The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-11-18

position to my wife from you, Lefty
nor fron1-from any other woman. I
am the head of this house. My dear
wife shall be mistress oft.
She brings me a snug bit of money,
and I'll not have her nor her family
insulted in it,
"My son."
But he had stalked off to bed.
There was no time, the next day,
tor Mrs. fancy or Lefty to even think
of the coming trouble. They were up
as usual, two or three hours before day,
kindling fires, milking and getting
breakfast for the six harvest hands,
Then came washing, a dinner at noon,
all the work of a farm, in short, which
falls on woman, in addition to which
was the cleaning and preparation Of
room which the bride had chosen for
her own. Mrs fancy moved sluggish
ly through the latter part of the work.
"What is the matter with YOU,
mother" asked Lefty.
Mrs. fancy laughed fcebly.
II don't know; 1 feel like clock that
is nearly run down."
Lefty made no reply. The child had
lately been absent, almost Indifferent,
while her mother talked. apparently
in her own thoughts Could it be, the
mother thought, that Lefty, was for
saking her? Mrs. fancy had only had
one other daughter baby who
died. The other children were sons,
all of whom, except William, had gone
to the west and married there. She
had often wished they would ask her
to visit them, that she might see their
children. But they never did it.
While they were hanging out the
clothes that afternoon, Mrs. Taney
heard a tap three times repeated, on the
orchard fence. Letty's face colored.
She dropped the clothes and ran be-
hind the apple tree. AS she came
back her mother saw her thrust note
into her pocket, Mrs. fancy grew sud-
denly sick at heart. Lefty carrying on
a clandestine love AFFAIR." ="
While Mrs. fancy stood doubling
whether to ask the child for her con-
fidence, Lefty had disappeared. A few
moments later the girl went down the
road in her clean dress and sun bon
net. It was q trihe, yetit stunned the
| jadded woman, as a sharp blow would
have done.
The other farmers daughters kept
up a perpetual vulgar flirting and
secret courtships. But Lettie was her
own wee lamb, delicate and pure.
MIR. Burke, coming over the fields
that afternoon with a Ratchet and a
bag of specim ems, was amazed to see
Lefty standing in the road in earnest
conversation with man. A coarse,
red-jawed berry fellow, was his angry
verdict. The fellow talked long and
earnestly; he took Lettie's hand and
pressed it revcrently. Burke turned
his back on them and struck across the
hills. The girls mother should hear of
this at once, he said to himself decid-
edly. Then he slackened his speed.
What was it to him? Why should he
vex himself about the girl? Or NEEDLE
with her affairs? He went slowly back
to the hills. But the hot blood rushed
with a strange beat through his veins.
In an hour Lefty was back and at
work with redoubled vigor to make up
for lost time. Her mother scanned her
innocent meek face with a. breathless
terror.
Surely there was no guilt there. She
would not doubt her; she would not ask
a question.
! have dressed the table with flow
ers,' the mother said, "and made a
cake-a real brides cake. I hope
William won't be angry. But this is
so different from weddings in Virginia.
Oh, Lefty if you and I could only go to
the old house and sleep for one night in
the room which was mine when was a
child, I think that little thing would
give me years Of life.''
'There they GOMEZ cried Lefty, as
the big Crawford carriage was seen
dashing up the road. She grew very
pale and shrank back. The girl had
always been afraid of her brother Will
liam; and his wife, she suspected, would
be as hard a ruler and a more vulgar
one.
But Mrs. fancy led her to the porch.
'You must welcome them, Letty,'
she said
The bride watched them from the
carriage window with keen, Jealous
eyes. Her father had given her hint
as oher future course.
! "You've made good match,
Supply" he said. chill Taney's got as
long purse as any man in the coun-
try, and his old farms comfortable.
But the old woman an her da'ater will
be drawback. They'll try to run over
you roughshoe, likely. Just take your
stand at once. Let 'em see you will
be mistress in your own house."
"Trust me for that, pappy," said Miss
Sophy.
The whole Crawford family had &C
companied her to sec how she would
hold her ground.
When poor Mrs. fancy stepped for