The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-01-22

shrank back. The girl had always been
afraid of her brother William; and his
wife, abe suspected, would be as hard .
ruler, and 4 more vulgar one.
But Mrs. Taney led her to the porch.
"You must welcome them, Lefty" she
said. 49,.
The bride watched them from the car
rage window with keen, jealous eyes.
Her father had given her hint a. to her
future course.
you've made good match, Sophy,"
he said. "Bill Taneys got ~ long q
purse ~ any man in the county, and the
farms comfortable. But the old woman
and her da'ater'll be drawback. They'll
try to rlde over you rough.shod, likely.
Just take your stand at once. Let them
see you'll be mistress in your own house,"
"Trust me for that Papy," said Sophy.
The whole Crawford 1amily had &C.
companied her to see how she would hold
her ground,
When poor Mrs. fancy stepped for
ward, therefore, her thin face reddening
and her hands held out, the bride received
her welcome with careless nod.
II hope you will be happy In your
new home, my dear, !" said the gentle lady.
hold my own pretty we'll. Come in,
pappy. Come, Sue. I want you. to see
my house before it is dark. Here's the
living room. Bill must fit that up into
Observation-Disclosures, too. Dye hear,
Mr.. Tancy!" laughing loudly "You
needn't trouble yourself, ma am, to show
the way. Come along, all Of you.''
William stopped and looked with sud
den pity at his mother, and then follow
ed his wife, who went, talking loudly, up
the stairs.
Mrs. fancy and Lefty placed the sup
per on the table. The bride came in,
the noisiest of the noisy party. She
went hastily to the head Of the table, say.
ing, ssThis is my place, I believe"
William gravely motioned his mother
to seat among the strangers. His wife
bore herself as though she had been mis-
tress for years, and found fault freely
when the humor sliced her. The bread
was dry as chat, and the ham bitter with
salt, she SAID.
"That's your idea of cooking, Mother
fancy, eh2 I'll give you hint or two to-
morrow. We young people have pro-
gressed, you know. Not that mean to
take the work out Of their hands," said
she to her sister, aside. "No, no! If we
feed 'em, they've got to earn their
bread.''
Lefty overheard the whisper, and her
scared face grew shade paler.
Every nice old silver, William ~ said
the bride. directly, weighing the spoons
on her finger, and then reading the mark.
cleveland" chs You must have that
altered, please, to our initials. can't
use spoons with strange names on EN-"
William glanced uneasily at his moth
er. But the latter old not speak.
Every we'll, my dea,: it shall be as you
please" he said.'
As the days heightened into weeks,
the bride found her sway becoming more
absolute. 1t occurred to William some
times that she might share in the work.
But, like most farmers of his class, he
was used to zee his mother drudge from
morning until night, and vaguely sup
posed it was her natural condition of life.
Sophie carried the keys, and dealt out
the provisions. Her ruddy, animal beauty
pleased HIM; it was pity, he thought,
to mar it with hard WORK.
Meanwhile, Mr.. Burke had taken lodg-
ings with neighboring farmer. He
kept close scrutiny solely for her moth
err sake, he told himself. She met the
'beery fellow" twice, and took long
walks with him she received letters from
him by mail. The geologist found that
! Tho m a ttor sD<oroo<o1 liz -~o.o A.. -.
fossils even.
One morning Lefty came into the room
where William stood joking with his
wife before going to the field. They
looked at her with astonishment, for the
| girl was always silent and shy.
"Brother, want t. speak to you,' she
said, catching her breath.
swell, 20 on" said Sophy, inpatient
~. "What are you afraid off,
Lefty spoke directly to William, ig-
noring her. Tho potatoes and apples
must be picked over, and the cellars
are dBmp. Could one of the hands do
it,"
"Good gracious: Do you want the
harvesting to stops" cried Sophy. You
and Mother fancy can do it at your leis-
ure. Do you suppose your brother paws
men such ruinons wages to wait on a lot
of women2"
"You have always done it, said Will
liam.
"Mother is not well, William.''
swell, manage it as you like. l can't
be bothered with the kitchen work." he
burst out.
Lefty left the room hastily.
"That's right, William. The truth is
you're too open-handed. You can't af-
ford to keep parcel of able-bodied wo-
men in idleness, if you ever mean to buy
the meadow lots
That's fact" The mention of the
lots keyed his courage.
When he came back that AFTERNOON, he
found Sophy resplendent in pink flow
cred muslin entertaining harf.a dozen
girls in the parlor. He stopped to joke
and romp with them. The next moment
the door opened, and Lefty stood like a
ghost ON the threshold.
Come to motherl" she said.
"What is the matter9''
"You have killed her, think, quietly.
The poor woman had sunk down on
the cellar floor, and lay as if dead.
William trembled as he lifted her.
The doctsr Of the village happened to
pass at that moment.
mo, she is not dead, great exhaustion.
1t will be long illness. She must have
rest and careful nursing" he said, after
examining her.
Lefty stepped forward. "she shall
have both. Mr.. Burke, will YOU carry
her to Mrs. Wright's- across the roads
She has promised to give me a rcom."
The crowd about her were 80 stunned
at the ehilds actions that they did moth
ing to oppose it.
Mr.. Burke promptly lifted the thin fig
ure in his arms, and laid her on the bed
in Mrs: Wright's shaded spare room be-
fore William recovered his senses.
"Dont you see how disgraceful this
looksf' sophy cried, shaking him. "Your
mother turned out! what will folks say9''
| He hurried after Lefty, scoldlng and