The true northerner., 1881-07-15
The Old WON AN.

Ned Huntline sat at the breakfast Ia
ble and abstractedly slipped his coffee.
Ned was considered q great "catch'
among the girls of Sleepy Hollow not
that he was either rich or handsome, for
he was not, nor was there anything re-
markable about him, except his tidy
habits and his well-known determination
60 take care of his parents, who hac.
spent their earnings of lifetime in rear
ing and educating their many children,
all OF whom, except Ned, were well mar
ried and comfortably settled in estab-
lshments of their own, in the fan -away y
States, where constant application to
business enabled them to live i'll peace
and plenty.
Ned Huntine, the senior, after whom
the Junior Ned had been named in in-
fancy, and the worthy sire of the seven
Huntlines, was now on his deathbed,
and the wife and son were the only occu.
pants of the breakfast table, where, in
the years agone, there had been nine
chairs promptly filled Mt every meal.
'Do you think father will live the
day out ?" asked Ned, sending up his cup
for the second time and speaking for the
first.
"Its doubtful son. There has been
n rapid change within a half-dozen
hours"
The wife buried her face in her hands
and wcpt silently. She was an old.
fashioned woman, an exemplary wife,
who had cheerfully borne her share OF
life's many burdens through all the
years of her union. She had been o
strong woman in her day, too, but her
step was feeble now, and her eyes were
dim and her hands unsteady.
"Don't cry, mother" said Ned, softly,
as he left his last cup untasted and went
around where she was sitting. "We've
all got to take our turn when it comes.
Death is only a transition. It's but a
question of time till we, too, shall die.
Cheer up, mother. You are to have a
valuable legacy to-day"
"My son, 1 know l have valuable
legacy in you, and try to be comforted.
Your father is ready and willing to die,
and it won't be many years till shall
Join him. But oh, Ned, it's hard What
will become of me ?"
Tears choked her utterance, and Ned
placed his arm around her tenderly and
drew her head to his shoulder.
"I am your legacy, dearest mother,
and shall prove support to you that
shall never fail. Mollie will love you,
too. Don't worry. You shall spend the
balance of your days in ease and con-
tentment and plenty"
"Mollie, did you say, Ned?"
eyes, mother"
90 Not Mollie Hawkins %
" III
engaged for year, and it is her wisf
and mine to be married to-day, so that
father may witness the ceremony"
ooh, Ned 1t seems but wicked ant
cruel to be thinking about wedding
day. Wait year, do |"
"Father and I talked it over while
you were getting breakfast, and he is
glad to know of our plan, and seconds II
heartily"
"Why didn't you tell me before
Ned?"
because there wasn't anything to
tell. Mollie has always said you didn' Y
like her, and she begged me to wait TIL
YOU have time to overcome your preJu
dices before should speak to you about
1T. Mollie watched father with me dur
ing the after part of the night, and bt
had an easy, rational spell toward morn
ing. and he said, I'D like to give Mollit
60 you before die, as your mother''
legacy hadn't supposed Mollie was
his TO give, but then she wasn't anybody
else's, and I thought he enjoyed the
fancy. The property is all mine, moth
er."
"And 80 1 shall lose you, my baby
son. and your father, too, on the same
day!" cried Mrs. Hmtline throwine
her srms around Ned and crying uncon
trollably.
Ned was vexed and annoyed. For hi
life he couldn't see why his mother wai
not pleased with the idea Of becoming
the lifetime companion of Mollie Haw
sxins, the village dressmaker. Molli,
was an orphan, steady, Industrious, self
willed and handsome. Mrs. Huntlin,
would have been reasonably satisfied
with her daughter-in-law IL 1t had no
been for the prospect of living with he
as dependent upon her bounty.
Neds father, feeling that he was sool
TO die, had bequeathed TO him the home
rstend and retail grocery store as leg
acy, upon the condition that his mothe
should have a home and it's comfort
during oil her declining years. Mrs
Huntline was sorely grieved because O
the will. but she was not the woman d
protest against her husban's dying wish
80 she wept over it in bitter and secre
humiliation, and at last resigned herself
as silent martyr. to astate of dependence