The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-02-07

ehe looked up NJ her boy, laid her wan
cheek on her h,.nd, smiled --und died.
Hardly Ind her wasted shape been
put away Under the mulleins and hard
hnck when her husband came in from
tho bayfield, smitten with the same
plaguel he was harder to conquer; !;
three weeks pf alternate burning, sink
ing, raving and chills ended at last in
the gray and grim repose Of denth for
him, and another Amnsa Tucker reigned
alone on the old house on the hill.
It il not to be supposed that in all
hese years Amasa the younger had been
blind 10 tho charms of tho other sex;
he had not sheen with" every girl who
went to school with him, or whom he
met ut singing school or spelling
matches. or who smiled Mt him from
her Sunday bonnet, ns he manfully
"hcld up his end IN the village choir.
He Ind been faithful always to the
shy, delicate, tlark-cye,l little girl who
was his school sweetheart, and now it
was to Mary pcct he hastcned to ask
her to share his life and home. He had
intended to take farm on shares the
next summer, and work his way slowly
upward to place Of his own; now he
had this lOO-acre farm. and, to his great
surprise, he found ~. 900 laid up in the
bank at pcet's Mills, tho slow savings
of his fathers fifty years. He began Mt
once TO set his house in order: he
longed to build new one, but Mary's
advice restrained him, 30 he did his
best with this; the cellar he cleaned
and whitewashed with his own hands
cleaned it's one begriihed 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
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 kindling. A new milk-room was
built but little way from the back
door, over tiny brook that ran down
the hill north Of the house. and under
the Slated floor kept up cool draught
Of fresh air. covered passage connected
il with the kitchen, and door into the
old Milk-room made Of that a con-
senicnt pantry. while the removal oi
the old one from the kitchen corner
gave to that apartment more room, air,
and light. A new stove, with SET
boiler. filled up the hearth Of the old
fireplace, hut further improvements
Amasn left for Mary.
| A different homecoming from his
mothers she had indeed. on Just such a
spring day as Wealthy came there.
| The kitchen shone clean and bright, q
bowl Of pink arbntus blossoms made its
atmosphere freshly sweet and the fire
was laid ready for her 10 light, the
shining tcakcttle filed. and the pantry
| held such stores as Anasa's masculine
| knowledge cf household wants could
suggest: Hour, butter. eggs. sugar. all
were in abundance. and no feast al
ROYALTY ever gave more pleasure to its
most honorcd guest than the hot biscuit
Mary made and baked for their supper,
the stewcsl dried apples. the rich old
1 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 q
strong. 81 iritod horse 10 draw il
Il want You should look around,
1 Mary" hc had said the night before,
and see what il needed here. I expect
most everything i wanting, and We
can't lay out for tincrv. But first Of al
get What'll make your work easy. lou,
weddia' present will come along to
mcrrows to-day we'll buy necessities.
Mrs, rect had not sent her only CIR
empty handed t. the new house. A
good mattress, two pairs Of blankets,
fresh, light comfortahles, and som,
chcan, neat, white spreads: set o.
gay crockcry. a clock, and roll q
bright ingram carpeting had All come
10 tic farmhouse soon after the bride.
arrival; her ample supply Of sheets ant
illoM cases, strong towels and few
tahlecloths had been sent the day he
fore. SO this sort of thing was not need
ell hut there was new churn bought
and altogether new furnishings for tn,
dairy. several modern inventions I,
make the work of woman easier, a sc
of chairs, table. and nm easy loung,
for the parlor. some cretonne coveres
with apple blossoms and white thor
clusters. and pals, hrooMs and tinwar,
that would have made Wealthy happ,
woman. crowded the over-fnll wagol
before they turned homeward.
The old house began to smile an,
blossom under this new ,lispensation
and the new mistress smiled too.
Amasa MIXED the cows for her. an,
lifted the heavy pals of milk to strain
into the bright new pans. he filled tn
woodhox hv the stove twice a day, pu
patent pump into the old we'll. and
as il stood above the house, ran pip
down into sink set in the woodshed
and 50 put an end to the drawing an,
carrying Of water.
4 The fat. round, placid pigs that nov
enloyel themselves in the new pen h
took care of himself.
~Tant work for women folks" h
said. you've got enough to do, Mary
there's the garden You'll have an ey
on, and the chickens, If you're min,
to: I'm gong to build hen-house an,
ward TO il right of, thatll be goo
enough fer you as well as the chickens
and want YOU 10 promise if any tim
/ tiie NoTh KEYS u Iulte uttlN dHO WtIIit
You, You'll speak right out. can al
ford TO have everything else worn GU
rather than NV Wife
Really, il paid. 1t does pay, m
masculine friends, to give any woman
kindly word now and then. III You ha
done it oftener, or Your father had j
the past, the rights of women neve
would have angered Or bored You a
they do now. or unseAed and mad
strident and clamorons that half Of crs
alton which is and always was ur
sasonable enough to have hungr
hearts Try it and see.
Amasa Was wise above his generation
He had seen his mother suffer, an
learned lesson. Mary never pine
for kindly appreciation Of her wori
or lacked help mi. When she had a doc
eut through into tue parlor, the sti
chairs and sofa banlshed, the flower
curtains hnng at either window. the "a
carpet put down, aud the new furnitni