Connecticut western news., 1884-11-05

session John was drawn on the jury and had to be away for two weeks.
 "Why, what in the worlds this, Susan2" he said, staring into the wood shed, when he got home the second Saturday.
 "That's my winter supply of wood, !" said Susan.
 "And how did it get there-and in such good shape, too ?"
 He gazed at it in astonishment
 It was in good shape. Row after row well-seasoned, neatly-sawed and split wood, piled to the rafters, with a heap of pine and hemlock in kindling lengths in one corner.
 ''I had it put there" said Susan,- quietly.
 Some more questions he asked, but, with little way she sometimes had of asserting herself, she gave him to understand she had nothing more to tell, and he was ashamed to ask any one else.
 The winter brought it's usual round of simple gayeties iE the country neigh borhood, in which John and his wife took their full share.
 "It seems to me, Susan," he said ono evening on their return from church sociable, ''you don't fix up quite enough when you go out"
 'Don't I look nice?"
 ''Yes, of course, you do; but that's a dress you had when we were married, and that's nigh on two years ago. 1 haven't seen anything of that silk I gave you last fall"
 "Are you sure ?" she said, with a smile, which he could not understand.
 "Yes, am. Faint been made up yet, is it
 ''Yes, it is, and you've seen it worn"
 John was puzzled, and felt sure he had not, but Susan would give him no further satisfaction on the subject.
 As spring approached she made a few suggestions as to the advisabiity of fire. wood being set to season in due time. But John, prompt and di ligent in prep aration for seed-time and harvest, full of the best intentions regarding his wife's comfort, still thought wood was one of the things which could be looked to at any time, and Susan soon gave over reminding him of it.
 One day in September he came home to dinner, and found 8 cold lunch wait ing him. The house was clean and quiet and cheerless no wife there, but a written line, which ran:
 'DEAR JOHN: I am going to spend the day over at Mrs. Carter's. Will be home in time to give you late supper"
 He was glad to have her go, for she had had busy summer and needed little change. But there was day out the next week, and the next, and the next, until he began to wonder at the growing taste for gadding about. In early October he came home to find his woodward, which had still remained empty, occupied by half dozen or so cords of irst-class wood, with Sol. Car ter and his two boys busy at it, and they worked until it was stored up as before in the shed. And John felt cross, but asked no questions.
 "Where's Mrs. Barker?" said small Carter boy to John, as he put up his bars one evening.
 "She's over to neighbor Grants. You will find her there if you want her"
 'It ain't no matter, You can tell her here's the sewin' she's to do for mother, and mother wants to know if she can come ,and wash to our house to-mor- row."
 "The-old scratch she does ?'' ex- claimed John, turning on the boy in blank amazement, which rapidly grew into anger. "Mrs. Barker hire out to do washin' and sewin'l What dye mean by comin' to me with such mes- sage, you young rascal ?"
 The astonished youngster dropped his sewing and applied his knuckles to bis eyes as John advanced toward him, then ran with all his might as the bundle came whizzing after him. And Susan's lord and master strode in dignifed wrath down the road to meet her.
 ''Susan-I don't understand this there's been young chap talkin' about sewin' and washin' for Mrs. Carter. What in all the creation does it mean, I'd like to know?"
 "It's all right" said Susan, composed ly. "What was the messagep" Administration You don't mean to say you sew and wash for other folks, do you?"
 "Yes, do"
 "And for whatp Is there anything you want, Susan, that I don't give you ?"
 'Yes, John, there is. I want wood. can't saw and chop, but can wash and sew, and do anything else 7Eoman ought to do, and there's no blame to me for changing work can do for work can't. I'm never," Susan spoke very firmly, without grain of irritation. "going to put up with poor, badly cut, green wood again as long as I can turn my woman's work into mans work. I'd rather wash for somebody every week, it's half the comfort of a woman's life. You've never had to wait for your din. ner with the wood sizzling in the stove. and the fire not burning since I've been providing the wood. p