Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1873-04-12
rnE sQUIRE,s mIsTAKE.


short, blew all about her face in lit
tie rings, and her blue eyes and
bright cheeks made her as pretty
picture as one often sees. Squire
Dudley saw her just as she came op-
posite the strawberry patch, and
called out "Good morningF' in his
brisk, cherry way.
90, good mOrningw she answer
ed, @You almost scared me, Squire
Dudley. didn't sec you until you
spoke"
pheasant morning. isn't it?'' said
the Squire, coming up 20 the fence.
Ruth had halted in the road.
'.It's beautiful weather" answer
ed Ruth. ''I told mothcf il was
too pleasant to stay in doors, and
started OF on a visit.p
ssAre your straw berries ripe YETI"
said the squire, wondering that he
never had noticed what a fresh,
charming face Widow Lees daugh-
ter had before.
"Our strawberries?" laughed
Ruth. "We haven't got one. Our
old rooster got in one day, about a
week ago, and picked all he could
eat, and then coaxed the hens in,
and between them they ruined our
strawberry CROP
"Too badi" exclaimed the sympa-
thetic squire. "Have some Of these,
Ruth. They're just ripe enough to
be good"
He picked some great clusters of
ripe berries and handed them over
the fence 10 her.
aThank you" said Ruth, smiling.
gHow nice they are. Mother was
making great calculations on her
strawberry lam. She was terribly
yexed when she found out what the
hens had done" ct
! ltsI,ve got lots 10 spare, )" said the
squire. 'Pll send some over TO your
| MOTHER
! "She'd. be much obliged to you" +"
said Ruth; elf you have more than
i you want" ll
| -s'Plenty Of them," answered the
squire; ''plenty of them. Can have
them just as well as not"
''I must be going" said Ruth
lfGood morning" l
| "Good morning." returned tht
squire, looking after her as she went
1 down the road. 81 declare there
amt pFettier girl in town thar
Ruth Lee. l wonder some Of tho
1 young fellows haven't got her away
from the widow. II l was young
now"
! Squire DndIey stoppcd suddenly
Anfdea had just 1lEshed across his
| mind. Z.ef.~ = =
sT'm fifty,o be said at last, aftei
thinking quite busiIy for some min
utes. ''I'm fifty, but don't look il
1 don't see>WhyI shouldn't try my
luck after all Girls as young a
Ruth marry men older than / am
1 I'mlsurc she'd make any man good
wife. Her mother Is one of the fl.
nest women in the State, and she's
brought her daughter up to know
howJfO work, and be saving and pru,
dent. Pm sure we need a geoo
Il heusekeeper. Mrs. Brown, is oio
\ and fussy and crooked, and this way
4 of living isn't half living. do be.
lieVe I'll marry her, if she'll have
me. Maybe Charley'll say it's fool
ish, but can't help that"
The squire fell TO wedding out his
Strawberries again diligently, and
kept thinking about Ruth all the
while. Long before dinner wa
ready he had fully made up his mind
to propose marriage to Ruth ane
bring home a new housekeeper anC
mistress to the great house whose
mistress had been dead for ten year,
or more, provided, of course, tina
Ruth didn't say no, and the squirI
thought there wasn't much danger
of that, though why he should be 81
sure, can't say.
"Don't you think we need house
keeper?'' he said to his son Charles
that afternoon, as they sat on thu
verandah. The squire evidently
saw some new feature IN. the land
scape, for he kept his face turneC
away from Charley's as he spoke.
A hOusekeeper?Y asked Charley
ssWe've got one. What do we wan
of more, / should like 10 know
yes, / know assented the squire
turning red in the face, and begin
ming 10 get little uneasy; "but Mrs
Brown isn't such a woman as WI
need. She doesn't take any inter
est in the work asa a womal
would who-WhO had more inter
est in il"
After which extremely logical ar
gument the squire got more fidget
ty than ever.
sG understand that" answered
Charley. elf she had a personal in
terest in the place, and in being pru
dent and in keeping things up, she'l
do better than she does now. Nov
she gets her pay for her work, an'
that's all she cares for. It's all WI
can expect of her."
"Just So" said the squire, glad Il
know that Charley agreed with hin
so far. ffPHe been thinking thi
morning that the best thing coulC
do would be to get some one VIII
would take q personal interest il
matters. don't see as you intenl
to get married, and if you won't,
don't know but I'd better"
The squire breathed easier. TIL
worst part was over with.
"You get marriedp' exclaime'
Charley, in intense surprise. ''Wh,
1 didn't know that you ever thoi
of such q thing"
. "And haven't till this morning, +,
exclaimed the squire. 81 got t
thinking about it this morning, ant
! the more I thought about it tn
more I thought il a good plan
You haven't any objections?o
"Of course not" answered Char
ley. "You can do as you think best
, If you deem it advisable to get
wife, have nothing to say furthe
than the hope that you viii get som
. one who viii make you happy"
4 "She WILL" said the squire yer
decidedlY. "she will. I am sure"
3 'sMay 1 ask who tits to be?" inquil
I ed Charley.
q al haven't asked her yet" an
swered the squire, as red as q ros,
"I'd rather wait until Pm sure {
g her before tell you who tits. Sh
4 might say no, you see, and shoul
a feel rather cheap"
e Prudent Squire Dudley. Ths
; afternoon he picked a painful of b
{ finest strawberries, and directl
:. after tea started OF across lots
# the direction of Widow Lees, wit
the berries on his arm. 1t was dus
before he got to the widows, for I
IS walked slowly. He had very bus
It thoughts for company. He W,
u wondering what it were best to d
Y Should he propose at once to Rutl
& or should he see her mother frs
r, and talk with her? He conclude
Z that the last was the Wisest pla
y AS he opened the gate noiselessl
It he heard voices in the other corn
4, of the garden, and stopped a m
n ment to find out if it was the wi
le oW and her daughter.
! '1never had any idea oft before