Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-07-18
SLAVE OR WIFE.

| A4GCuOus uuU 1auASU LIN uuSueu lace VIII
his straw hat. "A quarter of an hour
wasted very likely, waiting here, right in
the midst of as fine hay day as any
man would wish to see. Now, my moth
or used to have her lunch ready to The
minute whenever we came for it, and
don't see why
His jeremiade was checked by the ap-
pearance of his wife, who came out Of
the pantry, tugging along the great
lunch basket, almost too heavy for her
strength.
Farmer Brewster was young man, in
spite of his grumbling. Only %, tall,
straight, healthy, with blue eyes, rosy
cheeks, fair curley hair-and handsome
face when it was NOT darkened, as now,
by scowl of discomfort.
An only son, he had inherited q large
and handsome farm, clear from mortgage
aud debt, which supplied ALL the wants
of his household most literally, and gave
him nice little sum of money to deposit
in the bank each year.
There was no reason why he should be
mean, and yet misery habits were grad :
he knew.
No. was there need of grumbling over
the household arrangements, since the
wife of his choice was farmers daugh-
tel who knew we'll how to work, and who
had taken delight in setting her home
ia faultless order when first she came as
bride to the pleasant Brewster place.
The same order reigned still, from gar
ret to cellar of the square old house, but
Mrs. Brewster went through her tasks
mechanically now, or with nervous haste
and hurry that made them almost unen-
durable sometimes.
The constant drop of water will wear
away stone; and the constant fault
finding, in which her husband saw fit to
indulge, had nearly worn the patience,
the hope, and the endurance out Of the
young wife's heart.
The comfort and happiness of that
home hung upon thread, which frayed
more and more, hour and hour, under
the pair of unmerited blame.
Yet George Brewster saw nothing of
this until the morning of which I write.
"There is the lunch, and it is exactly
five minutes past ten,'' said Mrs. Brew
ster, setting the basket down with some
emphasis at his feet. II was delayed
that much with the butter. It had to
be seen to before the sun got too high"
"My mother always churned before
breakfast" observed George, rising
slowly to his feet.
His wife said nothing, but the color
rose holly in her cheeks till the lost
bloom of her girlhood seemed to have
come back again, and she raised her
eyes to his with look that startled
him.
Very handsome eyes they were-aark.
soft, and velvety, with world of love
and tenderness in their depth.
Yet now they met his own co,dly and
sternly, with such m expression that he
exclaimed:
"Good gracious! Lefty. You look
as If You hated mel"
"I'm afraid I dc" was the astounding
reply.
And with q swift glance at the clock,
Lefty hurried down into the cellar with
knife and a pan to make her p1epara-
tons for dinner for six hungry haymak-
ers.
"Afraid she hates me! My wife!
She that was Lefty Glover!" muttered
he to himself IN his bewilde1ment.
why, what on earth! She must be
going crazy or something or other
"Letty!" he called at the cellar door.
eft is ten minutes past TO-" she an-
swered from the depths of her cellar.
eff I don't see about the dinner Low it
won't be on the table at IL to the min
ute, as your mother used to have it.
can't come"
"WeE, if this don't beat ALL said he
to the maltese and white cat who as
cended from the cellar, and rubbed her.
self against his legs.
A shout from the bayfield, reused him
to the recollection of the days business.
He went out and dispensed tho treas
ures of his basket among the hungry
men, who praised Letty's excellent cook
ing with every mouthful they swal-
lowed.
cit is enough to make an old bachelor
like me eit down and cry to eat ouch
raspberry shortcake as that" said Solo
mon Wyse, wiping the crumbs If the
feast from his lips before he drank hard
cider from the Jug. "Tell you what it
is, George, you drew prize ehen you
went counting"
$50 he did. And here's her good
health, chimed in another mower as he
took up the Jug
George assented, vaguely.
They we're talking Of his wife-his
wife. who was afraid she hated him.
Never bad the two bours between
lunch and dinner dragged so slowly.
As she rode round and round the field
with sharp rattle OF the moving ma.
chine be guided in his care, bis nit Il
was continually busy with Letty's looks,
and her words, and his eyes turned often
toward the cream color farm house,
behind whose spruce green blinds h,s
wife was busy Preparing dinIer.
II used to think how happy I'shoull
be If I everpersuadedher to come here"
be thought. "It is two years-~why. I
declare It is two years this very day
that We were married! wonder if she
remembers it! But it isn't very likely,
when she Gays she is afraid she bates
me-"
Did she remember? All, in that re-
membrance lay the sting!
All that morning, while she got break
fast at S O'Clock, and washed the dishes,
swept the rooms, made the beds, churped
butter, and prepared lunch for six men,
her heart turned back to that other
mornin "a months ago, when the bright
eyed country maiden rose at 4 o'clock to
complete her preparations for her we'd
ding day.
How good, how kind, how handsome
her George was then! How his eyes
followed her; how his love blessed her!
Was it all her fault that the bloom
and beauty OF life had departed in those
two short years
Looking back she could see no day in
winch she had not at least tried to do her
duty. 1850
And looking in the glass she saw how
the light and glow of youth bad passed
from her face, while accomplishing the
task unoheered by the approval Of him
she loved.