Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1891-04-25
QUITE A ROMANCE.

SninS before a glowing WOOD IRE III
his cosy little sitting-room, with a
smile of satisfaction on bis round
ruddy face. The flames leaped and
roared up the wide mouthed chimney
sending back a cheering warmth
which, although the spring was well
advanced, gave an air of comfort to
the otherwise chilly apartment. He
was just beginning to realize what
real comfort was like and now that
he had found it was enjoying it TO
his hearts content.
The fact of the matter was that all
his life, or at least as much of it as
he could remember, had been tor
tured with housekeepers; and not
until meek and modest Amanda
Brown had become an inmate of his
home had he known resting place
for the sole of his foot
One had been independent and
high strung and would not allow him
the slightest authority in his own es-
| Enlistment.
| Another had been caught carrying
away sundry packages of tea, coffee
and sugar to her friends to say moth
ing of the homespun table linen and
other articles of domestic value
which she had boldly pilfered before
| making her exit.
And still another whose habits
were so untidy that the whole house
looked like a curiosity shop before
she had been one week under its roof,
and the meals which she set upon
the table were nauseating in the ex-
IRENE, and as indigestlble as a rub
Der shoe.
But now there was most decided
change. From garnet to cellar the
old farm house had been thoroughly
cleaned and renovated, and as Far
mer Talbut said: at shone like q
new PIN"
The house had not been torn up
and its contents tossed about for
days, after the usual style of house
keeping, but in a quiet, undemon-
strative way things had been
Strengthened, cleaned and put to
rights until the old place looked as
it had never looked before, and a
sense of ease and comfort pervaded
the whole atmosphere
And for once in his life Farmer
Talbut was happy; his slippers were
in place beside the hearth. his meals
were ready the moment he reached
the house, and so deliciously cooked
that he had gained a number of
pounds in weight since the advent of
his new housekeeper.
Amanda Brown was plump, rosy
checked maiden of forty summers,
modest and quiet in her way, neat
and tidy and most delightful cook,
and she soon contentedly realized
that no one could do better Justice
to her splendid dinners than Far
mer Talbut lie we'll knew that he
had secured prize in the way of
housekeeper and he intended to keep
her, if kind treatment made her will
ing to remain.
Macy a mans heart has been
reached through his stomach, and
Farmer Talbut's heart was In warm
sympathy with his organs of diges-
ton. He was a bachelor, and it was
his intention to remain so to the end
of the chapter. His experience in
the housekeeping line had convinced
him what life would be if he we're
tied down to woman forever, and
he had made up his mind long ere
this that nothing in petticoats could
ever domineer over him so long as
he was in his right mind.
He was about fifty years of age
and possessed enough of this world
good to keep him comfortable for
life.
But 1t should here be mentioned
that aside from his aversion to the
fair sex he was kind hearted and
pleasantly disposed man.
However, after Miss Amanda
Brown appeared upon the scene, his
feeling soon underwent a decided
change.
Perhaps, after all, he thought, ao-
men were not alike; at least Amanda
was widely different from most of his
experience; and somehow she had a
knack of making everybody around
her so comfortable.
One afternoon Farmer Talbut came
rushing to the door, and in an excit-
ed voice, called to his housekeeper
MANDY ! Mandy The pigs are
in the clover, and there isn't man