Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1878-12-18

10 WOU10%s@ vi W0lcn i va very gao.
! shoah have bssn sorsly disappointed
II ~. had forced me to love her, ~ did
th1s l6nd, Eighty Arst wife Of Bob; for
to hate the Marley's had become my sole
elFength and tonic during days Of end.
leM Iabor and WEAKNESS of body and
soul. The spite I had against the whole
Marle1 rec, that had spoiled my Bob
for M md vheedled my sister into q
peffAS tAAt broke the manly heart of
David Devine-the spite / held for them.
one and al, kept fife in me when /
should otherwise have tainted by the
way. RohsGM that Ne couldn't liveto-
gether, and took . furnished house down
the stFest, for Bob was . big man N v,
and one Of the partners of Marley and
Brothers; but before Judith went away
she gave me what she called . piece of
her mind.
/ had Hulda to myself now, and will
confess that l left no stone unturned to
scoomplish my paspose. Isparsdneither
her suitor's Agc nor his infirmities, and
pspested, with many . sly exaggeration,
the taunt of Judith. So all poor Mar.
ley's entreaties and the threats and
wrath Of Bob, wpse unable to mend the
mischief Of one woman's tongue. Hulda
gave up NaSley, and settled down with
ma - old maidenhood and the dreary
msnotony Of kesping boardeTs. Even
Hulda was pest middle age when she
came down to me that morning on the
kitchen floor. AsI said, there was no
necessity for Hulda's remaining among
the rust and reaches, the clatter of the
diahea and the bustle Of the black serv-
ing-maidA ! had kept Hulda the lady
manager of the house. Her laces we're
real, while mine we're any two-penny
cheetsYy that came to hand; she rustled
In her sikh, while I got about in q ging-
ham gown; but We worked together,
Hulda and /, and the time had come
now when We could shake the dust and
aahes Of this drudgsry from our feet.
II was growing hot for that early season
Of the. year. / had been thinking all
the morning. Of Tie budding iayches out
on the old homestead, and the tender
green Of the willow slips down by the
meadow. It seemed 10 me ] could hear
the young lambs bleat, and catch the
milky breath Of the COWS - they chewed
their early cud. It might have been the
steam Of the clearinghouse breakfast
that dimmed my eyes as l whispered to
Hulda: r..
It's all settled. The hoarders must
be told to-day. We're rid of all this
din and drudgery, I've paid the last
cent on the homestead, and it's ours,
dearie, to have and to hold forever"
S"And shall We live there al alone,
Magadaf" she said" you and II"
II shall take Chloe 10 help about the
houses | said; but as to living alone,
thatl what we'd been working and pray.
ing for. You certainly don't want to
take any Of the boarders along? Mrs.
Post wants to bring her sick baby out
Tor the summer, and that young student
on the second floor back IS Fostering me
to spend his vacation with us; but surely.
Hulda, you would not begin your new
life with boarders?" .
"No, Magada, no." she said, with that
little melancholy, ~deprecatory, exasper
atfng smile of hers; and ms she wen
away she left the germ after her o.
rather s.bitter misgiving, which ripenee
into fulA-0aturity when We got settlet
in the old homestead, with all our house
hold gods about us. These deities wor'
: rueful and rusty air. There was some
thing out Of joing. It was Time himself
no doubt. / began to get the ricket.
myself; and though / wouldn't hav,
owned it to the world, 1 was sorry
hadn't brought out with me Mrs. Pos
and her baby, and the young student Of
the second floor back. For one thing,
hadn't enough to do. Chloe did all tn
kitchen-work, Hulda attended 70 tn,
bedrooms, and the cooking that Va
fleft to me wasn't worth mentioning. !
was enough to bfeak ones heart to SO
the dishes come ard 60 untouched ant
untasted. ! would almost have beel
glad TO zee that greedy Marley come il
for one hearty meal. There was nobod,
TO brew Or bake for; nobody to mend o
mako for; and, ah me! what Z bite
cry / had one day when l stupidity STUN
bled into Bob's snuggery up under tn
caves of the garnet, and saw there tn
broken fishing rods, the old rabbi
hutches, the bird traps, kites, marble.
and heaven knows what all! / couldn'
get the boy out Of my mind, and began
now that 1 had plenty Of time, to thin
thatl might have been . little hard my
cell, and grew to wondering about th
children Of Bob's first wife that I'd Civ
en- ovsr to the clutch of Judith Marie,
without one effort to cheer or comfort.
Il was the third day before Christina
when Z storm ret in OF hail and snow an,
sl0et, 80 that Il WA all We could do to &c
the dumb creatures about the plac
housed and fed. When all wa done,
1t the logs 70 blazing upon the hearth
and happily kept Z warm drink in tn
ashes for Chloe, who VA still funin,
about the kitchen. The wind roaret
asoand the house, swinging the bfancheI
OF the trees against the wcather-board
I'M; ard said ], "Hulda, God save any
psor cseetures It The mercyOf this storm
tonight"
"kmen!" aid HuIda.
~ Inst moment We both heard some
thing lie Z human voice starined to thu
utmost, and Hulda started to her feet.
Be quiet, Hulda," / said, myself fal
fFon 81, sits only the shrieking Of The
But again We heard the voice, and
3oA1 NO uC1LO ny u6h1G. ! IcACu00 lOl
my cloak and hat, and buckled on my
rubbers, while Halda stood trembling
hHa when suddenly the door dew open,
and . great gust OF storm and sleet came
pelting in driving before it a mar and
some young children he was budding
before him like sheen in a tempest.
They were blinded with the storm and
half frozen, but the boy. dragged his sis
ter by The hand, and poor Bob held the
youngest child in his arms.
"Don'tyou know us, Aunt Mag?" said
the little fellow. tim Bob, you know.
The wagon al broke down, and we're
jelly gid 70 get home" Here the little
nan began 70 cry, for his brave heart
was ovefburdcned, and the child in Bob's
arm took mp the refrain. Bob himself
~ whfts as tho snow outside, and SEEM
ededased and bewilderod.
"6ee herr, Mag" he s.ammered out,
"Tye brought the children to you to
board for while. EverythiDg's Il sizes
And navAnn n Tia citv.. Mavlev r prcAh.