The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-08-17
Mrs. Marblehead,U -

Mrs. Marblehead."
'I'Il not stay with them, neither will
I take them with us! They may do for
themselves p'
The Major was sorely grieved and
sadly vexed. He was at his wits end.
''I do not think it at all proper, wife,
to take children of tender years to the
wicked and alluring city. You became
my wife with the full understanding
that I had the children, that they would
need a mothers care, and that you,
placing yourself in the attitude of a
mother to them, must needs make sac
rifices for their good"
"Sir, I have made sacrifices for them;
far more than will ever make again.
You must appoint my son, Thomas, to
the position of private secretary to
yourself That will give him a good
position. The salary will not be high
enough to justify him in taking his wife
along, and she can stay here and take
care Of the children"
"But will she do it?"
"Will she, indeed! How can she
help herself? She has her arms full OF
babies already, and is tied hand and
foot. Tom will say to her, My dear, I
have secured an eligible situation in the
East. 1t will be impossible for me to
take you with me, for shall want to
save all can spare from my salary to
improve my farm. You can stay here
and hold the helm Depend upon it,
she'll do it. She'll have to-"
Major Marblehead was silenced, but
not convinced. The admonitions OF
Paul to women, as well as SolomOn's
eulogy to industrious wives, would have
outweighed every argument the first
wife might have offered, had she been
in the place of the present one; but Mrs,
Marblehead, second, had no scruples Of
conscience and no limit of will.
81 s'pose you'll be obliged to have
your way" said the subdued consort
"but 1 little thought I'd ever mix in
politics. Much less did expect to evel
have a wife that would do So"
"If-we could always foresee all the
distinctions that are to come to US, we'd
grow vain-glorious, and unworthy the
Kingdom, Major" was the sagacious re-
sponse. "But yonder comes Tommy
Now, you leave him to me, Major. I'll
manage him."
The Major, doubtless under the i'm
preston that discretion in this case, a.
in all others, was the better part o
valor, left the house and wandered dOwI
the lane in the direction of his daugh
ter's home.
Many improvements had been made
upon the farm since Kingston Greens
borough had been turned away from it
borders, sadder and a wiser man; anC
the reader is now introduced to a double
cabin with glass windows, and batter
doors with iron hinges-quite an limo
walton upon the hitherto prevailing Gus
tom of a single room, with window
lights of oiled paper, and door hinge
made of the cast-off leg of a superannu
ated boot.
A few short years had robbed Marthi
Jones of the little beauty she had pos
sessed as Martha Marblehead. He
forehead, which had been as fair an
smooth as alabaster in her younge
days, was furrowed with latitudina
wrinkles, the old men and women G
the now we'll settled neighborhood be
lieving that said wrinkles betokened, i
prophetic way, the number of Marble
i head-Joneses yet to be born to the Jones
> Marblehead household. Had they bee
better versed in the lore of commo
= sense and common humanity, the
would have known that the wrinkles i
question were the result of innumerabl
g back-aches, caused by over lifting, an
all the accompanying ills of over drudg
cry with which young mothers al
. cursed in most pastoral countries and
l' all new settlements.
But they did not know, nor do man
:. Of the expressing classes know, {
- scarcely dream, of the physical suffe
ing that women of the border must Ell
dure, not in the natural function
motherhood alone, but coupled with I'll
r, toll accompanying the preparation
food and other creature comforts for IL
crowds of able-bodied men who look
them for the bodily comforts that NAL
living in itself luxury.
"Allow me to congratulate yo
, father" said Martha, dropping weari
y y into chair. 81 hear that you have S
> cured lucrative office, and now 1 ha,
favor to ask, and only one. VIII "
grant it?"
"How should know, child, when
> have no idea what the favor is ?"
y "Well, to come to the point at once,
= want Tom to have an office, too.
want to go to Washington"
"Women shouldn't meddle with DO
'U tics, my child"
"Why, pray ?"
W because it isn't their forte"
"But Mrs. Marblehead NEEDLES, al
you reap the reward"
"Your mother sees the need of n
skill and cOnscientiousness in polite
daughter The times are fearfullv cC