The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1883-08-25

books the children are needing. or the
shoes that ought to be mended? There
are SO many things"
"La! children are always wantin'
somethin'; but as for Harner, she knows
how to wait. I have to. wait for my
money"
'.But when you get the cash for load
of hay and potatoes. does she share half
and half with you?''
"Of course she does. Who pays the
taxes and all the store bills, and works
on the road, and keeps shings going gen.
erally?"'
Isn't that Offset by her keeping the
household affairs moving smoothly? !
have noticed sometimes, when a man in
creases the number of bis hired men. he
never thinks of supplying, additional
help indoors, although the work has
been all the woman of the house could
well do before. Then she gets sick. and
extra money is paid out, which, if ap-
piled before, might have saved much
suffering"
Mr.. Stickney was getting uneasy, and
Ellen Motley knew when she had said
enough, and now carried her work into
the house.
81 tell ye what" said the farmer not
long after to his wife, "this ere school.
ma'am beats all talkin' to me. She
says ought to buy an origin for Min"
''She has been SO kind as to give the
child music lessons. and says she has
quite taste for it. Don't you think it
would be better than buying the land of
Westcott? We have land enough, now
Albion can never be a farmer
The gentle suggestion did not at once
appeal to the practical sense unused to
luxuries.
"Seems to me you're gettin' to have
expensive tastes, Harner. These VIM
min folks1l be the ruin of me-. Why.
t'other day was p'intin' out the place /
thought of buyin' for Albion against his
marryin' and settlin down, and tellin'
how he wouldn't need it now, and she
up and says he would want the money
that the farm would have cost to pre-.
pare him for different situation than
the one he dreamed of; aud said I
dunno bout his succeeding in anything
else, but she stuck to it he would"
The organ was bought-one of the
many innovations that almost impercep-
tibly introduced new and better way
of living in the Stickney family. It was
set up in the place of the sick-bed which
had occupied the sitting room for so
long time, and no one seemed more
pleased than Minna's father to hear her
performances upon it. He would stretch
himself upon the lounge and tell her ''to
play away and rest him spell, and say
the sound of the music ripping off from
her finger tips was like the dripping of
rain upon tin roof.
About mile from the little country
village of Countryeorn, some fifteen
years later, q stout woman was toiling up
the hill leading to farm house. It was
after ten in the evening, and no moon.
She hurried ON alone, and at last came
to the door, where she stopped almost
breathless. Entering the kitchen, a
lamp on the table revealed the figure of
man DOING in chair by the stove, pipe
in hand. She touched him, and he started
up, exclaiming, Jimmy, is't you?
Where ye bin to enneyway? Never
knew ye to be off so long at night"
s'Ive bin down to the town hall. Ed,
to lecture-didn't know of il till got
over to Slocom's. They was all goin',
and went along. The hall was full,
and who do you suppose lectured? You
wouldn't guess from now till the middle
of next week. DIR. Albion Stickneyi
| Yes, sir. And his mother was there
with new bunnit on, and his fathe,
dressed up in his go-to. meeting clothes
as much as to say, Hes my son;
raised him. Lori ye never saw such 6
change in anyone-so slim and tall.
never could have believed he'd grow Sc
good looking-Albion, mean. After
it was through they all went up to speal
to him. I didn't go; came home. Hi.
wife was there, too. She used to teacl
| school here. Her hands didn't lool
much like mine"
The woman's eyes rested on her owl
hard hands, large and brown with toll
''Sho," said her husband. you DON
tell! That fall of his was the maxim o
him, instid of the eyerlastin' ruination
as some said. You know they had j
he'd better have died than live to be
drag all his life on other folks. Strsng
how things turn out. jimmy; but I'v
heard 'em say as how old Stickney say
his sons wife is the smartest little won
an in the country. y."-Woman's Journal