Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-02-14

hearti not IN the physical sense that
hearts are sometimes broken, but the
weary woman's soul was set on this
bright, winsome child. and her life
lost all its scant SAVIOR when the bloom
ing face and clear young voice left
her forever.
al don't blame her none. ANA.
soy, she sobbed out to her boy, now a
stout fellow of %, raging at his sisters
folly.
IL can't feel to blame her; know
its more'n a girl can bear to live this
way, he'd to, but it's been dreadful
hard dreadful hard! I've wished
more'n once | could ha' laid down
along with the little badies out there
on the hill, SOS to rest spell; but
there was you and Lury wanted me,
and so my time had't come.
"Amasey, you'rea man grown now,
and if you should get married, and
[ s'pose you will-pen folks seem to
think it's needful, whether or no-do
kinder make it easy for her. poor
creetur! Don't grind her down to skin
and bone, liked me, dear; ta'nt just
right, I'm sure ont, never to make no
more of woman than ef she was a
horned critter don't do it,"
Mother, | never will. answered
the son, as energetlcally and solemnly
as if he were taking his oath.
But Wealthy was nearer to her rest
than she knew; typhoid fever broke
out in the Tucker homestead.
Wealthy turned away from her
weekly baking one Saturday morning
just as the last pie was set on the broad
pantry shelf and tainted on the kitch-
en- floor where Amasa. the younger,
found her an hour after, muttering,
delirious and cold. She was never
conscious again for week; then her
eyes seem to see what was about her
once more. She looked up at her boy,
laid her wan cheek on her hand, smiled
and died.
Hardly had her wasted shape been
put away under the mulleins and hard
hack when her husband came in from
the bayfield, smitten with the same
plague. He was harder to conquer.
Three weeks of alternate burning.
sinking, raving and chills ended at
last in the gray and grim repose of
death for him, and another Amasa
Sucker reigned alone IN the old house
on the hill.
Amasa had been faithful always to
the shy delicate dark-eyed little giri
who was his school sweetheart and
now it was to Mary Peet he hastened
to ask her 10 share his life and home.
lie had intended to take a farm on
shares the next summer, and work
his way slowly upward to a place of
his own; now he had this 100 acre
farm, and to his great surprise he
found $4,000 laid up in the bank at
Peet's Mills, the slow savings of his
fathers fifty years. He began at once
to set his house'in order; he longed to
build new one, but Mary's advice
restrained him, so he did his best with
this; the cellar he cleared and white
washed with his own hands, cleaned
It's one begrimmed window and set
two more, SO that it was sweet and
light; the house was scrubbed from
one end to the other; a bonfire made
of the old, dirty comfortables and
quilts, the kitchen repainted soft
yellow and new windows with clear
large glass set in place Of the dingy
old sashes; the woodhouse was filled
with dry wood and good store of pine
cones and chopped brush and kindllng.
A new stove with set boiler, filled
up the hearth of the old fireplrae, but
further improvements Amasa left for
Mary.
A different home coming from his
mothers she had indeed, on just such
spring day as Wealthy came there.
The kitchen shone clean and bright,
a bowl of pink arbutus blossoms made
its atmosphere freshly sweet and the
fire was laid ready for her to light,
the tea-kettle was filled and the pantry
held such stores as Amasa' S masculine
knowledge OF household wants could
suggest; -four, butter. eggs, sugar, all
were in abundance and no feast of
royalty ever gave more pleasure to Its
most honored guest than The hot bis
cult Mary made and baked for their
supper, the stewed dlied apples, the
rich old cheese and the fragrant tea
gave Amasa this happy evening.
Next day they took their wedding
trip to Peet's mills IN the new and
sensible farm wagon Amasa had just
bought, with strong, spirited horse
to draw it.
II want you should look around,
Mary" he had said the night before,
"and see what is needful here. / ex
pect most everything is wanting and
we can't lay out for finery. But first
Of all get what'll make your work easy.
Your weddin present will come along
tomorrow; to-day we'll buy necess-
tiles" .
The old house began to smile and
blossom under this new dispensation,
and the new mistress smiled too.
Amasa milked the COWS for her, and
lifted the heavy pals of milk to strain
into the bright new pans; he filled the