The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-06-16

! NA-''5 II ON~-NO ---H-' 80 NN'S O. o
seat.
"Well, mean that ye shall be paid"
"How?"
'By money or land. Just name yer
terms"
81 don't want your money or your
land, Jason. My poor mother needs it
worse than I; but 1 do want you to so
far release her from your pecuniary hold
that she shall, in that regard, be as free
as before she married you. You know,
as well as I, that you are not qualified,
in your present health, to manage busi-
ness. Sam and Harry could do all the
marketing if you would let them, and
you must hereafter. If l had not been
with you on this trip, you would have
gone on a spree and spent wagon, team,
and load. You know you would. The
laws of men so far fall short of meeting
your case that they afford you no pro-
lection against yourself We want to
cure you-my mother and I-of your
disease of drunkenness. We cannot
/ " iAilG ou AltANC lhC 81 BlCibC BOhGl W
do as you please with the property and
the home premises"
"What'll ye have me to do, Madgey?"
"NIake me your business manager
and general agent. Entrust me with
the guardianship of the property, and I
will hold it in trust for you aud my
mother till YOU are cured.u
"But l can't, Madgey."
"Why not?"
Because yer married woman. Yer
husband might come in any day an up
set our cor tracts an collect pay for yer
time"
"But he has no moral right to control
me, Jason. He has deserted me, too"
at amt desertion; leastways you
couldn't git divorce for desertion till
he's been three years gone, an he's liza
BILE to come back any day, if he gifts
dead-broke."
"Oh, dearw
at seems hard, Madgey, but know
man on t'other side O. the MOIalla that
goes off every spring, reg'Iar; am his
wife an young ones makes garden an
butter an raises fair crop, an just as
it's putty well took keer of, back he
comes an winters on 'em; an thar's u
new baby every year or so, an they
have an awful hard time. Now, s'pose
George Hanson takes it in his head to
| af haf irn nfr,I tn l,oT T,N
yerself?"
"I'll get divorce"
"On what ground 81
"YOu know"
"But that happened before ye married
him. Ye don't know as he's been ir-
reg lar in his conduct since he was mar
ried, an ye can't git divorced on any
known grounds, unless he stays away
beyond the legal limitations"
"Then deed everything over to mother,
if Pm nobody"
"She's a married woman, an in the
same boat with yerself"
"But she can own property"
ain limited sense"
"Well, the whole thing must be man.
aged somehow. 1 believe you know
that Pm your friend, Jason"
'Yes."
"And you know that my mother and
are always ready to take care of you?"
81 reckon"
"And you realize that you are not
physically, morally, and mentally able,
owing to the disease that is preying
upon you, to do justice to yourself and
family ?"
81 believe it,"
''rhen can't you deed everything OF
, the place at home to mother, to be hello
in trust for you and the children till you
are cured, provided you are to have &
home, and such care as you need, ia
son ?"
, Jason hung his head in a brown study
al wouldn't ask it," continued Madge
'only know we shall all be gamers by
it."
'I'll do it," he said, spasmodically
''an' here's my hand upon it, Madgey
,, I'd heap rather have guardian thai
to act the fool, as rve been doin'."
The two days journey was made with
out further incident than the usua
routine that accompanies similar trav
els.
When they had come within tw,
' miles of home, Madge suddenly change,
the course of the cattle, and turned oil
the road leading to the new town.
"Ain't we goin' home ?" asked Jason
: with a gesture of surprise.
mot till we get papers made and tn
business settled that is to give M,
mother the legal right to take care O
you," replied Madge, again holding he
: charge in subsection by the magic powe
in her flashing eyes.
e "Oh, don't let's go to-day!" he said
y deprecatingly.
- ''Procrastination is not only the THE
j. of time, but the robber of most mem
o good impulses" was the decided reply
e 1t was almost dark when the work 70
L which they had visited the new court
Il house was finished. Madge did no
3 trust her step-father out of her sight fO