Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-05-01
From the Pacific Rural Press.
RUTH.
this is home I"

Ruth Delano gazed about her with q
mingled feeling of wonder, Joy and dis
appointment. Three thousand miles
had she travelled across the continent
to reach the home her husband had
prepared for her, and this was what she
found.
A lonely ranch among the foothills oil
Southern California, with a plain log
cabin tor a home. Not a vestage of a
plant OF flower around it, not a sugges.
ton OF comfort or beauty within it, the
hills stretching brown and bare under
the July sun, and not a shade tree in
sight.
lone might know there had never
been a woman les this place." sighed
Ruth, her eyes slowly filling with tears.
1t seemed so comfortless and barren af-
ter leaving her mothers old-fashioned
farmhouse in Maine, full to overflow
ing with inviting, comfortable things,
and surrounded with hower-gardens
and orchards, and where every nook
and corner suggested the def hands
and delicate fancies of women. She
felt her very heart sinking within her.
Then, seeing the eyes of her husband
fixed upon her, she forced back the
tears.
Had she not said, like the Ruth of old,
WHITTIER thou goest, | will go; and
whittier thou lodgest / will lodge ?"
Would any place, no matter how full
of comfort it might be, eve be home
without him? Had she and her baby
Ruth not wept tears of joy when the
letter came telling them that papa was
coming from California to take them
home? and had not every foot of the
way been a Joy to think she was once
more with him and that they were to
have q home?
She stroked the hand of her husband,
who held their little Ruthie in his arms.
smiling through her tears.
q know, dear. 1t is a new country"
she said cheerfully, "and you have
done the best you could"
1t Was the true wifely spirit, and in
his heart be blessed the true woman
who said it.
Cali the ranches look kind of DESC
late" he said, 'sWhen there's no one
but men about; but now we've got a lit
tie woman here, things will soon be
looking different"
Inside Of the house she found every
thing neat, at least, and that was a great
comfort to her, and if the parlor was
barren looking with no carpet upon it,
the kitchen vas full of contrivances
which women like, and she knew that
John had thought of them for her.
After supper they sat down on the lit
tie porch in front of the cabin to talk
the plans of future work. 1t was Just at
sunset, and as Ruth sat placedly look
ing at the view in front of her-which.
after all, was a fine one, taking in a
glimpse of the blue Pacific, and a back
ground of purple mountains-she began
to lose that undertone of homesickness
which had so married her home-com-
ing. She thought how beautiful a home
might really be under the shadow of the
lifted peaks, and she resolved that with
Johns help she would make hers one
to be proud of. AS if in answer to her
thought, John went into the house and
returned In a moment laden with two
parcels which he dropped into her lap.
There, Ruth" he said, "you can't
guess what those are, can you?"
81 am afraid not" Ruth said, ewing
the mysterious-looking packages won
deringly.
"Well, you know the house isn't very
beautiful yet" John said, his good face
fairly shining with the little secret he
had In store for her; "but I guess you'll
find something in each of those parcels
to help you beautify it."
What could he mean? Ruth took I'D
the lighter but larger one first. To her
surprise it was tull of garden seeds,
small packages Of every kind almost she
could think Of.
"Well, how lovely" she said. "Now
we sail raise ali the vegetables we need,
and our garden will rival dear mothers
at home"
Eyes" John replied, "and go ahead
oft. for California beats the world for
blowers, and your garden will be just as
lovely In winter as in summer There
are twenty varieties of roses alone
among that collection Of seeds"
Isn't it wonderful to think of ?" cried
Ruth, as delighted as a child over her
treasures. "And what can the second
opened the second parcel. "Wonders
will never cease % she exclaimed the
next moment, as she poured a whole
bag of silver into her lap. And what
Is this for?"
''To buy your parlor furniture" he
replied, laughing at her amazement.
Honest p She looked at him. her
brown eyes sparkling.
cit is for Mrs. Dalano to do with as
she pleases," he said. 81 saved the
money to furnish the cabin with, and
thought to have it fixed up before you
came, but concluded on second thought
that you could do better han
I; so there's the money. Buy what you
please and fix up the place to suit your
self"
"WelI, if you amt the best John in
the whole country" Ruth said, almost
laughing and crying in the same breath.
How could she ever be homesick again ?
And that night. instead of crying her
self to sleep as she thought that after
noon to do, she lay awake from very
JOY, thinking OF the pretty things she
could buy and make Tor the cabin, and
Imagining how picturesque it would
look covered with Lady Banks roses,
and how sweet the violet beds would
9,a in the s~prinOtjnp.