The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-04-04
MATS HUSBAND.

She doubtless had q woman's reason
for marrying him. That kind of reason
may not satisfy other people, but it is in
variably sufficient for the feminine rea-
soner.
Sam Toms was what is called t'wuth-
less by his Texan neighbors. Old Bill
Bum, his father-in-law, himself not a
very energetic or useful citizen, used to
SIT on the steps at the crossroads store
and publicly bewail his sad lot in having
Sam for a member of his family. Bill
had q dramatic style of delivery that
was very fetching, and invariably i'm
pressed strangers as being very much in
earnest.
He would sit ON the steps. silently
chewing an enormous mouthful of to-
bacco and apparently listening to the
conversation of his coloafers. If Sans
name was mentioned he would give vent
to four Or five little falsetto squeaks,
which found egress through his nose;
then he would draw in q long breath,
puff out his fat cheeks, purse his mouth,
and give a heavy, whistling sigh; this
would be followed by a large quantity
of tobacco juice, carefully aimed at
some object in the vicinity. These pre-
liminaries accomplished, Bill would rise
to his feet, thrust one fat, dirty hand
into his shirt front, wave the other in q
sweeping gesture as he lowered his eyes
and rolled his head sadly from side to
side, and deliver himself profoundly aft
er the following fashion:
"Ah-hum! That Sam Toms is tn
LATEST, mos shifless, emery, trifiin cuss
l ever sedan we're I've done got i'm
FIR a son-'n-lawr. Hm-hm-hm!' Another
whistling sigh would close this perora-
ton, and old Bill would resume his seat,
still shaking his head sorrowfully.
And Bill was more than half right.
Nominally Sam was a cowboy, but
most of the time he would tell you he
was 'ies' layin off aspell, t. rest up like"
He had always been just so-distin-
guished for laziness in an easy going
communicated nobody expected him
ever to be otherwise, and it puzzled peo-
pie immensely when energetic, capable
Matte Bum accepted him for s'reglar
comply" to say nothing of the sensa-
ton created by their wedding.
Mat, as has been suggested, probably
had some reason for marrying Sam, but
it is quite certain that she never told
any one what that reason was. Sam
was tall and big, and handsome in his
careless, slouchy way; he had always
managed, no one knew how, to wear
good clothes too. These facts and his
perennial good nature and friendly
ways were the only points in his favor.
Against him were the points SO forcibly
taken by his father-in-law, and also that
he got drunk whenever he could posi-
bly, do so. aud was morally so weak that
any one could easily lead him astray.
How Mat and Sam got along no one
hut Mat knew. Once in a great while
Sam would do some work and earn q
few dollars. Ii he got home with it
without stopping at the saloon, well and
good But ofteaer than not he would
.'drap in jes' t take a nip r two" and
that would settle it. AT such times he
would stay and buy drinks for every
body present while his money lasted.
Then he would come home in a maudlin,
fearful state Of intoxication, and invent
some tale to account for his condition
and the disappearance of his money,
winding up with the promise never to
let it happen again.
And Mat would pretend that she be-
lieyed him, and would stroke mis- curly
head until he fell asleep. Then she
would look at the handsome scamp for
O few minutes with love unutterable in
her eyes-the tired eyes back of which
were a world of unshed tears. But she
never complaiIed-not the first word
the firm set mouth and weary look
might indicate ever SO much, but hel
lips never expressed it. And Sam grad
aally grew more and more useless and
shiftless, trusting to his wife's ready wit
and fertility of resource to carry then
both over the bad places.
There were lots of bad places too
Twice Sam ran into debt several dollars
at the saloon and Mat found some means
to pay the debts-only herself knew
how. But the second time she informed
the saloon man that he must trust San
10 more. And, besides these things, ii
hfE~-hbW dtA t1Cg AO ts cObOay IoAAt
guess. Perhaps even Mat herself coult
aothave told, yet livethey did-or rattle
rxisted-and for the most part kept on
If debt.
Sam sometimes worked, but never fo
very long. He always found some.e
cuse for leaving a place within a fey
lays. He could almost always find an
Dther job easily enough, for he was al
excellent hand when he chose to be
but he did not hasten about finding
new job when he had given one up; no
until they were reduced to the very las
straits could Mat get him to huntin
work again.
One day Sam left home for O ranc
about t~hirty-ive miles distant, where b
had heard they wanted help. Two day
Observation-Disclosures no wor
came from him. Mat was net d littl
Worried, although Sam had often bee
away for two weeks at a time withor
sending word to her. But this time
was different; there was no excuse *