The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1882-10-21
TOMS WIFE.

| We had just finished breakfast. Tom
| laid down th egg spoon he had been
playing with, and looked across at
mother.
.Auut Anne. think I'll take wife,"
he said, exactly as he might have said,
II think I'll take another cup of coffee"
sTake wife2" repeated mother, by no
! means receiving the information as tran
GULLY as it had been given. "What for?"
| "WeH. don't know, answered Tom,
| thoughtfully. Its notion I've got in
my head, somehow. .
"All nonsensel' said mother, sharply.
'sDo you think SOP said Tom, appar-
emily doubtful, but not in the least put
| out.
.'rhfnk so? I know it. What in the
world can yoR want with wife? After
all these years we've lived so comfort
ably together, to bring home somebody
turn the home upside down. And,
then, what's to become of that poor
| child?"
1.-THE '.poor chile" d"-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 would never
have any wife who would make it less
| home for her-dont you, May?'
''Of course" said 1.
'sAnd 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 ycu get her fixed? 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 a'am," Tom put in
for the second time. just as was getting
thoroughly uncomfortable. "But, for
added Tom, with one of his short-sighted
blinks sideways at me, "as long as she
shall stay with mech, May? And
whoever has anything to say against that
arrangement will have to go out of the
house to say it-not that I'm afraid of
any sucn result in this case-and on the
whole, Aunt Anne, should like to try
the experiment.
Mother smiled grimly, but Tom was
so evidently bent on his experiment, !"
as he called it, that she gave up the
argument.
"You can daEce if you're ready to pay
the piper" she said, shortly. And,
pray, how soon do you mean to be mar
ried?''
Toms face fell little at this question.
"Well," said he, 81 can't say exactly
Il 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"
"Not yet, answered Tom, cheerfully.
"Time enough for that, you know, after
had spoken to you
Mother, as ministers 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, 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 mt, 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 was no particular rea-
! son why should have been of it at all +,
for was not really related to Tom, nor
!, even to "mother," as I called her though
j 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 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 60 where mother went, and
, while she gave her energies to house
!, keeping, gave mine to growing up
which, by this time, had pretty well
accomplished. But perhaps for that
, very reason--for one sees with different
{ eyes at twelve and eighteen-my posi-
tion in the house had already begun te
, seem unsatisfactory to me; and the
! mornings words put it in a 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, il
: was not easy to see how was to provide
:. for myself, in case it should become ad
= visable. What could I do? Draw anG
= sing and play tolerably, but not in {
!, manner to compete with the hosts tha'
would be in the field against me. Lit
erature? I had read SO many stories
s whose heroines, with turn of the pen
+ dashed into wealth and fame. Tha
/ would be nice, only was not the leas
r little bit literary. There was some clerk
i ship, or place in some family, and
there was Will Broomleyi
a That nay seem like going away from
8 3he point, but it was not, had prett.
n clear idea of what was bringing Will tt
q the house so often as he had taken t.
= coming lately. There was situation
1t then, that would give me the home lif
t. liked best, and felt myself best suitet
J. for; but-would it answer as well il
:, other respects? had not come to an.
B, decision, when was called down stair
/. to see Lefty Walters.
: Lefty was the prettiest, I think, of al
il my friends, and certainly the hveliest
Is Tom called her "the tonis, and used t
st laugh heartily at her bright speeches.
n suppose it was this that made mother Fl
,e on Lefty as his choice Tom came home
n mother took care to mention that Lett
a had called.
st "What, the tonic?" said Tom. ''To
IS bad missed her.
Il '.But for your choice being alread
,e made" !" said mother, with covert scrr
If tiny of his face, 81 dare 81, you migt
have as much of the tonic as you liked.
" tsRut r Oo ON tho horn cunat1io priDc