The Northern Pacific farmer., 1884-07-24

care you sure?" she said, with smil'
which he could not understand.
yet, is it?"
eyes, it is. And you've seen :.
worn."
John was puzzled and felt sure he ba
not, but Susan would give him no fur
ther satisfaction on the subject OF tn
silk dress: 4
As spring approached, she made
few suggestions as to the advisabli1t
of firewood being set to season in du
time. But John, prompt and dilligeI
in preparation for seed time and harves'
full of the best intentions regarding h,
wifes conf ,rt, still thought the WOO
was one of the things which could I
looked to any time, and Snsan SOC.
gave way over reminding him Of II.
One day in September he came HON
to dinner and found cold lunch wait
ing him: The house WAS clean an
quiet and cheerless; no wife there, bo
a written line which ran:
sDEAR JoHN:-I am going to spend the ds
over to Mrs Carter's. Will be homo in time
give you late supper
He was glad to have her go, for 81
had had a busy summer and needed
little change. But there was q day OF
the next week and the next and the mex
until he began to wonder at Susan
growing taste for gadding abodt. J
early October, he came home to fiji
his woodward, which had still remain.
| empty, occupied by half dozen or
cords of first class wood, with Sol Cart
and his two big boys busy at it, al
they worked until it was stored up
| before in the shed. And John felt eros
but asked no questions.
"Where's Mrs Barker?" SAID a sma
Carter boy to John, as he put up l
bars one evening.
"She's over to neighbor Grant
You will find her there if you want her
ut amt no matter. You can tt
her here's the SEWN she's to do f
mother, and mother wants to know
she can como and wash to our hou
| tomorrow"
"The--old scratch she does?"
claimed John, turning on the boy
| blank amazement, which rapidly gre
into anger Mrs. Barker hire out to
washin' and sewin'? What dye me
! by comm to me with such messae
you young rascal?"
The astonished younyster droppe
his sewing and applied his knuckles
his eyes as John advanced toward hi
then ran with all his might as the bn
die came whizzing after hiln. And S
sans lord and master strobe in hgl
| fled wrath down the road to meet he
"Susan-I don't understand this
there's been a young chap talkin' abo
sewin' and washin' for Mrs. Carte
What in all creation does it mean, /
like to know"
''It's all right" s;,id Susan, comp'
edly. "What was the message.
''Thunderation! You don't mean
say you sew and wash for other foil
do you?"
."Yes; I do"
''And what for. Is there a>ythi
you want, Susan, that don't gist you
''Yes, John, there is I want wood.
can't saw and chop, but I can wash al
sew or anything else woman ought
do and there's no blame to me for chan
| ing work can do for work [ can't. ]
never" Susan spoke very firmly, b
without grain of irritation, "going
put up with poor badly cut, green We!
again as long as l can turn my woma,
work into mans work. iii rath
wash for somebody every week; its Ii;
the comfort of woman's life. You
never had to wait for your dinner, Wi
the wood Sizing in the stove and t
fire not burning, since I've been p1
viding the wood
John was dumbfo1lnded
Sand you've been workin' for S
Carter's wife these two years !''he sa
in intense disgust.
''No; my silk dress paid for last yea
wood. I hated to let it go, John,
cause you gave it to me, but Tilda c;
ter took fancy to it. 1t was she y
saw wearing it, and Susan laughed =
his grunt of dissatisfaction with t
whole business.
"You to go letting me down this "
before the Carters!' he growled. A
if Mrs. Johns eyes flashed little W
can blame her, as she answered.:
IF there's any letting down to it j
| your doing, not mine!"
They finished their walk home
silence, and then John said:
"Susan, will you leave the wood bu
ness to me after this?"
UT,11 4rv vo1, Tobp - cbo coil