The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1873-07-18

] iieAfNt VI 49, " - - -
way"
But before another year a change
came. The strong, hard man, her hus-
band, was stricken down with typhoid
fever, and for long, weary weeks he lay
balancing between life and death. His
recovery was very slow, and his con-
finement irksome; no prison walls could
have been gloomier than were the home
walls that held his 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 always
kind and tender, her hand ever ready to
minister to her dear ones, her words
/ full of consolation, and love, and cheer.
John Jones was not wholly unim-
/ pressible; slowly the scales fell from his
eyes, the light came, and he was as one
born into higher and better life. He
drew his bony hand across his eyes,
often the sobs made him catch his
breath suspiciously, and he marvelled
much that he had walked beside this
little woman for years and not known
that he was mated with an "angel una
ware" His voice grew softer, tenderer,
his great talony hands touched her fore
head and her lair lovingly, as would a
woman's-tOuched her as though he was
afraid she would fade away into white
mist.
Weeks afterwards, when he was able
TO ride out, the old whimsical buggy
that had done good service i'm the days
Of his church-gOing parents, was made
/ comfortable by q soft wooden blanket
and an armful of sweet-smelling Oat
straw. John didn't tell where he was
going, but he looked wise, and his
mouth had perky look about the cor
ners that seemed to say: "Just let me
alonei | know what Pm aboutm
1t was evening when lie came home.
He was still wise as when he went
away. His cup Of hot tea was waiting,
and his toast, and the tender little pullet
fried nice and brown. He seemed
really haPpyEjolly; He trotted the
baby on his foot that night, and he
called his wife "Jennv,'' as i'm the days
when he won her, and he let Johnny
play horse with his boots, and there
was such a cOntented, rich man express
sion on his face, that his wife couldn't
help wondering what had made such q
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 emaciated hands and
drove of i'm the same direction that he
did the day before.
When he returned, he was accom-
panied by a broad-shOuldered, good
looking German girl, whom he intro
duced 10 his wife as ''our girl.n
She looked with amazement upon
"our girl" and then stared at John.
He soon explained things to her salts
faction. "The upshot of the matter is,
Jane, that rve abused you long enough;
the Lord helping me, I'll never see you
make drudge of yourself again. It's a
shame for any great lOut like me to ex-
pect a frail little body like you to be
man, and boy, and dog, and wife, and
mother, and nigger, and me a saving
and boarding up money and means to
| leave to the Lord only knows who. I
beg your pardon, Jane; and now you'll
/ tell this girl, Barbara GroetZ, how YOU
want things done, and let her take your
std, and you'll live hereafter like a
I human mans wife ought to-
by the time his speech was made, the
poor weak fellow was blubbering like a
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 darlins!n
mo, not bit of a darling; Just an old
bear, regular old heather, TO sacrifice
the best little woman under the sun,
inch by inch, this way that's been going
ON for years and years" snufiied he, as
he fumbied over her face i'm an aimless,
loving way.
Then ''Our girl" Barbara, went into
Jane Jones harness, and it fitted her to
a fraction.
fgNo,,, ,,.af,.o t,,,,,o,l s,,..- =. - -
go and dress up, Jenny, bless your
said the new convert.
so with the memory of lang syDe
warming her heart, Jane unearthed her
wedding dress in the afternoon, and put
1t on with a pretty Old-fashioned collar,
and brushed out her nut brown hair
that once upon time eurled 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 new band
on Ruby's white skirt, when the chill
dren came home from school. Her back
was toward the door. Tom came to a
dead halt as he stepped on the sill, and
then ran round to the leanto to find his
mother. No mother there, but the
smiling, pinky-faced German girl, who
was pairing potatoes to bake for supper
Tom bawled out: as mother dead
Oh, | want my mothcrr' and circled
round the house and peeped in shyly
with wet eyes.
Was that lady i'm a soft gray merino
dress, wearing an embroidered collar
and gold ear-drOps, his mother? That
! pretty woman, Surely il was, for Net
tie was feeling of her face, and was
sparkling all over and saying: "Is this
you, mother? Why, where have you
been ?n
"Oh, man said Tom, holding her
round the neck rs though Inc thought
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 houshold 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 labors of
the feminine portion of the farmers
household. An addition was built to
the mouse, new siding was put on and
/ painted white. New windows were
added, and green blinds, and spouting,
and big cistern close TO the Kitchen
door, and wide, long, roomy porch.
l Closets were put in all the rooms. the
Old verminy bedsteads split up and used
for kindling; new chairs were bought,
| including new rocking and a sewing
chair for mother; new sewing ma
chine, that was a love of friend; the
dOOryard was paled in, and the calves
aud colts kept where they belonged;
and evergreen trees, and Towering shub-
berry and rose bushes, made beautiful
the new yard. An easy chain pump
took the place of the old moss covered