Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-06-27
RUTH.
"And this is home!"


mingled feeling of wonder, JOY and dis
appointment. Three thousand miles
had she travelled across the continent
to reach the home her husband had pre-
pared for her, and this was what sho
found: A lonely ranch among the foot
hills of Southern California, with q
plain log cabin for home. Not a
vestige of plant or flower around it,
not suggestion of comfort or beauty
within it, the hills stretching brown
and bare under the July sun, and not a
shade tree in sight.
Zone might know there had never
been woman near the place." sighed
Ruth, her eyes slowly filling with tears.
1t seemed so comfortless and barren
after leaving her mothers old-fashioned
farmhouse in Maine, full to overlooking
with inviting, comfortable things, and
surrounded with flower gardens and
orchards, and where every nook and
corner suggested the deft hands and
delicate fancies of women. She felt
her very heart sink 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 l will go; and
whittier thou lodgest Twill lodge?
Would any place, no matter how full
OF comfort it might be, ever 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 home?
She stroked the hand Of her husband,
who held their little Ruthie in his
arms, smiling through her tears.
II know, dear, it Is new country"
she said cheerfully, land you have
done the best you could"
1t was the true wifely spirit, and in
his heart he blessed the true woman
who said it.
"All the ranches look kind OF desc
late" he said. "when there's no one
but men about; but now we've got II
little woman here, things will soon be
looking different.
Inside of the house she found every
thing neat, at least, and that was n
great comfort to her, and if the parlor
was barren looking with no carpet
upon it, the kitchen was full of con-
trivances which women like, and she
knew that John had thought of them
for her.
After supper they sat down on the
little porch in front of the cabin TO talk
of plans for future work. 1t was just
at sunset. and as Ruth sat placidly look
ing at the view in front of her-which,
after all, was q fine one, taking in
glimpse OF the blue Pacific, and back
ground of purple mountains-she be-
gan to lose that undertone of home
sickness which had so married her
homecoming. She thought how beau
tiful home might really be under the
shadow of the lifted peaks, and she re-
solved 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 aud returned in q mo-
ment laden with two parcels which he
dropped into her lap.
There, Ruth" he said, ''you can't
guess what those are, can you?n
II am afraid not" Ruth said, eying
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 guess you'll
find something in each of those parcels
that will help you beautify it..
What could he meanp Ruth took up
the lighter but larger one first. To her
surprise it was full of garden seeds,
small packages Of every kind almost
she could think of.
"Well, how lovely!" she said. Now
we shall raise all the vegetable we
need, and our garden will rival dear
mothers at home"
yes" John replied "and go ahead
Of it; for California beats the world
for flowers, 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. I"
"Isn't it wonderful to think OFF"
cried Ruth. as delighted as child
over her treasures. "And what can
be in here?" she continued, as she
opened the second parcel. "Wonders
will never ccasew she exclaimed the
next moment, as she poured n whole
bag of silver into her lap. "And what
Is this for?
ITO buy your parlor furniture, he
replied, laughing at her amazement.
Honest" She looked at him, her
brown eyes sparkling.
at is for Mrs. Delano to do with as
she pleases," he said. II 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 than l; so
there's the money. Buy what you
please and fix up the place to suit
yourself"
"Weii II you ain't the best John in
the whole country" Ruth said, almost
laughing and crying in the same
breath. How could she ever be home
sick again.
And ttGt night, instead OF crying
herself to sleep as she thought that
afternoon TO do. she lay awake from