The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-02-17
A TOUCH OF NATURE:
How Tom Wentworth Kept House
BY ELIZA M. SHERMAN,

How Tom Wentworth Kept House.
BY ELIZA NJ SHERMAN.
Tom Wentworth was angry and in
dignant. He had arisen one morning,
cold, wet, disagreeable morning, with
an indistinct recollection of something
unpleasant which had occurred the
evening before. Little by little it
grew clear. Norah, the housekeeper,
had absconded. Tom remembered
that she had given warning week
ago, but he had forgotten it until she
left.
"Confound these women!' he ex-
claimed, as he hurried out of bed.
"Confound the whole tribe of Ewes
daughters! Pretty fix I am in, with
my own breakfast to get! Much I
know about cookery But no matter !;
/ will not be dependent on woman !!
Woman--bah ] can get as good a
breakfast as the best Of them
Saying this Tom Wentworth tied
his necktie, combed his hair, and de-
scended to the lower regions to decide
on his breakfast.
81 will have coffee and toast, of
course; easily made, know; anyone
can make cup of coffee. Unjust make
a fire first, though
This was soon accomplished, and
then he hunted up the coffee.
''Let's see,' he meditated. CT
shall need a quarter of a cupful, and
we settle it, don't we, with Goldfish {?
Yes, know we do; I remember that
much. Heard Norah say SO one morn
ing And he turned the coffee and a
generous share of Goldfish into the pot,
and then cut his bread. Opening the
stove to find place to toast his bread,
he found the fire out, or rather discov-
cred that he had forgotten to light it.
This done, he proceeded to set the
table, when ''ding "a ling ling !" went
the door-be]l.
':Plague take it! ''he mnttered.
Why can't they wait till a fellow is
through breakfast o. And he went
slowly up stairs to the door. A snowy
hand-bill lay there, brilliant in gold
and crimson, announcing the advent of
a grand circus.
Tom Wentworth kicked it into the
street, and was sorry he could not
serve the boy the same way.
Down again to the basement, to find
his coffee just burning, and the nose off
the tea-kettle. Tom toasted his bread
in no very enviable frame Of mind.
and, after burning one side, concluded
that side was done enough for both,
nd then sat down to enjoy it.
Ding-a-ling -ling-ling went the
ell once more, with a very decided
nd emphatic syllable on the end, as if
say. "Come quick
Tom Wentworth sprang to his feet,
with frown on his handsome face !;
running his hand quickly through his
curly hair he exclaimed
"By Jeve! They may ring until
then he went.
the door he was indignant to find no
one there, and was about closing it
with bang, when basket at his feet
arrested his attention. He was about
to shove it off when cry sounded from
it's depths. It was a faint, wailing
cry, but it fairly froze Toms blood
with terror.
ssShades OF Venice! Con- But
the rest of his exclamation was cut
short by utter inability to finish. He
took the basket up as if it were a
bubble which he was afraid of break
ing, and then set it down and gazed at
it as if suddenly bereft of his senses ::
though in reality he was looking about
for that dreadful object-a woman !
None appearing, he again lifted the
basket up and carried it into the house,
and locked the door.
a blue-eyed, golden-haired baby face
appeared as heopened the dainty wrap
pings, and a pair of chubby, dimpled
hands were stretched up to him, while
a smile rippled over her face.
A cold sweat broke out all over Tom.
He leaned heavily against the wall
for support; but the dimpled hands
were stretched out again, and the smile
gave way to such a grieved look that it
took the citadel at once, and Toms
kind heart surrendered without fur.
Their protest. Taking the smiling
child in his arms be looked into its
blue eyes with an interest he had
manifested in no other baby, and as
the dimpled hands pulled at the brown,
wavy beard they twined themselves
about the heart-strings on the strong
man until he was willing to swear
eternal allegiance to it.
A note peculiarly dainty hand was
tied on baby's sleeve with narrow
blue ribbon, and this was the inscrip-
ton:
"MR. Tom Please
take my baby, Bessie, and bring her
up to make a good, noble woman, as ]
think you are capable OF doing. ]