Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1882-12-27
the DEACOn'S new YEARS GIFT.
BY MARY LOWE DICKINSON,

The deacon stood in his shirt sleeves
before the tiny squire mirror in the
front of the kitchen clock. He stopped
and wr'thea md made astonishing faces
1T himself IN the hopeless struggle to tit
Ehe huttonhole in his collar to the button
ut the back of his shirt. He did not
'wear, but the gray cat, blinking hel
eyes drowsily from her sleeping place
under the stove, suddenly sneaked past
HIM into the sitting-room and took
refuge III the skirt of Mrs. Deacon's
caslco gown. There we're thunders and
ughtnlngs portentols in the atmosphere,
and the good woman looked up from the
stocking she was darning barrel y in time
TO escape the storm.
"Why, father! What's the trouble :?
Here, let me button it, Sit right down
here, and let me fix you off !" and the
pale, wo,ried-looking woman larl her
baud coaxingly upon his arm.
"Well, button it, then, if you're 10
,ng to- ! should like to know if I'm
:leye" to have a button right az long rs
live. Two women folks. and nobody
70 take stitch III my clothes Where's
Mary? She's always ont of sight when
>,he's wanted.
There Was no fault with the button or
she bolc, but only with the stitf, clumsy
fingers unused to any service SO small.
But his wife did not tell him that the
secret OF his inability to manage his col
lar lay in the very fact that all his life
1.-TWO women folks had ,loae it for him.
She only fastened the neck-tie, brushed
his hair, and helped him on with his
Hvercoat, saying gently, 81 presume
MAry's getting ready to go with you.
IOn know yo,i always liked to have her
60 to meeting with you on the last night
OF the year"
"Then if she's going, tell her to come
along! I can't wait for her to put on all
her furbelows. want tn stop at Squire
Nelson's about That mortgage. or
course he means to foreclose, -
"Oh, no! don't believe it, Gideon,
He isn't any such man" and the poor
Woman's face grew shade more weary
and white; "but you go right along, and
Mary will 60 when she is ready. It's a
beautiful night, and I'll walk down with
her myself. You'll be there to come
homo with her?'
'*Of course I shall. III be there if
for nothing else than to keep George
Nelson from coming. He needn't think
I'm going to let the girl and the farm
10th 60 into his fathers family"
Nov, Gideon, don't talk so! You've
''cen behind on the interest before this,
and Squire Nelson was willing to wait.
don't believe he will touch the farm. -
And the deacon didn't believe it
either; but he didn't get much comfort
from that, since it did not alter the fact
Of his not having themoney due, or save
him from the rasping duty of saying so
10 the bland old squire. And Deacon
Frost was the last man in the world to
let bis wife be comforted, If he Was un-
comfortable himself. He always told
her the darkest side, and with an air
that made the meek soul feel i'll some
mysterious way responsible for all his
woes. He looked and acted as if they
were her fault; and she had grown SO
used to it that she often acted herself rs
if it must be so. So when he added
sulkily that if his son had "behaved
himself and stayed at home and helped
him, the mortgage would have been paid
off long ago." she only sighed, but did
not venture to speak good word for her
boy.
As the deacon, smoothed and brushed
and grumbling still passed out, Mary
came into the room just in time to hear
the vigorous bang her father gave the
door; in time, also, to hear the great
huttering sigh, almost sob, that broke
from her mothers lipe.
FEATHER gone ?" asked the girl.
Eyes. dear, aud I'll walk down little
way with you" sa;d her mother, stoop.
ing to pick up the stocking She was
'larp'ng, TINS biding her face from her
daughters questioning eyes.
ono, mother, l don't want to 90. l
cant let you go out on such q cold night.
was going more because L Thought
father would expect it, than for anything
clse.'
Perhaps heswill not mind, sad the
mother, !l'esitati ing. "thougll, as usual;
he was not pleased that did not go, and
thoughtperhlps ought to, if it would
make him any happier
"But it wouldn't, mother dear" said
the young girl, hastily; and, throwing
aside her cloak, she drew low chair to
her mothers side and gently pulled the
darning from her hands, as she went on:
81 really think the more we try to
please him in every little thing, the
more fault finding and exacting be be-
comes"
"Hush, child" anl the mothers thin
hand passed softly down the child's
cheek to her lips. .,... ... ~
Mary captured it in both her own,
kissed it, and answered laughingly: =
"Don't hush me, mother. I'm not a
child any longer, and 1 see my father as
| would see any other man. The fact