The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-09-09

love the stronger. 1 have seen Ms PIC
ture; it is that of q thick-set, strong
looking man, with regular features and
such beautiful, large brown eyes. One
forgets the rest of the face in looking at
those eyes. and Beth says it does not
fatter them one bit. She has read me
extracts from some of his letters: they
sounded to me quite ordinary, but TO
her they are wonderful. She thinks ne
is almost too quiet, and that IS all the
fault she has to find with him.
Mr.. Case, it seems, was not quite sat
isfied with her promising to marry such
an almost utter stranger, and SO ne
wrote to the postmaster at N Tor
information regarding his character,
etc. He returned a most favorable re-
port, which has somewhat satisfied Mi.
and Mrs. Case: but l doubt if any in
| reference on their part could change
matters now. Beth is thoroughly IN
love. She is so happy! can talk Of
nothing else; is busy as can be. She
has learned how to cook, and has sew
eral such pretty workdresses. l forgot
to tell YOU that her husband is farmer.
She has studied all about making but
ter! She told me the whole process
from beginning to end the other night,
and really believe she could do it.
The house they are to live in must be
delightful! 1t is just two miles from the
village of n and stands on hill, with
woods on both sides, and creek run
ming through the roomy yard. Think
how lovely it is! SO much nicer than
brick walls and gardens ten feet square.
Then the house, they say, is old fash
toned, large and roomy. 1t was the old
homestead, and he and his mother live
there now. So she has no buying of
furniture to bother about, but can spend
all her money on pictures and books
and bric-d-brac.
DO YOU know, l almost envy Beth!
To have such a strange courtship, then
to move off into a new country, full OF
flowers and woods. and begin house
keeping in that old-fashioned home
stead! No doubt, rare and quaint old
furniture and china and silver are much
nicer than to begin. as Joe and l shall
do. Not that l would exchange Joe for
her lover; don't think that for one mo-
ment! but have known him ever since
we went to school together; then we
were engaged in a most ordinary way,
and know just where we are going to
live. He has bought the lot, and /
know lust what our house is to be. So
we shall begin in the little town where
l have always lived, with everything,
even to the plants and trees in the yard,
new and lust started" looking. How
dislike it! Of course l shall be near
home, and Beth will not, but then hel
parents can 90 to her often, and she
can come home for gay time in winter.
There is Beth calling me. We are tc
look at hammocks and out-of-dool
games to-day. She is to have her YARD
full of them, she says. So l must stoT
at once and get ready. Will write agar
soon. With love, FLORENCE.
DEAR LAURA: have only time for {
! few words, as am getting ready to g
home. Well, the wedding is over. The
bride was lovely, in pale-blue satin, thu
presents elegant. and all went off nice
". [ was somewhat disappointed il
the groom. could not see much par
, ticularly to admire or dislike in him
; and his eyes, though lovely, seemed t.
3 me little too dreamy. l trust he viii
5 make Beth happy. He would be
5 wretch it he does not, for the life o
: this home has gone with him. 1t is no
g at the time that weddings are so bad
3 for then all is confusion. with so mucl
t to see to and such hurrying that one ha:
no time to feel badly. But it is after
, wards. when the hasty good byes arr
all said and the guests gone. Then on
4 wanders through the, empty and silen,
rooms. sees the faded flowers, has time
to think, and feels rs if there had beef
a death and a funeral in the house
!, And in one sense it is such! for, as Mrs
: Case says, she will never have hel
1 Bertha. her own little girl, back again
? Henceforth their paths will be differ
q ent. Some one else will share all he
/ lows and sorrows, and new scenes an
a new plans in life will gradually chang
: her child into different person, into
woman with cares and responsibilities
r What strange world this is! To thin
e of ANYTHING changing Beth from tn
d BRIGHT. CAV butterfly that she is now
G or weaving her from home. But o
i course Beth will change. l wonde
+ how! 1t seems somehow as If it
4 more circumstances Guftu Jul SOiSCS CiAs
e make our characters and lives what the
are.
j. But no more moralizing at present
d must fly to my trunk and finish PACK
e ING. then hurry below to comfort MI
and Mrs. Case as best can. But l al
is afraid it will be poor comfort. for fee
re too. almost as if Beth were deas
II Hastily, Flo.
- AT HOME
- DEAR LAUHA:-SiX months since
in last wrote to you. What long time
But then young housekeepers gene
o. ally have their hands full, so there
:. little time for letter-writing. and l Al
~ no exception to that rule.
;55 All the branches of housekeepin
ID were thoroughly mastered. as l SUI
-. posed. before we were married. But
I. lind there is great difference betwee
~ being head of the household. with i
at responsibilities, and a half-a-doze
vt things to do at the same time-and no
and then cooking meal, with Bidd
~, and mother to consult and help.
g.,