The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1878-12-20
Atthis juncture the baby, like Pip brought

hHNu'uh nun HhNlsntu llS upInunuS H0u
put tin its crib, saying with little chuck
Ie
There, you're blessed good specimen Of
the male sect in gineral, as peaceful as a
lamb when you're stufl1in' somethin' into
you that suits you an for jest little while
atterwards.'
As Keturah took her sewing Mrs Lane re-
marked, smilingly: You have not made it
clear yet why your friend married John
Dean
'Why it's plain as day that she took
him because he choosed her an seemed to
wusshup the ground she stood on sames's
many woman has merried when she didn't
git the one she'd sot her heart on, an didn't
keer about flying in the face of Providence
an not merry at all. It's clear as can be
that she'd drawin' towards Dick all the
time, for all her Independence :; an his 60
In right off to California after that picnic
an never seein' of her made her kind of
reckless ike. One day when | was at Ruth's
old home, takin' keer OF Bertha's baby,
while she an Robert was off to sea, Dick
walked right in where 1 was They said he'd
got rich minin' but he didn't look no ways
cherry eff he had, He kept talkin' about
Ruth an asked eff 1 thought John Dean
would make her life happy an all sich ques-
tons. He said little Rubenstein loakt d
more like Ruth than Robert, and then he
kissed MIN an looked so down hearted, |
jest up an asked him what had happened at
that picnic. 1t all come out then that he'd
been loyin' Ruth right along; an thai day
when they was alone among the cliffs, he d
told he was goin off to be gone long spell
an he wanted to have a seris talk long Of
her ; and Ruth never stopped to hear what
he was goin' to say but turned an walked
off, sayin' kind of scorpful, she hoped he'd
have more sense about women.fOlks when
he came back. An he went off think n
she didn't keer tor him but seein' that she
was still Ra.u Nor.hin the last time his
folks writ him, he'd come back to sea II she
wouldn't be his, after all. Al here wa
Ruth, another mans wife out in IIlinoy
| declare it was awful provokin' to see how
them two bein's, both on 'em speakin' the
same tongue, an knOwin' one mother all
their days, went on to blind their eyes an
make sich mess, a upsettin' all their hap
perness for life like two natural born ijets /;
when there was Robert an Bertha only
knOwed one mother six weeks or better, an
ones talk all giOberish to t'other, an they
found out they was ment for one mother. |
read a novel once all through, an Pm blessed
ef Ruth an Dicks onsensible doin's want
Jest of piece with the two lovers in that
story, for they went on tin conter ry
through two vollems an at last came togeth
er by accerdont. But that's sight petter'n
Ruth an Dick come out. It's all for the best
though, AM Pm not a fndin' fault with Prov
erdince.
God works in mysterious way
His wonders to perform"
4 am glad tha- you are no pessimst,
laughed Mrs, Lane. 4 hope Ruth lived
happily with John Dean
why, yes, lea.twise as tur as folks know
ed for woman ike Ruth has a head full
of ideas, and common sense don't go telln'
all the world she's made mistakes an got the
wrong maa-she'd be pulled into tatlors be-
fore she'd own IT, It's mostly them couples
as is both alike, one as weak as tother, that
brings their little mean troubles before the
wOrdan law courts, an git divorces as Ell
them was panaky for all their miserable.
ness. John Dean wasn't bad man, bl
kind of hard for womankind to deal with
for he was monster cOnterary, an hadn't
much gumption about business, an lost all
his property as keerless as child. Ruth
couldn't do nothin to better things for then
| kind O men, an the weaker they be, tn,
wuss they be, is everlastn afeared they'll bt
ruled or governed by women folks, Littl
Stein, as Ruth called him, was with me a
home when Robert an Bertha was lost a
sea, an Ruth sent for me to fetch him
1t nigh upon broke her heart to lose Ecu
both all of Il sudden but twas comfort sh
said to have Roberts boy,
| We hdu Il HuIht Nllh mum SNtl NeliSS
eff a body ever is at home in this shifless ou
! West
! Being a native of. Keturah's scorned Gu
! West, Mrs Lane hid a smile in her ques
| ton:
Has Mrs. Dean never been East to Sc
her relatives in all this timer
Keturah beeswaxed her thread and CAV
her peculiar chuckling laugh before sh
spoke.
It's funny ef fdi.appointments ever is, BIT
she hasn't ever been. Wheo Stein was II
year old, or upNrds, Ruth planned in he
heart some way to take US all on good lon
pleasurin' tower East an John D-a
seemed to need change MORN any of u
for he'd been a iailin' all that spring, Rut
she teached in friends school an colore
photographs that it mightn't come hard o
John for the outlay an We was all read.
trunks all packed, ,aUd the airly roses a-blov
in and the black dust chokin Us, whe
poor John was took down helpless with
shock Of p'ralysis. Instead of hollerda
amongst them blessed Maine hills, we stai
in that hot city all that livelong summer
tendin' on that sick mortal. Ruth WASH
a angel but she was better'n one of 'em
hoppin their wings around in sick room
for she was a woman with human hands an
CHEEKY words, and he was a childish, OF
restful inverlid.
Twas along in the winter he died an
when the sound of them frozen clods a-lalli
on his coffin struck Ruth's ears, she iaintt
dead away in my arms. P'raps you don
believe it; 'tisn't them we've loved mo
an been happiest with that We wee
bitterest tears for when they'r gone-it
sorrow. .foHhappeness we never had that Gu
deepest.
After while we moved down here
this village, the decentest place l ever ST