Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-06-03
A VERY PRETTY SKETCH.

BY KATE PUTNAM OsGOoD.

the egg-spoon he had been playing with, and
| looked across at mother.
AUNT Anne, think I'll take wife" he said
exactly as he might have said, II think L II take
another cup of coffee"
Take wife?" repeated mother, by no means
receiving the information as TRANQUILITY as it had
been given. 'What for?"
! 'Well, don't know" answered Tom thought
| fully. "Its notion I've got in my head some
| how,
"All nonsense!" said mother, sharply.
"Do you think so7" said Tom, apparently
doubtful. but not in the least put out.
Think so7 1 know it. what in the world
| can you want of a wife? After all these years
we have lived so comfortably together, to
| bring home somebody to turn the house upside
down! And, then, what is to become Of that
The poor chlld"-that was I-reddening at
being brought into the argument in this way,
was about to speak for herself, when Tom in
| terpOSed. warmly.
I'm sure May knows would never have any
wife who would make it less q home for her
| don't you, May?"
| ''Of course" said 1.
'And I'm sure she knows nothing Of the sort"
persisted mother, NOR you either, Tom Dean.
! How can you answer for what wife may take it
! into her head to do, once you get her fixed
here? You can't expect her to forget as you
| do, that May has no real claim on YOU"
4
| you mean, ma am" Tom put In for the second
time. just as l was getting thoroughly uncOm-
| Portable. but, for all that intend to keep her
| that is" added Tom. with one of his shOrtsight-
ed blinks sideways at me, '.as long as she'll stay
with me, eh, May? And whoever has anything
to say against that arrangement will have to go
| out of my house to say it-nOt that I'm afraid of
any such result in this case-and, on the whole.
Aunt Anne. should like to try the experiment"
Mother smiled grimly, but Tom was SO evil
IDENTIFY bent on his experiment" as he called it,
| that she gave up the argument.
You can dance, if you are ready to pay the
| piper" she said, shortly: And, pray, how soon
| do you mean to be married."
Toms face fell little at this question.
well" said he, II can't say exactly. I sup
| pose we will have to be engaged first"
WHAT! said mother, opening her eyes; s'why,
you never mean to say, Tom, you haven't spoken
Not yet" answered Tom, cheerfully 'Time
| enough for that you know, after had spoken
| to YOU"
''well," she said, aft was anybody else.
| should say be was cracked; but you were never
| like other people, and never will be, Tom Dean.
But, at least. you have fixed on the lady?''
"Oh, yes" answered Tom "but if YOU will
| excuse me. Aunt Anne, l would rather not say
| anything about her just yet; for Tiff anything
should happen it wouldn't be pleasant for either
| party, you know" With which yelled alusion
| to his possible rejection, Tom took his hat and
| left the room.
| Our household was rather queerly put to-
| gether. There is no particular reason why
should have been Of it at ALL for was not really
| related to Tom. nor even to "mOther," as l
| called her, though am sure we were as dear to
| each other as any mother and daughter could be.
| She was the second wife of my father, who, like
most ministers, had been richer in grace than in
| goods, and left us at his death with very little
| to live on. Then it was that Tom Dean had
| come forward and insisted on giving home to
| his aunt and to me- whom he had scarcely seen
| dozen times in his life before. That was ex-
actly like TOm-'queer Tom Dean" as his
| friends were fond Of saying, "who never did
| ANYTHING like anybody else" / suppose, in spite
| of his clear head for business, there is no deny
| Ing that he was whimsical; but am sure, when
l think OF his unfailing generosity and delicacy,
whimsical people in the world. Naturally at
| the time am speaking of, my opinion had not
| been asked; all l had to do was to 90 where
| mother went. and. while she gave her energies
to the housekeeping, give mine to growing up,
! which by this time l had pretty well accom-
| plshed. But perhaps for that very reason-fOr
| one sees with different eyes at IL and 18-my
| position in the house had already begun to seem
| unsatisfactory to me; and the mornings words
| put 1t In clearer light, since it had been used
| as an argument against Toms marrying. /
| knew that mother had spoken honestly believ-
| ing that such step would not be for his happi-
ness but was he not the best Judge of that |
knew him, If reflection should bring him round
sacrificing his own wishes for my sake who had
not the shadow of claim on him so it must be
my part to prevent his own kindness being
turned against him now. STILL it was not so
easy to see how was to provide for myself in
case it should become advisable. What could
do? Draw and sing and play tolerably. but not
| In manner to compete with the hosts that
would be in the fields against me. Literature?
turn of the pen, dashed into wealth and fame
| That would be very nice, ONLY was not the
| least bit literary; had never even kept jour-
nal, which is saying great deal for girl in her
question for me, what remained? There was
| some clerkship, or place in some family, and
| and there was Will BROMLEY!
| That may seem like going away from the
point. but ID was not. l was matter-Of-fact,
| but could see we'll enough what was going on
right under my eyes, and had a pretty clear
| idea ct what was bringing Will to the house SO
| often as he had taken to coming lately. There
was a situation" then, that would give me the
home-life l liked BEST and felt myself best
suited for; but-would it answer in other re-
spects? overcast the long seam was sewing
| twice over, was SO busy trying to make up
| my mind whether liked Will BROMLEY well
enoughto pass my whole life with him; and even
| then had not come to any decision when was
| called down stairs to Lefty Walters.
Lefty was the prettiest, think, Of all my
friends, and certainly the liveliest. Tom called
| her the tonic" and used to laugh heartily at
| Hci oiiSu opccCucS. suppose IL WAS tnlS tnaC
made mother fix on Lefty as his choice. When
came into the sitting-rOom / found kind of
cross-examinatiOn going on. 1t was amusing
to any body In the secret, as was. to watch
mothers artful way Of continually bringing the
conversation round, as II by chance to bear on
what she wanted to know. But it all amounted
to nothing, either because Lefty was too good
afencer, or because she really had nothing to
| betray. But, when Tom came home, mother
| took care to mention that Lefty had called.
What, the tOnic9" said Tom. 100 bad /
! missed her."
| But for your choice being already made"
| said mother, with covert scrutiny of his face
Il dare say you might have as much of the
tonic as you liked"
"But go on the homeopathic principle. you
know" answered Tom, with twinkle in his
| eye.
| After that, mothers belief in Letty's guilt
ness wavered. Her suspicious were transferred
from one to another Of our acquaintance but
always with the same unsatisfactory result
| 1T passes my comprehension" she said to
me, despairingly one day. 81 am positive
could tell the right one by Toms face in a min
IYtt.s and 4 hnx,