Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-02-20

BODY IN trouble, anu 40 dill cail
toward preparing merry Christmas
for you"
The fact is mother and | had often
been over in odd moments and smooth
ed things in this tangled household,
and made the children presentable be-
fore {" the MASTER" as nurse called him,
returned home; SO we knew the ways
Of the place as we'll as we did our own.
"Thank you, ma'am," said Mr.. Null
tahney Its very kind of you; and if
anybody can bring order out of disor-
der, you can. wish from the bottom
Of my heart you would stay there for
everw
Mother looked at him in mild sur
prise. and went for her bonnet and
shawl.
"Dear me- / thought to myself,
" can he be going to ask mother to be
his housekeeper? I'll never consent,
though he offer her ever so much, and
it is only across the way
"Please come too, Miss Faith, for
half an hour" said Mr.. Multahney,
coaxingly; eve can come back to the
store afterward, and"
"And / wish you'd stay forever"
broke in that darling Harry, who had
been prancing about, fourishing a
wooden sword he had taken from the
counter.
"And so do T." said dear little Robbie,
climbing upon the stool at my side and
putting his arms about my neck.
Don't you, papa?"
"With all my heart" said papa.
"Why can't she?" asked Lily, drop
ping the cat and looking earnestly up
in her fathers face. 1--WE all love her
dearly-best of anybody but you"
"The Gray children have a new
mamma" said that dreadful Harry,
and she amt half as nice as Faith and
Faiths mother"
felt the bushes rising to my face
and spreading all over it, until | must
have been red from my chin to my
forehead and away back to my ears.
My dear Faith" said Mr.. Multah-
ney, his eyes sparkling mischievously,
the children have proposed to you.
Will you accept them-and me?'
stood confused and silent; for though
liked Mr.. Multahney very, very much,
[ had never thought of him as hus-
band, having, in the first place, made
up my mind to be an old maid, and, in
the next, never having suspected for an
| instant that he thought of me save as
the daughter of my mother, she being
so much more attractive. When mother
returned:
"Say yes, dear Fairy" whispered
Robbie, kissing my cheek.
"Say yes, Miss Faith" shouted Harry,
and We'll have no end of fun
Say yes, say yes, say yes !" teased
Lily.
Yes to what.7 asked my mother,
smilingly.
ITO question I've just asked her."
answered Mr. Multahney-" whether
she would be my wife"
Mr.. Mullagatawny !" said my
mother; and then LAID her bonnet on a
chair and sat down upon it.
Why, ma'am, there's nothing sur
prising about my part of the affair.""
said Mr.. Multahney. "A young lady,
sunny-faced, sweet-tempered, devoted
to her mother, endowed, in fact, with
more virtues than any women l have
ever met before, comes to country
place where poor devil of widower
IS struggling along with six young chill
dren, and from the very first day she
smiles on him his life seems brighter,
and ever since that day she and her no
less charming mother have quietly done
all they could to promote his happiness
and that of the children, and the chill
dren have grown to love them both, and
SO has the father too. And I shall be
honored. proud and honored, a'am, if
you will accept me for son-in-law, and
Faith for a husband"
Z" Mrs. Mullagatawny y murmured
my mother. Il never thought Faith
would have such queer name as that
But, dear me" in louder tone), cit
isn't hers yet, and perhaps never will
be-"
"Don't say that" said Mr.. Multah-
ney, with emphasis, ''or I'll go and
drown myself
The children set up d howl, Robbie
hanging around my neck, and Harry
and Lily clinging to their father. ooh!
oh! oh! our darling papa going to drown
himself! Dear, dear, dear Miss Faith,
you won't let papa drown himself?"
Il WON'T" said /.