The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-09-29

have suited her exactly, and she made
many secret resolves concerning special
acts of possible legislatures, wherein
the name might be legally altered to
suit her fastidious imaginings.
School was over, and she was not only
of age, but engaged" blessed thought,
and Johns boquet was in her hand and
his billet dOuT in her bosom. Her
father and mother were foolishly proud
of her, as though every daughter in the
land who thus graduates isn't "a paragon;
and when John Smith formally pro-
posed for Edna's hand in marriage, do
ing up his proposition in another fault
less letter, copied Ver6Gtinl from the
same "guide" that had aided him in
winning his bride-to be-and Edna's
father fumed and swOre, and Edna's
mother wept and scolded, the work was
done; for hadn't all the cruel parents of
whom she had ever read, in the stolen
novels upon which schoolgirls feed,
treated their prosecuted daughters just
so? And could any girl in the land be-
come the subject and object of ecstatic
bliss, in the ever rapturous marriage re-
lation, unless she would break away
from parental restraints and step right
out into marriage and freedom?
So reasoned Edna Rutherford, and
upon this reasoning she hastily acted,
tboroI,,, haO.inniD0 our Storv ,rOOd
reader, just where every other story
ends. 1t was idle to say that she thus
renounced her home and its old associa-
tions without regret. True, her four
years alienation from home life, during
the period of probation spent at school,
had so far weaned her from her mother
that she had been robbed of the most
necessary teachings of daughters ex-
perience; and the mOther-love which
should have crowned her womanhood
with halo of abiding glory, was to her
shadowy myth, an intangible dream
of olden memories, scarcely ever re-
called, and never priced as it should
have been.
"Its useless for US to fret, wife, said
philosophic Solon Rutherford. "Edna's
made her bed, and if it proves a couch
of nettIes, she it is must lie upon it.
I've discharged my duty"
"God knows I've tried to discharge
mine," was the heart broken response;
"but can't find any consolation in the
reflection that her bed of nettles is of
her own choosing. 1 wish we hadn't
sent her away to school. I wish sire
had always remained where I might
have watched and tended and loved her.
Then Pm sure she wouldn't have been
disobedient. SOlon, do you have any
idea of their intensions ?'
ain what way, mother ?"
'I mean, where do you think they'll
go, and what do you think they'll do ?''
81 don't know, and 1 don't care! ]
wash E1y hands of further responsible.
ity in the premises" said the indignant
father.
"But I care, Solon," was the sad re,
ply; land if 1 had my way, I'd give
them a start in life and parental bless.
ing and let them 60"
"And make a fool of yourself, DEAR
"And make a mother of myself, you'C
better say. Solon, do you see these
worn hands rve toiled and suffered
for you forty years without recompense
Mainly off of the fruit of these hands
you have grown rich. I have neve
been a burden to you in any way. Ever
the doctor bills that my periodic con
finements have incurred have been pai(
by my own toll, and now have a re
quest to make. You won't be angry
dear ?'
The voice of Mrs. Rutherford tremblet
and her whole frame quivered with i'll
suppressed expectancy.
"What the mischief do you mean
Susan" said her husband, in an in
jured tone. zone would think, to hea
you talk, that had been a very tyrant
exacting from you such constant sacri
fees as would shame a Blue Beard
Pm astonished at YOU"
The eyes of the bereaved mother wer
filed afresh with tears.
> 'I thought" she said, difidently
"that if 1 might have control of
thousand dollars or so, that I'd like t
| make Edna a present and help her O
: in life"
} "Woman do you think Pm made c
money, that l could give you thous
and dollars to throw away on that disc
bedient hussy-"
, "Stop, Solon ~ pleaded the wife
"She was my baby, and all 1 had Ief
L can't bear to hear you call her names.
e whether she was all you had or no
, you haven't got her now," replied th
r father. "You know I threw ava
r thousands upon her education. Muc
5 good it'll do her! She'll spend her lii
= at the cradle, cook-stove, and wash-tuI
= Better have kept her in the kitchen a
a her life."
r 81 objected to a boarding-school edu
! cation, as you know, Solon; but yo
had it your way, and this is what's com
r of it. There is no kind of sense in oU
f being unreasonable All Our Obstinac