The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1891-11-27
A wIFE'S TRIUMPH.

wheeled chair in the sunshine. Il dldn
knows he had no such idea in his head.
But everything happens for the best,
and the old place is clean run down for
want of a nice stirrin' housekeeper.
Berenice Stubs charges dollar and a
half a week and wants the washin' put
out at that. Things didn't go in this
ERE way in the life time of my second
departed-no, nor yet while my first was
livin'. I'm willin' now to confess that
was sort o. turnin' over in my mind the
idee of askin' Pantheon Jones' wilder if
she'd any objections to share my solitary
lot; but this marriage O. Joe's puts
things in a different light. | wasn't sar-
tin but what he was goin' to be an old
bachelor. | do hope his new helpmate
can make riz bread and flaming cakes,
and soft soap. Berenice Stubs never
made soft soap. She was fairly ruinin'
me with bar soap boughten at the store.
And there's all my two deceased pard-
ners' calico gowns upstairs in the blue
paper trunk, waitin' to be made patch
work of. Of course she'll be handy with
the needle, or Joe wouldn't hev selected
her."
And Mr.. Ailesbury chuckled at the
prospect of the good time coming"
SIS this my new home, Joe?"
De- The bride stood in the clean secured
whitewashed kitchen, looking around in
a bewildered sort of way. She was
slight and small, with large gray-blue
eyes and delicate complexion. Her
travelling dress was of the softest pearl
gray, and she wore dainty fitting gray
kid gloves, and boots so tiny that it al
most seemed as if the grass of the door
yard, like the harebells of Sir Walter
ll,,, LA
from her tread" Her stalwart husband,
standing beside her, looked down with
beaming pride on her miniature beauty.
'Why, yes, pet" he said. Isn't it
like what you had fancied?" ,-
The bride laughed Historically.
Not in the least" she said. "But
dare say was absurdly fanciful."
II guess" said old Mr.. Ailesbury,
that Mrs. Joe had better change that
flincky dress for something palmer, and
help Berenice Stubs with the supper.
Berenice is sort O. plagued with the neu-
ralgy to-day"
''She's too tired to do much tonight,
father" said Joe.
"Tired What's she done? don't
call it hard work to 60 ridin' in the rail
road cars. Do you?"
Berenice Stubs, hard featured fe-
male, with a waist like the town pump,
and sharp twinkling eyes, matched with
sparse white laShes, regarded Mrs. Jo-
seph Ailesbury with scant favor.
Don't look a bit as if she could worry
through days wash" she said.
"These small folks is powerful wiry
sometimes" said the elder Ailesbury.
MY first dear deceased wasn't no taller
than Mrs. JOe-but my, what hand she
was to turn off work.
When Mrs. Joe came in from the gar
den after tea with a bunch of clover
pinks in her hand, her father-in-law was
ready to accOst her.
Now YOU'RE here, Mrs Joe," said he,
ito sort o see to things. I've told Bere-
nice Stubs she can go home for half
week, and I'm curious to find out what
sort of housekeeper you'll make"
Mrs. Joe looked helplessly at her hus-
band.
81 dare say she'll turn out a capital
housekeeper, father" said he. But
you won't find out about it at present.
I'm going to take her to Welland Falls to
see Cousin Simeon Ailesbury. Her
mother used to know Cousin Simeon
years ago."
"What, all that way?' croaked the
farmer.
Joe nodded.
"Travelling's dreadful expensive"
well, it does cost something" admit
ted Joe.
"And you'll have to stop overnight at
some tavern"
"Yes.n
at seems to me-" growled the old
man, that all this is Senseless waste of
money. You'd both of you great bet
ter settle down and go to work. didn't
90 incoming round the country when l
married my dear deceased first, nor my
dear deceased second. Life is made for
work, not for play"
"Time enough for that, father said
the reckless Joe. "A man doesn't get
married-ordinarily, oftener than once in
lifetime"
Mrs. Joe drew long breath of relief
when she found herself out from under
the farmhouse roof.
Joe" said she, I'm afraid L m going
to be an awful disappointment to your
father"
'As long as your not disappointment
to me-" he retorted, laughing. ut does
not so much signify"
"There must be a deal of work in that
house-four cows, a hundred turkeys,
flock of sheep, a poultry yard full of
Leghorn fowls, butter eggs, cooking,
washing, baking, scrubbing-"
'How do you know all this?" asked
he.
miss Stubs told me. Oh, Joe! why
didn't you marry Berenice Stubbs?"
Look in the glass, little girl, if you
want the question answered"
But | am so useless. You should
have seen Miss Stubs look at me when
| said | didn't know how to make bread,
and that had never done a washing in
my life
you'll easily learn, Ellie"
''Do you think ] shall Joe?" A little
cloud, mo bigger than mans hand"
came over the pearly frankness of her
brow. Did your mother wash and bake
and brew?"
PRESUMABLY she did. But don't re-
member her; she died young
WAS she your fathers first dear de-
ceased?'
Joe nodded.
"What was the other one like?r
Tall and pale with cough, and a
habit of taking wintergreen-scented
snuff"
Would you like me to take to winter
green snuff" she querried.
He laughed.
1T hardly seems, dear, as if you could
belong to the same race as those two
poor, pale drudging women" said he.
do all farmers wives die early, Joe?"
Joe did not answer. He was unfold
ing the paper to read the latest news by
telegraph
Cousin Simeon Ailesbury was the vii