Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-05-23

looked at him, and gave laugh, hate
full sort of laugh. 'Our old Lowell said
she. 'Then,' said he, if you will not
for my sake, nor for your own sake, nor
for the sake of that old love, marry me
for the sake of the motherless children
who need you more than children ever
needed a mother yet, and who-who are
driving me crazy!' And then Aunt
Helen laughed in earnest, good, sweet
ringing peal; and the long and the short
of it is that she has driven up to the
Thornton house to-day, to look at the
cubs and see what she thinks about them.
May be she'll bring them down here
she's great on missionary work, you
know"
"Well, I declared" was the final
chorus And we sat in silence a good
half hour; and by the time our tongues
were running again, Aunt Helen had
returned, and Mr.. Thornton had come in
with her and sat down upon the piazza
step at her feet, but not at all with the
air Of an accepted lOver-much more
like a tenant of Mohammed's coffin. we
thought. And, as | began to tell YOU,
we were all sitting and swinging there
being a scene of domestic comfort. AS
she sat down, the big black Cochin hen
came to meet her, and Aunt Helen threw
her bit of water-cracker, supply of
which she always carried about her
Why, where's your husbands" said
she to the hen.
There he is" said Ned. Giles been
up alone in that corner of the grass the
whole day, calling and clucking and in
viting company; but the rest haven
paid the least attention to him, and are
picking and scratching down among the
cannas."
ooh, but he's been down there twice.
Ned" cried Harry, "and tried to whip
the little bantam, but it was drawn
bgttle."
Well, he ought to have little
vacation, and scratch for himself a
WHILE" said Aunt Helen. "He has
picked and scratched for his hen and her
family in the most faithful way all sum-
mer"
"And SOS the banty," said Ned.
"The bantam's the best; he's taken as
much care of the chickens as the hen
has, any way; and he never went to
roost once all the time his hen was set
ting, Mr.. Thornton, but sat right down
in the straw beside her every nj ght."
ga model Spouse" said Aunt Helen
"They are almost human" said Mr..
Thornton. Aid so we sat talking till
the tea bell rang, for Mr.. Thornton was
going to stay to tea, he boldly told us;
and we saw that he meant to get all the
young people on his side by the way he
began to talk to Ned about trout and
pickerel, and about deep sea fishing;
but when he got to eel traps, Ned's face
was purple, and he blessed that tea bell,
fancy. However, Mr.. Thornton might
have found that it wasn't so easy to range
the young people on his side if he had
made a iong-continued effort. We en-
joyed a romance under our eyes, but we
had no sort of notion of his taking our
Aunt Helen away.
We were just coming out from tea,
and were patronizing the sunset little,
which was uncommonly fine, and [
thought [ had never seen Aunt Helen
looking like such beauty, with that rich
light OVERLAPPING her like rosy bloom,
when John came Fastening up.
II just want you all to step inside the
barn door with me, if you please, ma am"
said he. And we went after him to be
greeted by the sweet smell of the new
mown hay, and to be gilded by the one
great broad sunbeam swimming full of
glory of notes from door to door. "Do
you see that" said John 1t was flock
of the hens and chickens on their Gus
tomary roosts. "And now do you see
that?' said he; and he turned about
and showed us, on the top rail of the
pony's manager, the big black Cochin also
gone to roost, but separately-and his
wife beside him? No. but little Mrs.
Bantam!
"That's who he has been clucking and
calling to this whole afternoon, the
wretch!' cried Ned
"And now look here" said John; and
we followed him into the harness-room,
where the chickens had CHANGED to be
Matched, and there, in the straw on the
floor, sat the disconsolate little bantam
rooster, all alone, with his wings spread
and his feathers pulled out, brooding his
four little chickens under his wings-the
four little chickens deserted by their
mother. -.
Il declared! [ declarew cried Aunt
Helen, as we came out into the great
moty sunbeam again; ''the times are 50
depraved that it has really reached the
barn-yard. The poor little banty and his
brood! Why, it's as bad as the forsaken
Norman"
"Only not so poetical," said we.
"Helen," said Mr.. Thornton, lit is ex-
actly my condition. Are you going to
have pity for that bird, and none for me?
Are you going to leave me to my fate"
And in a moment, right before us all, as
she stood in that great red sunbeam, Mr..
Thornton put his arms round Aunt Helen,
who, growing roster and roster, either
from the sunbeam or something else, could
do nothing at last but hide her face.
''Helen," he said, ''you are certainly
coming home with me?" And Aunt
Helen did not say no. t483.
A Bureau of Debtors.
From the Boston Post.