Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-03-14
JUMPERS WIFE.

Ii-n"S"r ir'rpc,i IA" axN Look a here.
Mn~t- Frank Don't -. Paul give "A kind Of
piu'fal 'ri"r that mon folks are better sim
g'r' Haunt | hal th" hull superintendent
Z tl- hs farm for your ma while you've
been NJ t" your commentaries and He
lt'N' Come now, Re- reasonable. Be
si'lr-. thu ktii"rys haint never been mar
tN"r- lnht troubled none Of your cloth
mu'h'
lh"r"- yonr hruthor Juniper" inter
fnlh"l IN" Young man TertInnciulisly.
~ there's Juniper an pretty time
he Ind twin himself up lIunph! Not but
'hni b" inno we'll enough very well, in fact,
WIN he'd accomplished it
TIL" Young mnn, ears tched at once.
Tell me about that. Ebenezer," he said art
fully u never heard how Juniper came to
l." married "
I'"n"l''i began his narrative with pre-
t"iis" nj ch"lping while 1t proceeded. From
tins hr took I" balancing the AK ON its head;
from that TO sitting down opposite the rever
end Frank and carving n letter Of the alpha
b.' absent mindcdly on "A hit Of pine.
Won S". Master Frank, Juniper was not
oil III" -amc disposition mo and brother
Dan II" was the hest lookin' of the three:
straight m supple. an with n sparkle in his
ei" that b" hant lost yet. The girls to our
villas" 1t waS when We was all livin' at the
homestead. with father and mother-all liked
him. m twas recippcratei. First, Juniper
was g"'n' To- singin school with Katey Par
kei, an then twas all over the place that he
M Liberty Ann Myers was engaged Next,
twas tincral Jo Banks eldest daughtcr-I
di-iem"ml'er hcr name-an before we'd
IA rly began plaguin him on the subject o.
6incral JOS daughter. he was attentive to
Miiny Runcr. Brother Dan an sister Lie
an M" finally paid no heed to the town COS
sip, hut quietly went our ways an let June
60 hisn. We was satisfied that he was
merely nil'blin' here and experimental there;
didn't mean Ia settle down on anybody vet
awhile
Vow down 10 thu lower end of the village
lived Widow Amanda Gayler an her three
daughters. The widow was very smart
capable woman, an her three daughters
well three handsomer. cleverer, livelier gals
mover grew. Everybody liked EN-. Before
long. Juniper was n frequent caller there. He
rode out with Anna, the eldest; or he'd come
10 church with jenny, the second or he'd be
heari Of over 10 a dance at the Corners with
Ruth. the youngest The three sisters were
wonderful fond 81 each other--an' fond of a
/
think thcy kept any secrets from one another
II 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- all three an been so intimate with
'cm, even while he'd been keeping up his
attentions to half a-dozen other girls, that no
ono Of EN- had apparently ever made a
deeper impression on him than the other
They was all alike so friendly an so kind an
~ full of fun When he came to settle down
10 goin' 10 their house more than elsewhere.
hc was better pleased with 'em than ever;
hut whether twas Anna or Jenny or Ruth3-
Tint was the pint poor June was a-wrestling
with internally, for weeks an weeks. That
fall his uncle, Jared Kttery, died an left him
the StoL" farm; an brother said that he'd
really ought to pick out a wife and settle
down.
"one night found it out He let me I'm.
dertand. very shecpishly, just how he felt
You see, Brother Ebenezer' he said, 4 am
terribly perplexod, an suppose should find
after ! was married that I'd made q mis-
take"
"'Wcll. June" says I, 4 don't see that
yon'ro likely TO get far enough on to
make a mistake. A man who don't know his
own mind had better draw lots for a mart.
ncr spoke rather contemptuous, l dare
say.
brother Juniper jumped up from his chair
by the table with a sort Of angry sparkle In
his eye; but he gave short laugh. Not
had notion, Ehen, said he. sat by tho ia
BILE. occasionally sayin'a word here an there
with reference TO the three girls; how Anna
wns ~ well educated an Jenny such a first
rate housekeeper an Ruth such a pretty,
ssnsible sort OF young female-all more to
teass June little than anything else All at
ono" June jumped up He had three pieces
O. paper In his hand. Blest il he hadn't
written on ono Of them Anna on another
JANE. an 'Rnth on the lasti There says
he. shakin' en- together in my hat, much
obliged to you for your good advice, Brother
ben. I'm goin' to draw for one Of those
girls Which.vor name l get-she's the one
I'm goin' to ask to BE- Mrs. Juniper Kittery
before Snbberday.'
FOOLS. joke. AN right says I, I'll hold the
hat So did. June shut his eyes and
jammcd in his fist. Read it out. SAYS to
him Anna he answers, rather slowly an
as II not 50 aytonishin'ly happyfed. He
tossed away the paper an said no more
Thinks me, June has got some sort of an
innard preference for one O them sisters,
after all; and he don't know 1t, but it isn't
for Anna.
IL never thought seriously Of that caper
We two had cut that evenin', until Saturday
night, when just rs was closin' up the house,
lnst ono 10 go to bed, in steps June.
1--we do it, Eben,' says he, with .
sing'lar sober face.
"'Junsr SAYS I; not Anna-d'
"'Yes, he answers I've Anna-d; not Jen-
scy-d nor Ituth-d. Don't you recollect last
Monday evenip'i That settled It. I've
abi'lc'i by that piece o paper. She said she'd
have mo. It's done; an I'm glad
WELL said !. = give you joy, June;
though must say your way o clearin' up
your doubts ART to my taste for common
usage. Anna's u fine girl
"'But that amt all brother Eben,' he
went ON. 'Anna's got an amazin' queer no
| tion % gettin married. 'Tseems she's been q
rcadin' some novels or stories and so forth;
an guess they 've made her fanciful She
thinks that it'd lie grand fun to surprise our
folks along with ma an the other two
| girls, by ms two bein married on the sly, the
night before Thanksgvin'-an' then comm
homo and tellin' 'cm. don't see any fun in
thnt-not q biti l think it looks rather
foolish But Anna-I declare don't know
what's got into her!-sh will hold to it! The
long and short Of it is that You've pro-
mis.~l to do it, saysI.
Yes. he answers. Il suppose it'll make
stir; hut that can't be helped. I've promised
None 81 her folks nor ours must know any
thing about our engagement yet On
| Thanksgivin evenin' I'm to call for Anna
with the sleigh. ! want you to come along
too, Ebcn Wen go straight down to Battle
Hill. O. farson Lathams, an have the knot
tied Then we'll come back an let 1t out t.
tho widow an Jenny and Ruth. After thai
the hull crowd Of us will pile down here, an
have the pleasure Of seein father an mother
an overl Wy here open their eyes. That's
Anna's idea As said. don't specially al
mire II. hut. still, give in to it
Thinks me. Master Frank, there's
4 some game here that clever girls up to!
Mc5le-an meble not. But told Juniper
I'd 60 with him on Thanksgivin'