Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-01-29

couragin' for man to be dragged back
all the time by shiftless wife!'
A big round drop FLASHED down into
the frying-pan which Mrs. Sadley was
just preparing to receive sundry slices
of well-cured ham which she had been
cutting; she made no verbal reply, how
ever.
'Eh?" said the squire; "why don't
you say something? Sulking, s'pose,
as uSnal?"
At this poor Mrs. Sadley burst into
tears.
No. Titus" said she. II amt sulk-
ing. But l feel awful bad today, and
it don't take much to upset me. It's
all true what you say. l am n poor,
WORKOUT, feeble creature, and | don't
blame You for gettin' out of patience.
But if hadn't worked SO hard all these
years."
''Oh, YES, there's always some ex-
cuse," growled the squire; and taking
a stray sample number of a paper.
he went out to sit in the honcysuckle
shade.
Il can't stand that roasting fire."
said he.
Then" said Kitty, the enfant terri
bic. "how do you suppose mother likes
it?"
In m instant, however, her tickle,
childish attention was diverted.
Seer she cried; 'there come Cousin
Mary and Mr.. Dallas over the hill! Oh,
father, they're engaged. Did you know
it?"
Yes" absently answered the squire,
Intent on his paper.
Il was in the parlor that night; it
Numbered and rained so hard" said
Kitty, with a twinkling eye. land they
didn't know it. And heard them talk
ing to each other. And he called her
his darling love"
"Humph!' gruntcd the squire. IA
reg'lar case O spooning."
''And she said he was her dearest,
dearest one" added Kitty. the circum-
stantial.
Young foolsT" snapped Squire Sad
ley.
Father" said Kitty, leaning on his
shoulder-she was the only one in the
house who was not afraid of the stern
despot-'don't all lovers talk SOP"
They're fools for their pains if they
doP"
Didn't you love mother when she
was girl like Cousin Mary? Didn't
you say just such things to her?"
The squire moved uneasily in his
chair under the calm, searching light
of Marys eyes.
II might ha' DONE" he owned ut last.
Il s'pose I was just as great an idiot as
other folks be-
Il don't SEQ why people ever leave it
off, said Kitty abstractedly. WAS
mother pretty grip"
Don't talk nonsense" said the
squire, almost angriIy; and he got up
and walked around to the old wooden
bench beside the we'll curb.
Had Kitty's mother been q pretty
girl? Yes, that she had-rosc- checked
and limpid-cyed, with laugh sweet as
the note of thrush, and the lghtest
foot in a Virginia reel of any girl in
the neighborhood. Aud now, Il am a
poor WORKOUT. feeble creature" she
had said, in the faint, weary accents.
looking ut him out of the dim. faded
eyes; land don't blame YOU for get
ting out of patience" Yes; it was all
true. But what had wrought the
changer Whose fault was itP
Il don't know" said the squire, star
ing at heavens blue eye reflected far
down in the heart of the deep. cool
well. ''but 1 most think I've been too
hard on her. Now [ come to study on
it. I've had lots o hired help about the
farm. and she's done all the housework
herself. And she never was very strong!
Was she a pretty girl? There wasn't
none prettier in a radius o twenty
miles around Kingsley church. And
to look at her now!'
The squire got up and stamped un-
easily around the well.
'iye been brute" he muttered to
himself. Worse than dumb brute
for they ant supposed to know no
better. | don't know what I've been
thinkin' of all these years. Leave off
loving her? | han't never left it Off
| love her now. bless her faithful, pa
tent soul, rs we'll rs ever | did. only
I've fell into the way of bein' careless
and neglectful. But I'll turn over
new leaf this very day, see il / don't"
He kept his word.
Engaged. Mary? Is it really
settled thing?" said Mrs. Sadley. "Oh,
| hope you'll be happy. hope, after
twelve years of marriage. dear Mary,
you'll be rs happy as am now!"
Her eyes shOne; a faint color glOwed
on her ordinary pale checks. Mary
Sadiev looked at her in surprise.
Would you believe" went on the
squirc's wife. che has hired girl to
come here and do all the rough work
so as to spare me? And there is such
an easy. spring-upholstere sofa in the
hall i'll place of the lumpy old lounge,
and there's one of the hay-hands split
ting Il pile of wood to last from now to
Mi~bacImas. And we nre to keen
our wedding anniversary in real old
fashioned style next week, and Titus
las ordered n dress trimmed with white
ribbons. just like the one l was married
IN. He says shall look rs young and
pretty rs did then. Such nonsense,
you know! And yet it is nice of him
to say so-now, isn't itp
Aud Mrs. Sadley laughed through
her tears.
Poor soul! The sunshine had come
late in life. yet it filled her whole being
with blessedness.
I'm so glad!" said Mary. But you
deserve it all. Cousin Eunice."
And the newly belrothed lovers
whispered to each other that the mill
lennium must surely be at hand. For
what else could so have changed the
squire?
They did not stop to reflect that there
is truth in the old SAW: Good in all,
and none all good. "-Amy Randolph IN
n. !. Leader.