The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-04-18


:. Il wonder who'll 70 next.'
''How many still remain" said ono
Who spake with kind intent
While on the poor boys troubled face
A plying look he bent.
The well-worn cap was pulled to hide
face twas sad to see
On one so young. checking his sobs.
He said: There's only me-
-Mrs.C. II. N. Thomas, in Good Housek eeping
A GLACIAL PERIOD.
Which Il Followed by q Decided
and Satisfactory Thaw.
Here / am, mother. found all
the doors open, SO walked straight up
to my old room. A fellow doesn't
stand on ceremony when he hasn't
seen his maternal relative for year.
Here's your boy, mother"
Ralph Wakefield threw his valise in
corner, and walked quickly toward
IN elderly woman who was standing
just inside the door OF pretty ''mid-
die chamber"
Ralph Wakefield! How you do
like to surprise folks. Two days soon
err than you promised! Well, we'll!
Now your pa sciH be set up"
just this, and hearty handshake.
Nothing more. Doubtless. Mother
Wakefield's heart would have thrilled
with q new joy had she fallen on the
neck Of that handsome. manly SON.
and covered his face with kisses; but
then-she would have thought the act
rather silly" On Ralph's part, had
such salute been offered, he would
have returned it with interest; but
there would have crossed his mind a
dim suspicion that mother was be-
ginning to fail -
They lived in Connecticut
Pas in the field. and Ruth is woods
ing somewhere. You are going to
have the spare room and be made COM
pany OF. Ruth has taken yours"
'.Who, pray. Is Ruth?'
Ruth Wise. I wrote you about
her."
$50 you did. mother, SO you did.
But | thought the visit would be
ended before | came. An overworked
school-teacher, the daughter Of an old
girl-friend Of yours; come here for
rest and change. wish she hadn't!
Mother, I'm disappointed; I'm vexcd.
feel frustrated. I've worked hard
over those old law-books in the dingy
city for more than year, without
play day; and now that I'm fairly
inside the bar, and tirst-class part
nership awaiting me in September. !
wanted to have the strain let up on
me entirely. wanted you and father
and the old farm all to myself this
vacation"
She'll not be in your way, Ralph.
She almost lives out O. doors"
But why did you give her my
room?'
Because she said the spare room
was too nice to dry ferns in, and to
keep MOSES and rocks and toad-stools
in. Fungi, she calls them. So gave
her your old quarters, that are used
to such things. Take peep at her
books. She thinks the world and all
Of them few books"
ID Mother Wakefield, what have
you done?'
Ralph, whose innate sense Of pro.
priety had restrained his eyes from
wandering about the room no longer
his own, now allowed them to rove
over the titles Of the volumes neatly
arranged in the small bookcase.
Something between a sigh and q
whistle was his first comment
Climatic Theories! Buckle, Mill,
Rerne Scientifque,' Deep Sea Eek
plorations,' 'Spenser on the Uncondi.
toned Darwin's Expression in Ami
mails Great Egypt, what list! Wise
by name and wise by nature. per-
ccive. Mother, one thing is settled;
shan't like her.
Nonsense, Ralph! You read al
these things; why shouldn't she?"
NO reason, of course. Only dom
prefer masculine tastes in woman.
''Shc's no masculine tastes, Ralph
She's bright and capable, and full o
fun. And she's as handy to help il
the kitchen as if she'd always lived o.
farm. And she likes to talk abou
dress as well as any girl"
Talk! Oh, you haven't heard he
talk yet. Science is her vocation. an
metaphysics her recreation. Philology
cthnology and the cosmos for break
fast; prehistoric man for dinner, an
the survival of the fittest for suppel
Mother, wanted q good time.
wanted to work with father ID the ha,
field, and to eat my dinner without
coat, il felt like it. l wanted to es
pie between meals sometimes, and |
60 to sleep afternoons on the loung,
think I'll spend most OF my time
the barn: take my meals on the bac
porch; baked apples and. milk, beam
any thing you may have to spare.
cant face young lady who prefer
cave-dwellers to ordinary people, IN
who will look q whole Glacial Perio
at me across the table,"
Ralph. you ought to have mol
sense than to talk SO. Folks migl
think you were afraid her learnil
would put yours in the shade" SUI
gested Ralph's mother, wicked,
Then she reminded him that it WI
two hours yet till tea-time, and tn,
there was a berry pie cut in the pa
try, along with some nice root-bes
made by Ruth's own hands.
"Root-beer! All, Sanscrit roots,
suppose"
..Try it. You'll taste dandelio
and burdock plain enough, I'll wa
rant" They went downstairs 4