Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-10-08
MATTlIE GRAY's DECISION,


patient mouth, with lines about it that
told of sorrow borne with gentle iirmness:
and two .withercd, tired hands, crossed
with d restful look. That was all.
Who, looking at the sleeping form,
would think Of love and romance, of
heart only just healed of a wound re-
cciyed long, long ago:
Fifty years she had lived under that
roof, farmers wife. If you looked on
the little plate on her coffin-lid you will
sec Aged 70" there; and she was only
twenty when John Phillips brought her
nome, a bride.
4 half century she had kept her careful
watch over dairy and lardor, had made
butter ahd cheese, and looked after the
innumerable duties that fall to the share
Of Il farmer + wife. And John had never
gone with buttoncss shirts or undarned
socks. had not come home to an untidy
house and scOlding wife. His trim, tidy
Martha had been his pride; and, though
not a demonstratiye man, he had boosted
sometimes Of the model housewife that
kept his home IN order.
But underneath her quiet exterior there
was Il story that John never dreamed of,
and would hardly have believed possible
bad he been told. She did not marry
LOT l"y". Nheh sue had been Nineteen Il
rosy, haPPy gfh stranger came on
Flsii 70 iheif niue village. ana that sum
I.,,oa pa.1 Gar1,ar ,,,a .'.' ,ba ,,
NM, ,.,i.t 3 CO.,
,..,,.,,ti, .t,as5,.,,t,'.,.i - .,.'
~, -, a.,
.,,,t,,,,,,, IT,. t...tr,,tT,a,,
II ygill rn,a,. ,.,ai,, in tbc s,,ri,,,, b.
ma ..rrnzt M and wait far me- uattia
,le.,
a.. ,,r,,,,i..,t -, l,,,o .,,,l ,,.,;t r,u
Inn, an tl,n rnd of fima if ncoI I've md
y,I H., I,er ,,ni,,,,ri,,,, Ii,,' h., ,,,',,t
WIN !" N'77 on h'r H"l'or'ns NrT' no went
n@,,ti. Gro, ~ no, ,op b.u ,nathor
MI TIM, s,,,r ,,,,.,, r,,. .1,,,- t,''J ~,
t,L,n., 49,. en-, ,,'i -, -
t,tn ''''' - '''' '''N
,nr,.d ,n.,,,, t,air ba ,r',"'' wien '' ''i'
s,,,n,,.I,,,. ,.,,,,, a,,,I ,r,,, T., lie ,,,,,.,
PAM returned. he stavnd only , 1o,, ar
t,yntt,ia linn.
~ o,n ,,aI,,, .,o,,i, - e,,. ,,.,,.ls -
IttIy ~ .inl,,, .y,id - .-h,u Ia ",,,,,,,,
tur,. yr,,.. ,,,,l tlet .i,,II ,Ioi,,, ,,'7 r,,,
III, i,r,l, !,
2rl,.,,r ..,,,.,,,,l tt.,.iu ,.,.. ,,.i ..,.....,
,yiD, tsn,I,r l,,i,,, ,y,,.,l, tt,,,,,t 49,,
r,,.,,.,, ,,.,. ti,.,,,,r.,,,t Iit,I,,
al
,t,o ,l,g,,.s t,,,, ,,,d n,.,i, fn. Ii,n h.,
v,pt oqg,
i'''"'"l VEN ~ "lu N'attio was
!'hS :" nuke inc llihe seem snort ny
a'"iy ny - 'nh i''"Fo neFati'' 80 ihat Sho
mlRal =" worthy oi her lover when he
should return 70 mako her ms VIE
y mus "e "nouI ti'ne ne Is To start
~. n3'' 20 heI7tii one day'
Nhu ~ "ila ny rs 7he E-ahced over
''"7i'aI'i' ,'ef yes were ATTRACTED ny
~ h'"'a' dia WIN White Ups ana dliaied
eyes sue ftad "t ms marriage to hnoth-
-.
',''' 'Sa ""'n announcer priae' III
-, ~ '',''''',E '''N 20 ''''' me- 'h'
- ~ ~. '''oN an" ''"7''u you l"r
She covered her r,eo. with hrr h.rds
anl yept bitterly
An nom aft.r,y,ra ,-.bo s,t tber, j.,
tho tv,girbt Win tbe fatnI mousnnr, a.,
tyin., 81, heI Inn LIN ba,rdngt,,, an tI,a
.er.,l ,,,Il ma lo.,li,,,, ,,.s -,
,I,l,n pliII,ns r,min,,n,, Iha ito,,s Ho
had bpep. IA. So. nftan borore Int bod
never y,t sn,Ifen NJ I,,o ma l,,d ~
,.,fr.,, r,,.,,,,'.,.I ~,
u uo.,.aa .,.,l,i,, L,.I ,93,r,-;,,,, -,
rr with ma rnm,nen obont hin, hnt
pattar. ~ fart /, IL. cnrn III uira
would rot fp,v cnreases ~. top,nr words
H.. would ~ linl .nn,..b ,rnrlJ ,i,,
hen .ntept,tnr,, ana IN ,rcnr
NV H., saen.1 10 hn,,c,,,,, ,,r .l,,
exnrr.4 nurnnse nf osLi,,, ber ta be his
,lfa fnr hn tnoI. , ch.ir NH s.ot;,,,
himself he.i,Ie her aftrr ne nsnaI ret
in, reseryinr scarcely moment to
draw breath HOGAN ~ his bnsinoss liz,
WAY ~ converse Thera wos ma cnr.
fe4.lon of lovs nna no ,leolir,r -,
hand cla4ntry no t.ul.r ,,lancrs. hn
aimnly waptal har. ,,,,li shn Ia bis
w,fay III. nominee, ,,,... Ln,,rt,. ..,,,,,,,.t,
th,r, ,,.,,. ,,.l,,,,,t H.. III. @,,,t,.i =
womb r,thar ,,,,rr,. l,,. ~, a,,,. 1,t,,,n
woman ia tn.,y. I'M NM ,.as AT
tier llps moved 10 tell him that she
ald not love htm' but as she let her eyes
tai upon the crimson hearted rose that
SWING from the VINO over the window,
she caught sight OF those few lines again.
Married. she sa,d t" herself. What
Gun q" iie doesn ask me to love HIM
y marry hIm can be n true wife I"
nun, anu nobody VIII know that Paul had
Jited me.
ne decision was made. Her checks
Wer" a~ly pale ~ she looked up straight
INTO ~ eyes, aud answered quietly. YES
VIII be your wife.
Her parents were pleased that she WAS
chosen 10y So we'll to-do a young man: So
II VA. all settled, and they were married
that same summer, People thought she
sahered down wonderfully: more than
that nothing WIS said that would lead any
one t. suppose any change had taken
plae1.
Yes. She was sobcred down. She dared
not think Of Paul. There was no hone
ahead LITE was time to be filled IN
with something, SO that she might not
think Of herself John was always kind.
but she rot 80 woaried of his talk of stock
and crans and said ia herself. Il must
work harder: plan and fuss, and hustle
about as other women do. so that / NAV
forget, aud grow like John"
Two years went swiftly by. \ baby
slept ia the little cradle; and Martha
nobody called her Matte but Paul sat
rocking il with her foot as she knitted a
blue WOODEN stocking for the babv's
father, There was knock ut the half
opened door
Il have got INTO the wrony road: will
you bc kind enough To direct me to the
nearest way Ia the VILLAGE" said n voice.