Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-06-28

sections of land living in sod houses
or even ''dug-outs." sometimes. with
dirt roofs and dirt iloors-buiidings
which eastern farmers would not con-
slider tit to winter stock in. This being
the usual style of living among the
pioneers OF Nebraska, of course when
Mrs. Ashley took a claim and fixed il
up so much better than the surround
ing ones. it was no wonder that she
was ut once set apart by her neighbors
as be ng TOO ne-haired for any
thing
Perhaps it was owing to this, or, 1t
ma have been because she never en-
Outraged familiarity with her neigh
b0rs. that she had lot Il single intimate
acquaintance among them, after living
ia the vicinity over five years. She
had made proof on Il presumption ut
the end of the first six months of her
residence there and had immed iately
placed a homestead filing on Il quarter
section adjacent to her tree-claim.
That she had considerable stock and
was making money was all any of her
neighbors knew of her. Even the
people whom she hired to do her work
knew nothing more, except that she
was never backward or afraid of put
ting her own shoulder TO the wheel
when work was pressing.
She had a boy, twelve years of age
at the time of which we write, and II
girl three years younger. To any in
quiries concerning her husband, she jG-
variably replied:
IL lost him many years ago"
One hired girl, more daring than the
rest, ventured to continue the subject
in spite of her mistresss's forbidding
looks when the matter was alluded to,
by inquiring:
wv hat allied himP"
Heart disease" replied the lady,
while Il grim smile rested on her face,
as she vent outside and closed the door
to end the conversation.
Sine was q handsome woman not
" thirty-one or two years of age,
and several of the bachelors of the
vicinity had made advances with Il view
to matrimony, all OF which were po-
litely. but firmly. repulsed. She always
declared she was opposed to second
marriages. The truth of the matter
was that, owing 10 a sad experience.
she did not have much faith IN men,
or in marriage of any kind whether
second or first.
She had passed her girlhood in a
country village in the vicinity OF Chill
licOthe, Ohio. and at seventeen had
become engaged to Ashley Winthrop,
u rising young lawyer of that city. Her
acquaintances thought she had mar
ried extremely well-but she hadn't.
She had become acquainted with Young
Winthrop while he was r%usticatlng in
the village. She, being the belle there,
he engaged her in what he at first in
tended 10 be q flirtat on but before he
knew it he was more interested in her
than he had intended. and when It
came time to leave. some 'war It was
so easy to ask permission TO come back
for her sometime. She seemed TO look
and long for some such proposal, too,
and he could not but acknowledge to
himself tina she had a right To do so,
after their intimacy. Yet he had nev-
er meant things TO go so far, and knew
that it was not for the best. She was
too thoroughly II country girl to bear
transplanting to the city. She was not
the sort of woman he had always look
Ell forward TO marrying. vet so proud
was he of what he termed his ~''honor."
that. calling as the bondage would be
to him, he would not make 4 clean
breast of it, and end matters between
them. So they were married and went
to Chillicothe TO live. III her unassum-
ing, country ways annoyed him be-
fore, when there was NO one but him.
self to note them, how much moro so
now that all his friends could witness
Vl.a., GIa 49,. A AI-a -. H.
band was ashamed of her. and this
made matters even worse. for she tried
to please him by affecting the fine lady,
and made "A miserable failure of it.
To a man Of domestic tastes only she
would have proven a treasure. Her
house was the best ordered. and her
table afforded dainties unsurpassed.
But her husband overlooked her vir-
tues, entirely. in contemplating what
he considered her Deficiencies. He
avoided taking her out with him when
ever it was possible. and made both
himself and hi wife miserable.
When they were married five years,
MIR. Winthrop was elected to the legis-
lature, and, of course. never offered to
take his wife to Columbus with him
when lie went, which was = bad move
for both. Having no n to look after,
and no one TO look after him. he had
too much time for getting into mischief.
At the same hotel az which ho vas
stopping a senator from Il northern dis
trict was also boarding. accompanied
by his daughter.
1t is hardly likely that a man so te-
nacious of his honor that he would full
Till a distasteful contract of marriage
for its sake, would wilfully withhold
the fact of his marriage and enter into
a filtration; so. perhaps. the opportuni-
ty for disclosing the fact never present.
ed itself. However that may have
been, certa II it is that Ashley Win
throp soon began 10 seek the society of
Senator Seely's daughter. Louise. and
acknowledge to himself that, if he we're
only free. here was the woman he
would choose for a wife.
And the grip Why. she was flat
tered by the evident interest and adj
miration of the bright young member
from C%hillicothe; enjoyed his society at
EroN onH 1aAar nn-,vl.v, mill 1900. H.