Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-05-15
NOT so NOW.

The slant February sunshine was
streaming cheerfully across the kit
chen floor; the fire in the cooking
stove snapped and cracked. and the
kettle sung merrily when Mr.. Selden
came in from the barn with the brim-
ming milk-pail.
Mrs. Selden started from the brief
doze that had momentarily overcome
her, even while the last ragged stock
ing, pulled over the dry gourd to be
darned, was held in one hand, and the
darning-needle in the other.
"Asleep-ehP" said the farmer dryly.
81 don't have the time to take maps in
the daytime!''
81 am sorry" said Mrs. Selden, col
oring. ''But dropped off before 1
knew it. The washing was very heavy
this morning, and l got over-tired, I
suppose"
''Work is always heavy" said Mr..
Selden gloomily. Supper amt ready
yet, and the hired man is waitin' out
in the shed, and you are sittin' here
asleep. Get out the cold pork and
beans as quick as you can! Time once
lost can never be found again. Every
minute counts in farm workr'
Mrs. Selden put aside the stocking
basket, and made all the haste she
could, in nervous and uncertain way;
and just then the door opened, and
tall handsome young man entered,
with cluster of dark-green mistletoe
in his hand.
''See what found in the woods, said
he. "You used to like mistletoe, Fan
ny, when you were a girl"
"It's very pretty" said Mrs. Selden,
with quick sidelong glance at it., for
her husbands eye was upon her, and
she felt its cold scrutiny. "Put it on
the window-sill, Carlos. 1 am too busy
to look at it just now. Supper is
behindhand!''
'And is that any reason that you
should hurry yourself to deathP" re-
torted her brother, as he took the heavy
iron kettle from her hand. "You will
kill yourself with these ponderous
weights YETI
"Humph!' remarked Mr.. Selden.
"You don't seem to be in any hurry,
young MANI
''Why should l bep" said Carlos Dorr
carelessly, as he flung himself into a
seat by the window.
you've been all day tramping about
the woods" said Selden. "and you've
fetched home bunch O. mistletoe''
"Yet have not been unoccupied,"
said Carlos quietly.
81 shouldn't make much profit at the
years end," said 'his brother-in-law
grimly, ''if worked in that sort of
way. Come, Fanny, make haste, the
sun is down, and the chores are all to
be done yet. And don't want to be
disagreeable, Dorr," with sinister
glance, ''but if you mean to stay on
here much longer. shall expect you
to help around the place little"
Dorr took his seat composedly at the
table behind his sister, whose faint
color varied painfully as she looked
from one to the other of the speakers.
"But l don't mean to stay on here"
said he.
"Humph!'' said Selden. THAT was
a good offer Deacon Sloane made you
to work his farm on shares. l s'pose
you'll accept thatp"
Il am not fond of farming" said
Carlos.
''And there's fair lookout if you
join that lead-mining business at Zoar
HILL" added Selden.
''Neither do l intend to become a
lead MINER" said Carlos, as unruffied
as ever.
"And Dutton Mill can be leased for
song-a capital place for trade" per-
sisted Selden!
Thanks" Dorr indifferently an
swered. "But don't think 1 should
shine as miller"
'Humph!' growled Selden, as he
carved the cold pork into slices of por-
tentous thickness, and served out solid
masses of baked beans with them. II
see you don't want to work, that's
what's the matter with you."
Don't, john" said Mrs. Selden ap-
pealingly.
lit amt my duty to encourage idle
ness" persisted Selden, drinking off |
his tea in scalding draughts. Here's |
Hannah now," as a blooming girl, suf-
ticiently like him in features to declare
their relationship as brother and sister,
but not at all resembling him in ex-
preston. came in. "She seems to
think, because she teaches district
school, that she can sit with her hands
folded the rest of the day instead O.
gettin' a rag-carpet under way, or be-
ginnin' sensible patchwork quilt, such
as my mother used to make"
Hannah Selden sat down to the table.
'I'm sorry was late," said she. II
meant to help Fanny get tea. But the
Shakesperean Club was little longer
than usual. We finished Henry the
Fourth, and"
Henry the Fourthp" contempt
uously repeated her brother. "What
sort O. use is that trash goin' to be to
youp"
Nothing, l suppose, said Hannah.
Except that like it!''
'.Likin' don't help earn livin',"
said Selden shortly, while the hired
man, eating stolidly away at his end of
the table, stared first at one, then at
another of the disputants, vaguely con-
scious that there was mental electricity
in the air. "As for helpin', Fanny
don't need no help. She is able to do
her own work-and I don't want no
nonsense put into her head about being
line lady. with nerves and neuralgia.