Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-12-29
JUMPERS WIFE.


& I say it again, think that when & man
is as Old as YOU and Us well-to-do ne ought to
have wife" repeated young Parson Frank
stoUtly
Ebenezer dropped the axe " Loob-a-here,
Master Frank. Don't St Paul give kind of
gineral order that men folks are better sin
gle: Hain't I had the hull superintendent
Z this bi, farm for your ma while you've
been eli 70 your commentaries and Ee-
brew: Come now! BE reasonable. Be-
sides, the l<itterys hain't never been mar
ryers-h;siu't troubled none OF your cloth
much."
There's your brother Juniper" inter
rupted the young man pertjEaciously.
''Nes-there's Juniper, an a pretty time
he he'd tyin' himself up. Humph! Not but
that he done well enough-very well, in fact,
when he'd accomplished it."
The young mans ears itched st once
Tel me about that, Ebenezer, =" he said art
fully. - never heard how Juniper came to
be married"
Ebenezer began his narrative with pre-
tense at chopping while it proceeded. From
this he took to balancing the ak on its head;
from that to sitting down opposite the rever-
end Frank and carving letter Of the alpha
bet absent-mindedly on bit Of pine.
You see, Master Frank, Juniper was not
Of the same disposition as me and brother
Dan. He was the best lookin' of the three:
straight an supple, an with sparkle in his
eye that he hain't lost yet. The girls to our
vlliase-it was when we was all livin' at the
homestead, with father and mother-all liked
him; an twas recipperated. First, Juniper
was goin' to singin'-school with Katey Par
ker, an then twas all over the place that he
7
twas Gineral 10 Banks eldest daughter-I
disremember her name-an before we'd
fairly began plagu'in him on the subject O.
Gineral JOS daughter, he was attentive to
4Iimy Bunce. Brother Dan an sister Lie
an me finally paid no heed to the town gos-
sip, but quietly went our ways an let June
go hiSn. We was satisfied that he was
merely nibblin' here and experimental there;
didn't mean to settle down on anybody yet
awhile
Now down to the lower end of the village
lived Widow Amanda Gayler an her three
daughters. The widow was a very smart,
capable woman, an her three daughters
well, three handsomer, cleverer, livelier gals
never grew. Everybody liked 'em. Before
long, Juniper was g frequent caller there. He
rode out with Anna, the eldest; or he'd come
TO church with Jenny, the second; or he'd be
heard of over to dance at the Corners with
Ruth, the youngest. The three sisters were
wonderful fond of each other-an' fond of a
little quiet mischief together too 1 don't
think they kept any secrets from one another
1t didn't occur to me, Master Frank, for some
time that Brother Juniper really wanted to
marry one o these girls-an' couldn't make
up his mind which he wanted But that was
just the state he was in. You see he'd grown
up with EN- ell three an been so intimate with
'em, even while he'd been keeping I'D his
attentions to half a-dozen other girls, that no
one of 'em had apparently ever made q
deeper impression on him than the other
They was all alike so friendly an SO kind an
so full Of fun. When he came to settle down
10 goin' TO their house more than elsewhere.
he was better pleased with em than ever;
but whether twas Anna or Jenny or Ruth?-
that was tie pint poor June was a-wrestling
with internally, for weeks an weeks. That
fall his uncle, Jared Hittery, died an left him
the Stone farm; an brother said that he'd
really ought 10 pick cut wife and settle
down.
''1ne night found it out. He let me IN
delstand, very sheepishiy, Just how he felt,
You seq, Brother EDenezer,' he said, I am
terribly perp.eXed, an suppose l should find
after l was married that I'd made a mis-
take
&"'Well, June" says I, I don't see that
you're likely to get far enoi Oh on to
make a mistake. a man who don't know his
own mind had better draw lots for a part
ner.' spoke rather contemDtuous. 1 dare
say.
brother Juniper jumped up from his chair
by the table with a sort Of angry sparkle in
his eye; but he cave short laugh Not a
bad notion Eben, said he. I sat by the ia
bic, occasionally sayin' a word here an there
with reference to the three girls; how Anna
was so well educated an Jenny such = first
rate housskeeper an Ruth such a pretty,
sensible sort Of young female-all more to
q tease June little than anything else All at
once June jumped UP. He had three pieces
/ o paper in his hand. BlsSt if he hadn't
3 written on one Of them Anna on another
, jane an Ruth on the lastl There saws
be, shakin' EN- together in my hat. much
obliged to you for your good advice, Brother
Ben. Tn goin' to draw for one of those
girls. Whichever name get-she'S the one
? Tn goin' to ask to be Mrs. Juniper Kitterv
before Sabberday'
Il laughed, takin' the hull matter as a
foolish Joke. All right says I, I'll hold the
hat So I did. June shut his eyes and
dN@+AA-~A~NA !
him. Anna, he answers, rather slowly an
as II not so astonishinIy happyfed He
tossed away the paper an said no more.
Thinks NE, June has got some sort of an
in'nard preference for one O. them sisters,
after all; and he don't know it, but it isn't
for anna.
81 Il never thought seriously of that Gamer
/ we two had cut that evenin', until Saturday
night, when Just as was closin up the house.
last one to go to bed, in steps June.
I I've done 1t, Eben,' says he, with
3 singular sober face.
"'Juner says I; not Anna-d.'
YES he answers I've Anna-d; not Jen-
ney-d uor Ruth-d- Don't you recollect last
Monday evenin'! That settled it. I've
abided by that piece O. paper. She said she'd
have me. It's done; an I'm glad
"'Well,' said I, I give you Joy, June;
though must say your way O. clearin' up
your doubts amt to my taste for common
usage Annals fine girl