The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1882-07-28
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, think I'll take wife, !"
he said, exactly as he might have said,
"I think I'll take another cup of coffee. J"
"Take a wife ?" repeated mother, by
no means receiving the information as
TRANQUILITY as it had been given. What
for p
"Well, don't know" answered Tom,
thoughtfully "It's notion I've got
in my head somehow"
"All nonsense!" said mother, sharply.
"Do you think so p said Tom, appar-
emily doubtful. but not in the least put
out.
"Think so? / 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
child ?"
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 1 would never
have any wife that would make it less q
home for her-dont you, Mayf"
"Of course" said /.
"And I'm sure she knows nothing of
the Sort" persisted mother, "nor you
either, Tom Dean. How can you an
swer for what wife may take into her
head to do, once you get her fixed here2
You can't expect her TO forget, as you
do, that May has no real claim on you. E"
"That 1 have no real claim on her,
suppose you mean, ma am, Tom put in
for the second time, just as l was thor
oughly uncomfortable "But, for all
that, 1 intend to help her--that is, 4"
added Tom, with one of his short sighted
blinks sideways at me, 'as long as shell
stay with me, ell, Mary? And whoever
has anything to say against that ar
rangement 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, l should like to try
5he experiment.
Mother smiled grimly, but Tom was
30 evidently bent on his experiment, :"
as he called it. that she gave up the
argument.
lyon can dance If you are rc9Iy 10
pey the piper, she said shortly. And
pray, how soon do you mean 60 be mar
ficd?'
Toms face fell little at this question.
Well, said he, 81 can't say exact
ly. 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 2"
Not yet" answered Tom, cheerfully.
|' Time enoug b for that, you know. after
4 had spoken to you"
"Well, she said, eff 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 I"
Oh, yes" answered Tom; "but if
you will excuse me, Aunt Anne, 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 allusion
to his possible rejection, Tom took his
hat and left the room.
Our household was rather queerly put
together. There is no particular reason
why should have been of it at all, for
1 was not really related to Tom, nor even
TO MOTHER" as 1 called her, though I
am sure we we're 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 exactly like Tom-"queer
Tom Dean" as his friends were fond of
saying, "who never did anything like
anybody else" 1 suppose, in spite of
his clear head for business, there is no
denying that he was whimsical but L am
sure, when | think of his unfailing gen.
erosity and delicacy, can't help wish
ing there we're few moro such whim-
steal people in the world. Naturally, at
the time 1 am speaking Of, my opinion
had not been asked; ali had to do was
to go where mother went, and, while she
gave her energies to the housekeeping,
Igive mine to growing up, which by this
time 1 had pretty we'll accomplished.
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 it in clearer
light, since it had been used as an argu-
ment against Toms marrying. l knew
that mother had spoken honestly, be-
iieving that such step would not be
for his happiness but was he not the
best Judge of .bat9 l knew him, il re-
Election should bring him round to her
opinion, To- be perfectly capable of quiet
~ sacrificing his own wishes for my
cake, who had not the shadow of claim