The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-06-29
WHO WAS 1T -?

We had just finished breakfast. Ton
laid down the eggspoon he had beer
PLAYING with and looked across al
mother.
"Aunt Anne, think I'll take wife, ,
he said, exactly as he might have said
81 think I'll take another cup of cof
fee."
Take wife p repeated mother, by
no means receiving the information as
tranuqilly as it had been given. "What
for ?"
"Well, l don't know, answered Tom,
thouehtfully 'It's notion I've got in
my head somehow"
"All onsense!n said mother, sharply.
"Do you think so ?" said Tom, ap
parently doubtful, but not in the leas'
put ont.
"Think so? I know it. What ir
the world can you want of wife ?
After all these years we have lived sc
comfortably together, to bring homt
somebody to turn the house upsidt
down. And then what is to become
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:
"Pm sure May knows I would never
have any wife who would make it less q
home for her-don't you, May?"
"Of course" said I.
"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"
"That have no real claim on her, /
suppose you mean, ma'am," Tom put in
for the second time, just as was getting
thoroughly uncomfortable, "But, for
all that, intend to keep her-that is"
added Tom, with one OF his shortsighted
blinks sideways at me, "as long as she'll
stay with me, eh, May? And whoever
has anything to say against that arrange
ment 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, 1 should like to try the ex-
pertinent"
Mother smiled grimly, but Tom was
SO 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
married ?"
Toms face fell little at this ques-
lion.
"Well," said he, ST cau't say exact
ly. l 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 ?d
"Not yet, answered Tom, cheerfully.
"Time enough for that, you know,
after had spoken to you"
"Well," she said, "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, would
rather not say anything about her just
yet; for if-if anything should happen
it 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 was not really related to Tom,
nor even to mother" as 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 a home to his aunt and to
me, whom he had scarcely seen dozen
times in his life before. That was ex-