churn. It was packed of
to the barn to put clover and seed in,
and the heavy windlass was borne
away forever from the little arms
that had tugged at its ponderous
weight with a sick WEAKNESS, many
and many year. The big well-rOpe
made a nice swing out under the
oaks for Tom and Belle and chubby
little Harry.
Now that the no.longer-enslaved
mother has leisure to mingle with
her growing children as teacher and
companion and friend, they grow
more lovable and intelligent, and
they cling TO her like vines. They
see so much in her to admire and em-