Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-08-06
BETWH THE, ACTS

Eout Of prison instead Of her father.
loving arms but John said pride was
ba4 company for . poor woman the.
likes of me, and soseyery night before
EVEN 50 much is pulled his boots off I
had ko2isten to the tail' 8 doIngs TIL my.
| blood got to bubbing one minute and
freezing the next; and there were the,
grated windows and the big chained
door, palmer. even so much palmer,
before me than my husbands face-for
! would see that through a grayish mist
of tears.
Understand me. John was as square
aud honest a man as ever turned key
in the laws name, though not CHEEKY,
like married man ought to be and
mostly is, his excuse being that ''folks
made, fools of themselves when they
gabbed;' but, Lor'! who minds what q
man says in his own. home, allowing he
gets it off in loving sort of way! I'm
foolish, out and out, so he needn't
a-minded me!
Now, hadn't always been the drag
| gled, crushed thing John found me; so
after 1 had got on friendly terms with
them four little cuddy rooms over the
junkshop, I bought me pot of daisies
and set it on the window sill, as eager
as child to see what John would say.
He didn't say anything; but the first I
nf h,s0l
terry and twisted daisy heads a~lying in
a muck on the ground. First I cried,
then I scolded; but, Lor'! John were
that used to women's carrying on, that
l might have saved my manners; but
it did just seem to me that he had SHE'D
that pot at my feelings, and couldn't
get over the hurt. You see handful
of daisies is no end of company for a
woman when she can take her eyes off
her lap OF sewing and think Of those
other daisies that used to grow in the
old garden at home!
Then thought it over, how being
a turnkey might harden mans up
per crust-just like you find snow
atop of the sweetest spring blossoms
in the woods. I couldn't help being
dead certain his heart was tender, be-
cause there was me for living proof,
seeing he had took me in my shame
to be his wife-and some folks can't
abide flowers; SO frightened up,
and, by-and-by-say week after
in comes Mrs. Dagger, mex door, and
gives ME canary in tin cage. First
we had tea and doughnuts, by way of
celebration; and then I swings him
in the window; and when Mrs. Bag
ger went home, blest if I didn't tuck
in and have another cry-joy, don't
you know! That night it turned out
that John hated birds worse than he
did flowers, and so Mrs. Dagger got
hers on her hands again, because my
husband made me understand with
out any fancy words that he had
Alright to his own way, and he was
bound to have it-and the Lord
knows he AWAY did!
''He gives me respectable home
instead Of stone walls and straw
shake down. says 1 to myself, land
I oughtn't to complain till get de-
cent cause to stand by" and so let
1t go.
I was so in love with them cuddy
rooms at first, that every penny I could
save from the weeks living used to &C
for some bright tritle that l hoped
would be pleasing to John. You see,
I've got kinder pretty hair, too, and
plenty of it; and come home any time
of night he would, he always caught il
as smooth as an eel and there would be
the supper sparkling with my bits Of
glass and china, and there was me, in
trig frock, ready and glad to be
happy, if only he would let me try.
But, some way. our path was all up
hill from the word go: and so, one day
I'D been married then the best par
of year, was sewing by the kitchen
fire, when all at once it struck me like
hammer that John was real ole
} man, and that was young enough te
be his grandchild!
I had been so grateful to him, so GLAD
to get away from the prison, that hac
clean forgot what a scrap of q girl
was, and John, in bis turn, had clear
forgot to remind me. So, when he tolc
, me that there was an honest home, ane
E good fire and plenty to eat, why, i
just seemed as if Heavens own doc
: was on the latch and l could see tn,
: blessed light through!
Johns wrinkles and shabby clothe
were beautiful in my eyes that nigh
when he took me into the Winter stree
,, and told me to watch while he gave tn
= other watch word-so beautiful that
had my eyes raised in gratitude to tn
big, yellow stars when he came bacl
4 and asked me, why hadn' t. run?''-
e as if I could a-deceived anybody tina
= trustful and true! ~
+ When once that notion run wild i,
I my head about how old John was, an,
), how cross in the bargain, sewed u
: one seam quiet, then l run a hem
t quiet, and after that /. got up and race
them rooms like mad. szs
4 | wasn't much credit to myself TO
the rest Of that day. and when twiligh
brought John home unexpected hi
Il usual hours running twenty minute
. | this side nf txva1va- -thera hf can chit =,
) crouched by the stove with the junk
6 shops black cat squeezed up in N