The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1873-10-10
VOLUME l.
SELECT STORY.
TOMS WIFE.

mother.
"Aunt Anne. think I'll take wife, .
he said, exactly as he NIGH have said
"I thinkI1l take another eup of coffee. "
take wife?" repeated mother, ny
no means receiving the Information as
TRANQUILITY as it had been given. "What
for?"
swell, / don't know" answered Tom,
thoughtfully "It's notion I've got in
my head, somehow"
"All nonsensep' said mother, sharply.
'Do you think SOP" said Tom, appar-
emily doubtful, but not in the least put
cut.
"Think so? I know it. What in the
world can you want of wife? After
all these years we have lived so comfor-
tably together, to bring home somebody
to turn the house upside down! And
then what's to become of that poor child?"
The "poor rchiid''-that was I-redden-
ing at being brought into the argument
N this way, was about to speak fer her
self when Tom interposed, warmly:
'I'm sure May knows I would never
/ have any wife who would make it less
home for her-don't you, May?"
| "Of coure," said l.
"And I'm sure she knows nothing of
the sort" persisted mother, "nor you
either, Tom Dean. How can you an
swer for what a wife may take it 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 have no real claim on her, l
suppose you mean, ma'am," Tom put
in for the second time, just as was get
ting thoroughly uncomfortable. but,
for all that, i 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 thing to say against that ar
rangement will 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, / 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 ar
gument.
"You can dance, if you're ready to
pay the piper" she said, shortly. "And
pray how soon do .sou mean to be mar
7ried?,' ?,'------
/ Toms face fell a little at this qustion.
"Well," said he, II can't say exactly.
I-suppose we shall have to be engaged
frst.''
What" said mother, opening her
eyes; "why, you never mean tosay, Tom,
you haven't spoken to her YETI"
"Not yet" answered Tom, cheerfrlly.
"Time enough for shat, you lSno'g, af1er
had spoken to you"
Mother, as a minister's widow, was not
much given to the idle mirth that is as
the cracking of rhorns under pot, bur
now she leaned back and laughed till
the tears stood in her eyes.
"Wel1." she said, ''if it was anybody
else. should say he was cracked; but
you never were Ike other people, and
you never viii be, Tom Dean. But, at
least, you have fixed on the lady?'
"Oh, yes" answered Tom; s'but, if you
viii excuse me, Aunt Anne, I would
rather not say any thing about her just
yet; if-if any thing should happen, it
wouldn't be pleasant for either party,
you know" With which yelled allu-
sion to his possible rsjection, Tom took
his hat, and left the room.
Our household was rather queerly put
to gether. There was no particular rea-
son why l should have been of it at all;
for / was not really related to Tom, nor
even to "mother," as 1 called her, though
/ 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 in goods, and left us at
his death with very little to live on
Then it was that Tom Dean had come
forward, and insisted on giving home
to his aunt and to me, whom he had
scarcely seen dozen times in his life be-
fore. That was exactly like Tom
"queer Tom Dean" as his friends were
fond of saying, "who never did any,
thing like anybody else" suppose, in
spite of his clear head for business, there
is no denying that he was whimsical;
but am sure, when think of his un-
failing generosity and delicacy, can't
| help wishing there were few more such
whimsical people in the world. Naturally
at the time / am speaking of, my opin-
ion had not been asked; all had to do
was to go where mother went, and, while
she gave her energies to the housekeep-
ing, give mine d. growing up, which by
/ this time had pretty well accomplished.
| But perhaps for that very reason-for
one sees with 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
as an argument against Toms marrying.
knew that mother had spoken honest
ly, believing that such step would not
be for his happiness but was not he the
best judge of that? I knew him, if re-
Election, should bring him round to her
opinion, to be perfectly capable of quiet
ly sacrificing his own wishes for my
sake, who had not the shadow of a claim
on him; SO it must be my part to prevent
his own kindness being turned against
him now. Still, it was not so easy to
see how l was to provide for myself in
case it should become advisable. What
could / do? Draw and sing and play
tolerably, but not In a manner to COM
pete with the hosts that would be in the
field against me. Literature? / had
read so many stories whose heroines,
with turn Of the pen, dashed into
wealth and fame. That would be very