The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-11-24

JOuu WAS as COuLSuIeu dS d pet hlJIeu.
He had plenty to eat, warm fire to
toast his toes before, a wife who be-
longed to him, and what more did he
need ? An ambitious man would have
been uneasy as to the future, but not so
John Smith.
Mrs. Rutherford, true to her promise,
regularly slipped provisions to the
cabin through the instrumentality of a
trusty servant who had loved Edna
from babyhood, and Aunt Judy man
aged to make such "turns" in her dick
ering at the village grocery as enabled
them to keep the larder comfortably
supplied.
Mrs. Rutherford visited her daughter
once during the winter, thereby raising
such domestic storm at home as pre-
vented repetition of the experiment.
Her husband believed the custody of his
wife was his paramount right, and it
was not strange that he failed to con-
slider her conscience or inclination in
the matter. Had the wife been fully
awakened to her own responsibility, she
would have met the storm and con-
quered it, as many woman has done
in these latter years, thereby bringing
peace TO her own heart and comparative
happiness to the soul of her husband.
Solon Rutherford was miserable, even
in carrying out his own purposes.
Every human being is endowed with
the natural inception of tyranny. A
proper distribution of frictions and
forces brings a proper equilibrium of
liberty. Supreme, or one-sided power,
brings unhappiness even to its possessor.
But, as we have said, spring came, and
with it no visible change in the fnan-
cial prospects of Edna and John.
"Have you made any plans for the fu-
ture ?" Edna asked one day, after hav-
ing pored over Blackstone until every
page and paragraph was indelibIy pho
! Ssgraphed upon her brain, while John,
with a memory like a blurred sentitive
plate, seemed to fail in all the finest
points of comprehension.
81 don't know as have" was the
simple answer, while he kept his eyes
riveted upon the printed page.
"When do you intend to have any
plans ?" asked Edna, patiently. At
this rate you'll conquer your legal stud
les in a quarter of a century, after
which, in another quarter, you'll be
able to introduce yourself to practice.
In the meantime-'a fool for luck, and a
poor man for children you know
you'll have a family to support and ed
ucate, and who's going to do it ?'
John vouchsafed no reply.
'Do you think" continued Edna,
"that we have a life lease on Aunt
Judy? And would you be contented to
accept this home and these surround
ings for lifetime, if we had ?"
Still no reply.
Edna could have bitten him in her
impatience.
"Did you intend that should be
compelled to live like this, prisoner
upon the bounty of a poverty-stricken
grand-aunt, when you made such roseate
promises for the future in the model
love letters that captivated me, but
which find to be no more like you on
close acquaintance than if you never
had written them?'
John blushed. He did hope that
Edna never would discover that those
letters were copied ones.
81 expected, when married you," be
said, at length, 'that I'd step into q
great farmhouse, with negroes and posi-
horses, and a fine carriage and every.
thing splendid around us. If you are
disappointed, so am l."
'But, John, you had no right to ex,
pect these things. You did not prove
yourself worthy of them. Do you know
what pd like for US to do?n
''NO.n
"Do you care ,"
No answer.
"Pd like you to crop your hair short
tan yourself in oak tea, let your bearC
,, grow, and go to my fathers as a hiret
man. You needn't tell them who vol
are, and they won't know you in thi
guise."
"Well ?"
, John was getting interested.
"Then, I'd have you go to work as
farm hand, and make yourself general,
useful. In a little while my fathe
: would learn to like you. There's no us
talking, John. 1t isn't in you to be
lawyer, any more than it's in me to be
washerwoman. You may become
farmer if you're willing to work. Then
when you've become fdctotum abou
the farm, and father thinks he cam
live without you, Tll come and CLAIM
= you"
4 John laughed immoderately.
= Edna was angry.
: "Tve read such things in novels" sh
= pouted, "and supposed was marry
r ing hero instead of p'
}, "Ednau'
s It was Aunt Judy who spoke in tone
S of rebuke.
"HOw would you like it if job
y should talk to you like that ?'
o 81 shouldn't care ~ was the unprs