The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-06-25
TOMS CHOICE.

bod been playing with, and looked
across at mother; Ill, 1,r ta,,o
wife" he said, exactly as ne nlsns
have said Il think I'll take anoCher
cup dPT Oh cow d wife ?" repeated mother,
an noeans receiving the lnfOrma-
~ 40 - lttranouillv as it had been
Given. What for
si dwell / don't know" answered
Tom thoughtful1y. Its a notion
1 IUeu 1ot into nv head somehow.
"All nonsense" sad mother
sharply. ,a,id Tom an
narentiy doubtful, but not IN the
lea aTbiak so? [ know it. What in
the world can you want Of wife?
Aftpr all these years we have lived
60 comfortably together, TO orlng
home somebody to turn the house
inside down! And, then, what IS
to become Of that poor child
The "poor child"-that was L
Redeemed at being brought into the
ARGUMENT in this way, was ABOUT 10
sneak for herself, when Tom inter
posed, warmly.
stI'm sure May knows l would
never have any wife who Wouio
make it less a home for her-don L
you, May?"
"Of course, said l.
"And I'm sure she knows nothing
of the sort" persisted mother, nor
Won either. Tom Dean. How can
Won answer for what VIE may
fa<e II into her head to do, If once
Won GET her fixed here? You can't
expect her to forget, as you do,
that Nav has nc real claim on you.
sCTbat l have no real claim on her,
[ suppose you mean, ma'am, Tom
nut IN for the second time, just as L
was thoroughly uncomfortable.
"But for all that, I intend to help
her-that is" added Tom, with one
of his short-sighted blinks sideways
at me. cas- long as she'll stay with
me- eh Mary? And whoever has
ANYTHING to say against that ar
TanCement will have to go out or
nv house to say it-not that I'm
afraid of any such result lii THIS
case-and. on the whole, Aunt
Anne. l should like to try the eX-
pertinent.
Mother smiled grimly, but Tom
was so evidently bent on his lex
pertinent" as he called It, that she
gave up the argument.
"You can dance if you are ready
to pay the piper" she added shortly.
"And pray, how soon do you mean
to be married =
Toms face fell a little at this
"WeiI," said he. 81 cant say ex
actly. l suppose we Will have to be
engaged first"
@What!" said mother. opening her
ewes: "why, you never mean to say,
Tom. you haven't spoken TO her
Not vet" answered Tom, cheer
fully. thine enough for that you
know. after I had spoken to you.
oWelI," she said, eff it was any
BODY else, 1 should say he was
cracked; but you were never like
other people, aud never will be,
Tom Dean. But, at least, you have
fxen on the lady?"
"Oh, yes, answered Tom; "ouI II
Won will excuse me, Aunt Anne, L
would rather not say anything
about her Just yet; fOr-if-it any
thing should happenit wouldn't be
nIe8sant for either party, you know"
with which yelled alluslon to his
possible rejection, Tom took his hat
and lett the room.
Our household was rather queerly
nut together. There is no particular
reason why I should have been OF
IL at all. for I was not really related
to Tom, nor even to mother" as l
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 ms at his death with very little
to live on. Then it was that IGm
Dean had come forward and insisted
ON giving a home to his aunt and to
nae whom he had scarcely seen a
dozen times in his life before. That 5
exactly like TUm-"queer Tom
Dean. as his friends were fond OF
SAVING. "Who never did anything
Ike ANYBODY else" l suppose, in
snife of his clear head for business
There is no denying that he was
whimsical; but [ am sure, when !
think of his unfailing generosity and
deIicacy. [ can't help wishing there
We're a few more such whimsical
neonIe in the werld. Naturally at
The time [ am speaking of, my opln-
ION had not been asked; all l had to
do was to go where mother went,
and. while she gave her energies
to the housekeeping, gave mine TO
growing Up, which by this time |
Rad pretty well accomplished. But
Uerhaps for that very reason-foT
one sees with different eyes at y
and 18-my position in the house
had already begun to seem unsatis'
factory to me; and the mornings
words put it in clearer light, since
it had been used Is an argument
against Toms marrying. L knew
that mother had spoken honestly
believing that such a step Woulc
not be for his happiness; but wa:
he not the best Judge OF that