The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1888-05-25
My Brother First
Wife.

N~'@ 80 N|ANS OANAE
My Sister Agnes had made what
should call the great mistake Of mar,
rying a widower. Not that l had any
spite against grave, goodIooking Hen.
ry Mayne, yet he was not the sort o.
man that could ever bring myself to
Glove, honor and obey" if l were a
woman, even if he had never been
married before. He was always wont
to repeat the good qualities of his wife
when he used to come to our house,
before he vas my brother-in-law, and
Idon't know but thought, at that
time, that it was very c~ommendabIe
In him to pay such tribute to his de.
parted companion; but there came a
time when this constant allusion to
Maggie made me disgusted.
have often heard my father say
that it was never safe to marry a
widow unless her first husband had
been hung, and even then she was
liable to declare that hanging was
too good for number two; and to ef.
feet this remark, ! will add right here,
that in my humble opinion, it is never
well to marry a widower unless his
first wife has eloped with some other
man, and ven in that case, perhaps
number two would get informed that
the only thing lacking to cause her to
do likewise was a chance.
Henry Wayne was holding a pre-
.emption next TO our claim when we
first made his acquaintance, and
about all we knew Of him was that he
was an honest, industrious, prosper
Gus farmer, was a widoWer, with one
child who was staying with his mar.
ried sister in Chicago, till his younger
sister, Mamie, should finish her educa-
ton and come to keep house tor him,
and bring his little girl. He informed
us that Mamie had made her home
partly with him and partly with the
other sister since she was fifteen, at
which time they had been left orphans.
We had known Mr.. Mayne over a
year when it came time for him to
make final proof OF his claim. On a
presumption one a make proof at
any time, after living on it six
months, within thirty-three months.
DIR. Mayne had stayed the entire time,
but now that the limit was reached
he made his proof. / was seyer more
surprised in my life than when Agnes,
having followed me one morning when
I went out with the herd OF cattle, in
formed me that Henry was going tar.
Their west to take a homestead and
timber-claim and she was going to be
married to him and 90 with him. !
had no objection to the maa. but |
set before her the difficulties Ola step
mother. / consider the rearing of
other peoples children about as
thankless a task as anyone can un-
dertake.
'But someone must take care Of
her. and / don't know but / am as
capable OF doing so as anyone" urged
Agnes.
II lei for . moment doubted
that, my little sister. Yoa will be q
model step-mother, but the question
is, how about the child. Will she
prove a model step-daughter?D
Henry is good-natured, and he
always says his first wife was a saint"
replied Agnes meekly, $50 | think
the child ought to have a pleasant
disposition. Father and mother
think it will be a good match, and /
am twenty-five, you know"
Well to make a long story short,
they were married and went to Kan
sas to take more land. was twenty
one pretty soon alter, and as they
knew / Intended taking claims when
/ should have reached nv majority,
they wrote me to come there"
They bad been married six months
when | went. Henry had been after
little Becca instead OF waiting till
Mamie had graduated, as be at first
intended, and it was just as feared,
she was q little terror.
~ can't see where the child takes
that evil temper from,n said Henry,
q few minutes after I arrived, when
Becca threw herself on the floor and
kicked and screamed and then held
her breath until she was black III Che
facn because / would not allow her to
pound my watch with a hammer =.
am sure Agnes Will bear the out in
saying that I never display my tenn
per, and as for the child's mother
well, Maggie came the nearest being
an angel 81 any woman ! ever saw.
may say, she was the very best per-
o ! ever met.
glanced at Agnes. There was an
expression on her face which caused
me to believe she had heard Mag.
pie's praises sung often. but she look
ed very much embarrassed when she
saw how annoyed ] al at hearing
hes husband praise another TO the
disparaqement OF herself.
iii she WAS better than Agnes she
must have been sufficiently good not
to need masses safd .Su her soul ]
remarked, nettled
Henry glanced FIRST at me and then
at Agnes. ..I
~. WIS not making my comparison,
he said. probably observiAE that 4
p4s JEALOUS Tor my sisters even 4 she
fys not Tor herself.
At supper I praised agnes biscuits
They we're made oiaoug cream and