The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-11-02
TOMS WIFE.

mOtner.
"Auut Anne. think I'll take wife,"
he said, exactly as he might have said,
ST think I'll take another cup of coffee"
"Take wife?" repeated mother. by no
means receiving the information as tran
gully as it had been given. "What for?"
''Well, don't know" answered Tom,
thoughtfully. Its a notion I've got in
my head, somehow"
IAN nonsensew said mother, sharply.
"Do you think SOP said Tom, appar-
emily doubtful, but not in the least put
out.
"Think so? I know it. What in the
world can you want with a wife? After
all these years we've lived so comfort
ably together, to bring home somebody
o turn the home upside down! And,
then, what's 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:
Tim sure May knows would never
have any wife who would make it less
home for her-dont 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 an
swer for what wife may take 1t into her
/. head to do, once you get her fxed2 You
cant expect her to forget, as you do, that
May has no real claim on you."
''That 1 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, I intend to keep her~-that is,
added Tom, with one of his short-sighted
blinks sideways at me, "as long as she
shall stay with mech, May? And
arrangement will have to 60 out of the
any sucn result in this case-and on the
the experiment"
Mother smiled grimly, but Tom was
so evidently bent on his experiment,
rs he called it, that she gave up the
argument.
"You can dance if you're ready to pay
the piper" she said, shortly. "And,
ried?"
1Om lace loll llttlo dt bulS Y ucooAOu.
"Well," said he, II can't say exactly
II suppose we shall have to be engaged
first"
"What?" said mother, opening her
eyes; why you never mean to say, Tom,
You haven't spoken to her YETI"
mot yet" answered Tom, cheerfully.
'"Time enough for that, you know, after
I had spoken to you"
Mother, as q minister's widow, was not
much given to the idle mirth that is as
the cracking of thorns under pot, but
now she leaned back and laughed till the
tears stood in her eyes.
"Well," she said, ''if it was anybody
else, l should say that you were cracked;
but you were never like other people
and you 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, tiff 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 was no particular rea-
son why 1 should have been of it at all,
for was not really related to Tom, nor
even to mother" as called her though
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 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 q
dozen times in my life before. All had
to do was to go where mother went, and
while she gave her energies to house
keeping, gave mine to growing up,
which, by this time, had pretty we'll
accomplished But perhaps for that
very reason--for one sees with different
eyes at twelve and eighteen-my posi-
ton 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 argument
against Toms marrying. So it must be
my part to prevent his own kindness be-
ing turned against him now. Still, it
was not easy to see how was to provide
for myself, in case it should become ad-
visable What could do? Draw and
sing and play tolerably, but not in .
manner to compete with the hosts that
would be in the field against me. Lit
erature? / had read 50 many stories
whose heroines, with turn Of the pen;
dashed into wealth and fame. That