The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-07-21
TOMS CHOICE.

We had Just finished breakfast. Tom
laid down the egg-spoon he had been
playing with, and looked across at
mother.
"Aunt Anne, l think I'll take wife, y
he said, exactly as he might have said,
E" [ think Ill take another cup of coffee. y
"Take wife ?" repeated mother, by
no means receiving the information az
TRANQUILITY as it had been given. "What
for ?"
Swell, I don't know" answered Tom,
thoughtfully. "It's a notion I've got
in my head somehow"
"AI nonsense !" said mother, sharply.
edo you think so ?" said Tom, appar-
emily doubtful, but not in the least put
out.
"Think SO? I know it. What in the
world can you want of wife ? After all
these years we have lived so comforta-
bly, together, to bring home somebody
to turn the house upside down And,
then, what is to become Of that poor
chId?"
The "poor child that was I-red-
dening at being brought into the argu-
ment in this way, was about to speak
for herself, when Tom interposed,
warmly.
I'm sure May knows I would never
have any wife that would make it less a
home for her-don't you, May?"
"Of course, said /.
"And Tn sure she knows nothing of
the sort" persisted mother, "nor you
either, Tom Dean. How can you an
swer for what a wife may take 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. -
"That l have no real claim on her,
suppose you mean, ma'am," Tom put in
for the second time, just as 1 was thor
oughly uncomfortable. But, for all
that, l intend to help her-that is, u
added Tom, with one of his short sighted
blinks sideways at me, "as long as she'll
stay with mo, ell, Mary? And whoever
has anything to say against that ar
rangement Will have to go out of nv
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
80 evidently 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 mar
ried?"
Toms lace fell little at this question.
Swell, " said he, 81 can't say exact
~. | suppose we will have to be en-
gagged first"
"What !" said mother, opening her
eyes; "why, you never mean to say,
Tom, you haven't spoken to her yet ?"
"Not yet, answered Tom, cheerfully.
"Iime enough for that, you know, after
had spoken to you"
Well, she said, I" if it was anybody
else, | should say he 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, I would
rather not say anything about her Just
yet; for-if-if anything should happen
1t wouldn't be pleasant for either party.
you know. With which yelled ailusion
to his possible rejection, Tom took his
hat and left the room.
Our household was rather dueerly put
together. 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 I 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 mosS 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
aud insisted on giving home to his
aunt aud to me, whom he had scarcely
seen dozen times in his life before.
That was exactly like Tom" queer
Tom Dean, as his friends were fond OF
saying, "who never did anything like
anybody else" | suppose, in spite OF
lbs clear head for business, there is nc
denying that he was whimsical; but am
sure, when | think of his unfailing gen.
erosity and delicacy, l can't help wish
ing there were few more such whim-
steal people in the world Naturally, al
the time [ am speaking of, my opinion
had not been asked; ali I had to do was
to go where mother went, and, while she
gave hel energies to the housekeeping,
l.giye mine to growing up, which by this
time L had pretty we'll accomplished.
But perhaps for that very reason-for one
sees with different eyes at IL and 1S-
my position in the house had already
begun to seem unsatisfactory to me; anC
the mornings words put it in clearer
light, since it had been used as an argu
ment against Toms marrying. I knew
that mother had spoken honestly, be
lieving that such a step would not bt
for his happiness; but was he not the
best Judge of that? I knew him, if re
Election should bring him round to he
opinion, to be perfectly capable of quiet
ly sacrificing his own wishes for my
sake, who had not the shadow of CLAIM
upon him; so it must be my part to pre-
vent his own kindness being turned
against HIM now. Still. it was not Sc
easy to see how was to provide for NV.
self in case it should become advisable
What could l do? Draw and sing and
plsy tolerablv, but net in a manner Il
compete with the hosts that would bt
in the field against me. Literaturep ]
had read so many stories whose heroines
with a turn of the pen, dashed int
wealth and fame. That would be very
nice, only--I was not the least bit liter
ary; I had never even kept journal
which is saying great deal for girl il
her teens. The fine arts then, being
outof thequestion Tor me, whatremained
There was some clerkship, or a place il
some family, and-and there was vii
BROMLEY
That may seem like going away from
the point, but it was. not / was mat
ter-of-fact, but could see well enough
what was going on right under my eyes
and had pretty clear idea Of 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 I liked best and
felt myself best suited for; but-wonld
it answer in other respects? / overcast
the long seam I was sewing twice over
I was so busy trying to make up nv
mind whether [ liked Will BROMLEY
well enough to pass my whole life Will