South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1874-05-01
a HOMELY STORY.
By KENNETH DUNN.

expression for IouN WEST to use. II, ia
its place, be had substituted JUDGED ! my
pen would have been more ready to tran.
scribe bis thought. Bu, this WI gar, mean
ingess sentence did escape his lips, and
having expressed himself thus, be seemed
relieved
Uncle john had "A flvorite nephew, and
this nephew had wife. Uocle JoHN was
rich aud owned several foe farms. On
young JOINS wedding day the uncle bro't
10 gift OF gold or silver plated wate--'no>
thing; not 81 wuch as you cluld wind
round your fnger, the bride said that night,
when, far from home, the newly made man
and wife discussed the events Of that event
ful day. But when JouN returned from
his wedding tour, Uncle JouN paid them a
visit, and said quietly, as be was ready to
leave, 'what arc you going TO DO now,
! JoHN p
Il think of taking JOE Benson S farm on
shares, for year, at least
you can do better than that; here is
your wedding gift and pllcing some pa
perE 10 his hands, he h1stily left
The papers were First the deed Of
valuable farm with, second, mortgage
upon it (awaiting, of curse, young JoHNTs
approval aud signature) Of Just half lis val
us-said mortgage 70 be paid ia small an
nual ins,allments The land was dac the
house nearly new, aud all the outbuiliings
in excellent condition.
| The tears sprang to JOINS eyes "a he
read it; he was sensitive to the very hearts
! core
'OS, won't that be grand! exclaimed his
wife, when he showed the papers to her
! now you can buy that new carriage and a
silver mounted harness. | shall want to
! 60 a good deal. lie will never expect YOU
- pay anything more than the interest, and
give the .ost TO you by and by; anyway
when he dies. ua1
Never J exclaimed john, looking at her
in amazement, 'Ile has given me enough,
already. BE the times good or bad, | shall
pay the interest, and the installmeuts as
they are due.' Gaze
You see he had little Of the old JoHN
10 hun The sequel would seem to show
that the bride had said uoder her breath,
l'We will see.'
TWAS just two years after this inc that
I U ncIe JOHN had used the inelegant ex pres
sion; and he said more than that he said
'Such woman as that deserves no better
home than Kansas dug-out.'
The truth was, Mrs. JoHN was not very
young, but she was very sells and design.
ing. She courted JOHN so assiduouslg and
yet so delicately and he--he had nothing
but good head and strong hands aud his
heart well, he had never tried his heart
yet, and the fair-skinued, golden haired
woman, he felt sure, loved him. She was
I poor, too together they might make
home. She had always been obliged to
WORK; Of course she would be willing to
work with and for him
Poor JOIN. 'Bl. he deserves his fate
you say What, when bis failing was his
/ perfect iai'h in womauhood
IL was Uacle JOINS faith, too. Oncn
a clear-eyed, suany- browed little girl had
ever called him dear JoHN : but ere he
had pressed a husbands kiss upon the j nne
lips, the angels called her. Ia those early
days he thought all women we're like his
\ lost darling bu' as years passed, be came
20 know that she had been one of the few
7 Tent 70 oarh, to show all womaukind VIII at
they might become. IL was the memory
Of that sweet, self sacrificing lifo that made
JouN WEST, though seemingly lonely
man, 50 strong.
For the reason that JOINS wife bad
worked hard and economically all her life,
was t. her sufficient reason, now that she
{. was tho vile Of favorite nephew of a rich
\ bachelor uEcle, that she should 'ive like o.
Their folks meaning by this like people OF
wealth never seeming 10 realize that hap.
. piness Is Of tho heart--never stopping to
think that large share Of the gains from
the farm mus; be returned 10 it in one
shape or another, and that farm lifo means
to most home, and its comforts and pleas.
ures
Hov few realize that work greater than
that Of any artist is given American fatm-
ers' wives and daughters 10 do 10 show TO
tho world what home may bo-a place
where work and culture shall dwell togetb-
er Tho house was very pleasant, aud low
ing hands might, with simple means, have
made Of It beautiful picture. JOHN pro.
posed 60 furnish only the kitchen, dining
room (Which they would use for sitting
Ioom) and their own room, opening from
10 en- Mrs. joins bad set her heart on
having Der plrIor furoi,hcd On the Ben
son fsrm they would have lived in atenant
house, small but comfortable, ADD there
would have been 90 parior to furnish but
10 bias been proven many times hat ouly a
wcll'b,laneed mind can bear sudden pros
perty, but JOHN was frm.
4 wait, CELIA, he said, until we get a.
head little then you shall furnish the
house from top TO bottom 10 suit yourself =
and CELIA knew that he meant it, for JoHN
~ go ~,ioerable frais s 49,. e., e., W53
. ns,s uvs Z. $780,