The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-09-29

| well, anu tue DTlSHt ulllc ldCC Hcstlcu
down on his shoulder, and with per-
haps a faint prescience of the future,
he put his arm about her and drew her
| to his bosom in little convulsive clasp.
| CHAPTER HI.
1t was sometime early in February
that Ben Anderson came home one morn
ing and tossed letter into his wife slap.
"a letter from Tom, l reckon,
though it isn't his writing,'' he said,
holding it up to the light as he gave it
to her.
Its a woman's writing-it can't be
Tom has married again." she said,
turning the letter over, and holding it
up to the light as her husband had
done,
"S'posen you open it and see, Mis-
Anderson chimed in a jovial voice;
cit would be just like the reckless
critter."
Nobody can call you reckless in that
way, Ned" responded Anderson laugh
ing. Come in, Bradlee.''
"Wall, no, not very. I'll allow,
neighbor, ha, hal shouldn't wonder,
though, if had married Mis- Anderson,
here. if you had only kept away" he
said with laugh and wink at Mrs.
Anderson.
81 don't believe you would marry the
Queen, Ned" she replied, quickly, col
oring a little.
mo, l don't think would, and good
reason, too! The fact is I'm little shy
O. this noose-a teller cam get out nigh
! hn srf 7 10 hn N,
! first rate, but this matrimonv business
it allus seemed to me that there was
some sort of catch in il"
Somebody will catch you some day,
1 hope, Ned" Anderson responded,
! laughing, and then seeing that his wife
had opened the letter he added, land
now we'll hear about Tom
Mrs. Anderson unfolded the letter,
and as she did so, a dainty little note of
gilt-edged paper dropped into her lap.
She took it up and read, with a pleased
smile, Ralph Anderson, Esq"
''It is from your cousin Blanche"
she said, handing it to Ralph. "Why,
how beautiful she writes! 1 suppose
Tom will give her fine educationn' a
faint touch of pride in her tone.
| "Ou NOu lsihC NY SC.tts Di"Its'
Ned said, rising and bowling to Ralph.
The boys face flushed, but he laughed
as if he enjoyed the sport he knew Brad
lee was making of him, instead of feel
ing veXed and angry chat his mother
| should have read it, or Blanche written
it, for he knew Ned Bradlee well enough
to know that this was by no means the
last he should hear of his new title.
And vet, as he took the pretty little
note, the first letter he had ever had
from girl, something under his left
| breast broke into a tumultuouS flutter,
and kept it up so that he read one long
page clear through without knowing a
word that was in it.
In the meantime Mrs. Anderson had
run through her brothers. letter, and
looked up with little eager expression
on her face.
tom wants us to come out West
| this spring, Ben," she said, folding the
letter very carefully, and looking down.
80, yes, he always writes that. He's
not married."
mo, it was Blanche who wrote the
| address. She is quite young lady
fourteen in May-and presides over
household affairs like a woman, Tom
says. Don't you remember what pref
ty child she was when they moved
away?''
Il believe so-yes. But read the let
ter. Ned would like to hear it, and
there's nothing private in it, don't sup
pose?'
90, no; it is mostly about this place
he wants US to have" and unfolding the
letter, she read:
my DEAR SIsTER:-Tve sworn OFF a dozen
| times about writing to you to come West, but
| that matter-Fve got, and we are growing old,
my girl. and somehow il gets more lonesome
| as the years fly away. cannot come there
and the Lord knows l don't want to!-but you
| and Ben and the boy can come here, and bet
| ter yourselves by it There's right smart
chance here now to buy one of the best farms
| in Northern Illinois. lean get it at bargain,
| as hold mortgage on ii which the fellow
| who lives on il will willingly give up. II is
1 only three or four miles from R0ckfOrd-one
| of the livelieSt little cities in the Northwest.
| Sell that bit of land and rock-weed, and come
out where the earth has something beside skin
| on its bones, You VIII be oil by and by, and
! Ben can't always work as he does now; beside
! there Is the boy, and you owe il to him to give
him better start in the world than he can get
! from that place, unless there has been a
miracle wrought on it since left Let me
hIOW belOTt Tue VI anu NC SUI z
you come Blanche is most woman, and
manages the house, and me. like woman. She
| incloses a note to her cousin. which is, pre-
sumo, very important document From your
loving brother, Tom ARNOLD.
WALL if 1 shouldn't ha' known that
letter anywhere" Bradlee exclaimed;
lit is old Tom all over Well, neigh
Dor Ben, it's my advice that you accept
the offer; good night and he walked
hastily out. shrewdly divining that they
could talk it over more freely alone.
Ben Anderson and his wife sat up
late that night discussing the thing pro
and con. He saw that she favored GO
| ing-he did not know that she always