Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-08-22
LOVE In A LOG CABIN.

Ruth DelanO gaZed about her with
mingled feeling of wonder, Joy and
disappointment. Three thousand
miles had she travelled across the con-
tinent to reach the home her husband
had prepared for her, and this was
what she found:
A lonely ranch among the foothills
In Southern California, with a plain
log cabin for a home. Not a Vestige
of plant or flower around it, not
suggestion of comfort or beauty within
it, hills stretching brown and bare
under the July sun, and not a shade
tree in sight.
"One might know there never had
been a woman near this 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, comforta-
BILE things, and surrounded with
fiower-gardens and orchards, and
where every nook and corner suggested
the deft hands and delicate hands of
women. She felt her very heart sink
ing 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 90;
and whittier thou lodgest l will 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
home? And had not every foot of the
way been Joy to think she was once
more with him and that they were to
have n home?
She stroked the hand of her hus-
band, who held their little Ruthie in
his arms, smiling through her tears.
Il know. dear, it is a new country"
she said cheerfully, land you have
done the best you could"
Is was the truely 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 a
little 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 up
on it, the kitchen was full of contriv-
ances 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 Tor future work. 1t was
just at sunset, and as Ruth sat placidly
looking at the view in front of her
which, after all, was fine one, taking
in glimpse of the blue Pacific, and a
background of purple mountains-she
began to lose the undertone of home
sickness which had so married her
homecoming. She thought how
beautiful home might really be under
the shadow of the lifted pines and
she resolved with Johns help she
sould 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 in her lap.
There, Ruth" he said, ''you can't
guess what these are, can you?"
Il am afraid not" Ruth said, eye
ing the mysterious looking packages
wonderingly.
"Well, you know the house isn't
very beautiful vet" John said, his
good face fairly shining with the lit
tie 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 mean? Ruth took up
Enn+ h,,t I.
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 vegetables we
need, and our garden will rival de ar
mothers at home"
Yes" John replied, "And 60 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
along among that collection of seeds. -
'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 cease?r
she exclaimed the next moment, as she
poured whole bag of silver into her
lap. "And what is this for?"
ITO buy your parlor furniture" he
replied. laughing at her amazement.
s.Honest?n She looked at him, her
brown eyes sparkling.
at is for Mrs. Delano to do with as
she pieases,' 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 than /; SO
there's the money. Buy what you
please and fix up the place to suit your.
SELF
'Well, 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 home.
sick again?
And that night. instead of crying
herself to sleep, as she had thought
that afternoon to do, she lay awake
from very JOY, thinking of the pretty
things she could buy and make for the
cabin, and imagining how picturesque
it would look covered with Lady
Banks roses, and how sweet the violet
beds would be in the Spring time.
And so the very next day she set the
hired man to work laying off a garden,