The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-03-25

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ionship, an insatiate desire TO yet fulfil
her part OF the most solemn and earnes
contract Of her life. Il is this, alone
that nerves her to .effort-this, alone
that prevents her from committing sui
eide.
p As immigrants the husband and VIII
had arrived upon the ground in the Au
tumD, and had, with the assistance o
nsighbors, if those friends might b,
called nelghbors who had taken claim
a number OF miles away, and who regu
larly exchanged work with John Har
dine), erected a cabin and other ueces.
sary accommodations for the most prim.
itive possible mode Of life. After this
duty was accomplished, John began al
once to evince his fathers skill in ac-
cumulaiing lands. Tirzah, who had ex-
amined the Donation Law, aud with
womauly insight had noted lis possible
advantages TO herself, begged hard Tor
the house, fences aDd other rude i'm
provements to be put upon her own half
Of tile mile-squsre claim they bad
jointly taken. But John, equally clever,
and far more advantageously situated
through law aud custom, decreed other
wise, and she was powerless.
"I'il have nobody throwing it up 10
me that I live with my wifeg ~ said
John.
Suppose l should VOW that Td have
nobody ssyiug that live with my hus-
baudr r' retortei Tirzah.
''The cases are altogether different"
answered John.
"Only in your imagination" said
Tirzah.
"The worlds wide, and If you don't
want to live with me, and don't like my
way OF doing, you're at liberty to better
your condition any day you see iit, Mrs.
Hardmeg
Tirzah never tried % argue with John
when he came down upon her with that
emphatic name. Il was always as
though the iron collar were suddenly
tightened about h,r nsck-ihe collar
that size could not get rid Of; and yet
she constantly struggled 10 keep The
fact Of lis existence out o. her mind.
She knew, and so did her husband,
that the proGered liberty 70 better her
condition any day she liked was only gu
empty boast. And so she retreatej
more and more within herself, aud weIt
on deyising different schemes for max
ing money, all Of which proved futile
till the dairy project was broached; and
John, liking the idea, assisted IN her
plans, aud grew gracious toward her ia
proportion as her iiaanciaI advantages
became apparent
Their stock Of milch cows was limited,
but the Spanish cattle, as Wild as buGa-
loes, and almost ss dangerous TO handle,
were plenty in the adjoining locality
where a community Of the old Hudson
Bay Company's men were living with
Indian wives; and John, who was an
adept at Swapping" soou obtained
quite number Of cows, whioh be man
aged to sabdue into comparative tracia-
bility.
He bad already managed. though il
was yet quite early in the season, 10
plant considerable c-op Of cereals and
vegetables, and ia other ways had got
ten beforehand with his work aud Tir-
zsh congratulated herself upon having
husband who could get on in the world
in his business, even il all the other re-
deeming qualities which she had prior
to her marriage imagined him 20 pos
sess were wanting.
The Improvements had gone on az a
lively rate, and Tlrzah almost forgot 10
be unhappy, SO absorbed was she in her
work and so certain Of favorable results, I
when John came into the house one
day bearing . letter, which soE1e neigh
Dor in passing had brought for him from
the distant post Office.
a letter in those days was an unusual
visitor in an Oregon home, aud TiTzah's F.
heart lesped with con,minglej joy and /
dread as she watched her husband while T.
he deliberately broke the seal and stud |
led hard over its contents.
"Maybe I can help you TO dscipher il, |
Jonn," sic said, expectautly.
But John evidently did not think 90. .
He folded it carefully aud put IL in his
pocket, and went OF as though going
about his work, whistling as he neus.
81 know it was from home, for IL had
the Chincapin post mark" said Tirzah
to herself "And it was mean and
cruel in him not to let me know all
about it. But I'll find out; see II !
don'tg'
John Hardine turned a corner OF the
house as soon as he was out Of the way
Of his wife, and sought the dairy, which
lie entered, aud sat down with his back
against the door.
"Tan my skin If I want any woman
to know too much about my Affairs %
he muttered. "The monarch vas al.
ways close mouthed, and he got along"
be CONTINUED, as lie made another al
tempt to master the crsmped, irregula-
hieroglyphics which he had recognized
at once as the chirography of the junior
Hardpsn.
John Hsrdine ought to have known
that be was not possessed Of sufficient
scumen TO outwit his wife in that way.
But be did not know it, and was not
sufficiently on tie alert TO wa.ch and
see IL lie were followed.
Rnf Tirzab df1 f,flov- -t,o ,-as o.,