Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1891-02-26

mo. Titus" said she. II ant sulll
ing. But feel awful bad today, an
1T don't take much to upset me. IT.
all true what you say. / am poor
WORKOUT, feeble creature, and | dom
blame you for gettin' out of patience
But if | hadn't worked so hard all thes
years"
''Oh, yes, there's always some ex
cuse." growled the squire; and taking
a stray sample numOer" OF q paper
he went out to sit in tho honeysuckle
shade.
Il can't stand that roasting fire, y
said he.
Then" said Kitty. the enfant terri.
bic. "how do you suppose mother likes
it?"
In an instant, however, her tickle,
! childish attention was diverted.
See" she cried; there come Cousin
! Mary and Mr.. Dallas over the hill! Oh,
father, they're engaged. Did you know
| itPn
Yes" absenlly answered the squire,
intent on his paper.
IL was in the parlor that night; it
Numbered and raincd so hard" said
didn't know it. Aud | heard them talk
ing to each other And he called her
his darling love-"
'Humph!' gruntcd the squire. "a
reg lar case o spooning."
''And she said he was her dearest.
dearest one" added Kitty, the circum-
stantial.
Young fools!' snapped Squire Sad
ley.
Father" said Kitty. leaning on his
shouldcr-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
do?'
Didn't you love mother when she
WAS a 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 Mary's eyes.
Il might ha' done" he owned at last.
Il s'pose was just as great an idiot as
other folks be-"
Il don't see why people ever leave it
Off" said Kitty abstractedly. WAS
mother a pretty grip"
Don't talk nonsense" said the
squire, almost angrily; and he got up
and walked around to the old wooden
bench beside the well curb.
Had Kitty's mother been pretty
girl? Yes. that she had-rosc- checked
and limpid-eycd, with laugh sweet rs
the note of n thrush, and the lightcst
foot in 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 at him out of the dim, faded
eyes; "and l don't blame you for get
ting out of patience" Yes; it WAS all
true. But what had wrought the
change? Whose fault was it?
Il don't know said the squire. star
ing az heavens blue eye reflected far
down in the heart OF the deep. cool
well, "but | 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 homework
herself. And she never was very strong!
Was she a pretty grip 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 I'M
easily around the well.
I've been brute!' he muttered TO
himself. Worse than dumb brute
for they au't 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
tient soul, us well rs ever / did only
Eve fell into the way of bein' careless
and neglectful. But I'll turn over
new leaf this very day, see if | don't"
He kept his word.
Engaged. Mary? Is Il really
settled thfng?" said Mrs. Sadley. "Oh,
| hope you'll be happy. | hope, after
twelve years of marriage, dear Mary,
you'll be as happy as | am now!"
Her eyes shone; faint color glowed
on her ordinary pale cheeks Mary
Sadley looked at her in surprise.
Would you believe, u went on the
squire's wife. The has hired girl to
come here and do all the rough work
so as to spare me? And there is such
an easy. spr:ng-up upholstered sofa in the
hall in place of the lumpy old lounge,
and there's one of the Highlands split
ting pile OF wood to last from now to
MichaelmaS. Aud we are to keen
our wcddiny anniversary in real old
fashioned style next week, and Titus
has ordered dress trimmed with white
ribbons. just like the one was married
in. He says shall look as young and
pretty as | did then. Such nonsense,
you know! And yet it is nice OF him
TO say so-now, isn't it?
Aud Mrs. SadIey laughed through
her tears.
Poor soul! The sunshine had come
late in life, yet it filled her whole being
with blessedlcss.
I'm so glad!' said Mary. But you
deserve it all, Cousin Euncc."
And the newly betrothcd 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 Ia
". y Ledder
Longstrect and the Scots.