The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-02-07

and bone, like me, dear; ta'n't just
right, I'm sure ont, never to make more
of woman than eff she was q horned
critter; don't do it"
mother, never will" answered the
son, as energetically and solemnly as if
he were taking his OATH
! But Wealthy was nearer 10 her rest
than she knew; the enemy that turks
in dirt, neglect, poor food, constant
drudgery, and the want of every whole
some and pleasurable excitement to
mind or body, and when least expected
swoops down and does its fatal errand
in the isolated farmhouse no less than
in the crowded city slums, the scourge
of New England, typhoid fever, broke
out in the Tucker homestead.
Wealthy turned away from her
weekly baking one Saturday morning
just as the last pie was set on the pan
try shelf, and tainted on the kitchen
floor, where Amasa the younger found
her an hour after, muttering, delirious
and cold.
What he could do then, or the village
doctor, or an old woman who called
herself nurse, was all useless; but the
best skill of any kind would have been
equally futile; she was never conscious
again for q week, then her eyes seemed
to see what was about her once more,
she looked up at her boy, laid her wan
cheek on her hand, smiled-and died.
Hardly had her wasted shape been
put away under the mulleins and hard
hack when her husband came in from
the bayfield, smitten with the same
plague; he was harder to conquer;
three weeks of alternate burning, sink
ing, raving and chills ended at last in
the gray and grim repose of death for
him, and another Amasa Tucker reigned
alone on the old house on the hill.
1t is not to be supposed that in ell
hese years Amasa the younger had been
blind to the charms of the other sex;
he had not "been with" every girl who
went to school with him, or whom he
met at singing school or spelling
matches, or who smiled at him from
her Sunday bonnet, as he manfully
"held up his end" in the village choir
He had been faithful always to the
shy, delicate, dark-eyed little girl who
was his school sweetheart, and now it
was to Mary Peet he FASTENED 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 100-acre farm, and, to his great
surprise, he found 81, 600 laid up in the
bank at Poets Mills, the slow savings
of his fathers fifty years. He began at
once to set his house in order; he
longed to build new one, but Mary's
advice restrained him, so he did his
best with this; the cellar he cleaned
and whitewashed with his own hands:
cleaned its one begrimed window and
set two more, so that it was sweet and
light; the house was scrubbed from one
end to the other; bonfire made of the
old dirty comfortables and quilts, the
kitchen repainted a 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, a covered passage connected
it with the kitchen, and door into the
old milk-room made of that q con-
venient pantry, while the removal of
the old one from the kitchen corner
gave to that apartment more room, air,
and light. A new stove, with a set
boiler, filled up the hearth of the old
fireplace, but further improvements
Amasa left for Mary.
1if1arapt bnma-pnrniOop from his
mothers she had indeed. on just such
spring day as Wealthy came there.
The kitchen shone clean and bright,
bowl of pink arbutus blossoms made it's
atmosphere freshly sweet and the fire
was laid ready for her to light, the
shining teakettle filed, and the pantry
held such stores as Amasa's masculine
knowledge of household wants could
suggest; -four butter, eggs, sugar, all
were in abundance, and no feast of
royalty ever gave more pleasure to it's
most honored guest than the hot biscuit
Mary made and baked for their supper,
the stewed dried apples, the rich old
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
strong, So irited horse to draw it,
Il want you should look around,
Mary" he had said the night before,
land see what is needed here. / expect
most everything is wanting, and we
can't lay out for finery. But first of all
get whatll make your work easy. Your
weddin' present will come along to-
morrow; to-day we'll buy necessities"
Mrs. Peet had not sent her only girl
empty-handed to the new house. A
good mattress, two pairs of blankets,
fresh, light comfortables, and some
cheap, neat, white spreads; a set of
gay crockery, a clock, and a roll of
bright ingram carpeting had all come
to tue farmhouse soon after the brides
arrival; her ample supply of sheets and
pillow cases, strong towels and a few
tablecloths had been sent the day be-
fore, so this sort of thing was not need
ed; but there was "a new churn bought,
and altogether new furnishings for the
dairy, several modern inventions to
make the work of woman easier, a set
of chairs, a table, and an easy lounge
. for tho Darlor aomp cretonna covered