The Mineral argus., 1884-07-24
THE SQUIRE'S MISTAKE.

strawberries, on the morning when hs
took = fancy for Ruth Lees pretty face
She came down the road, looking fresh
as a new blown rose in her plain calico
! dress and straw hat. Her brown hair.
cut quite short, blew all about her face
in little ringlets and her blue eyes and
bright cheeks made her as pretty a pic
ture as WI often sees. Squire Dudley
saw her just as she came opposite the
strawberry patch, and called out
Good morning!" in his, CHEEKY way.
ooh, good morningl" she answered.
you almost scared me, Squire Dudley.
L didn't see you until you spoke"
Pleasant morning, isn't it" said the
Squire, coming up to the fence. Ruth
had halted in the road.
"Its beautiful weather." answered
Ruth. 81 told mother it was too pleas
ant to stay in doors, and started off on
a visit"
care your strawberries ripe yet"
said the Squire, wondering hat he new
er had noticed what a fresh, charming
face Widow Lees daughter had before.
"Our strawberries? ?" laughed Ruth,
we haven't got one. Our old rooster
got in n day, about a week ago, and
picked all he could eat, and her coaxed
the hens in, and between them they
ruined u strawberry crop"
TOO bad" exclaimed the sympathetic
squire.
Have some of these. Ruth. They're
just ripe enough to be good"
He picked some great clusters of ripe
berries and handed them over the fence
to her.
THANK you" said Ruth, smiling
How good they are. Mother was
making great calculations on her straw
berry jam. She was terribly vexed
when she found out what the hens had
done"
1--WE got lots to spare said the
squire. III send some over to your
mother"
"She'd be much obliged to you" said
Ruth !" if you nave more than you want. "
PLENTY of them" answered the
squire. Plenty of them. Can have
them just as well as not"
Il must be going" said Ruth. GOOD
morning"
Good morning." returned the
looking after her as she went
down the road. az declare there amt
a prettier girl in town than Ruth Lee.
| wonder none of the young fellows
haven't got her away from the widow.
Ii l was young now"
Squire Dudley stopped suddenly. An
idea had flashed acros his brain.
IL am now fifty" he said at last, after
thinking quite busily for some minutes.
I am fifty" but 1 don't look it. 1
don't see why 1 shouldn't try my luck
after all. Girls as young as Ruth mar
ry men older than l am. I'm sure she'd
any man agood wife. Her moth
is n of the finest women in the
state, and she's brought her daughter
up to know how to work and be saving
prudent. And we need a house
keeper. Mrs. Brown she's old and
and crooked, and this way of liv-
ing isn't half living. l do believe I'll
marry her if she'll have me. May be
Charley will say it is foolish, but ] can't
help that" 1
The squire fell TO wedding out his
again diligently, and kept
thinking about Ruth all the while. Long
before dinner was ready he had fully
made up his mind to propose marriage I
Ruth, and bring her home a new {
lousekeeper and mistress to the great
house whose mistress had been dead {
or ten years or more; provided, of ]
course, that Ruth didn't say no, and the |
'quire thought there wasn't much dan t
ger of that, though why he should be so
ure, | can't say. y
Don't you think we need a house
,eeper?" he said to his son Charles. I
hat afternoon as they sat on the veran-
lab. The squire evidently saw some
feature in the landscape, for he {
zept his face turned from Charley as he
poke. S
"A housekeeper?" asked Charley, a
I'VE have got one. What do we want S
# more l should like to know"
Yes, L know" assented the squire,
urnlng red in the face, and beginning L
o get a little uneasy; ''but Mrs. Brown v
) not such a woman as we need. She
Ices not take such an interest in the v
york as-as a woman who-who had
nore interest in it," 6
After which extremely logical argu- I
nent the Squire got more fdgety than !
yer. i
L understand that, answered Char d
ey. IF she had a personal interest in
he place and in being prudent, and
things up, she'd do better than Il
he does now. Now she gets her pay t