The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-07-26
SELECTED STORY.
Love In a Cabin.


appointment. Three thousand miles
had she travelled across the continent
to reach the home her husband had
prepared for her, and this is what she
found
A lonely ranch among the foothills
in southern California, with plain log
cabin for home. Not vestige of
plant or flower around it, hills stretch
ing brown and bare under the July sun
and not a shade tree in sight.
Gone might know there never had
been woman near this place." said
Ruth, her eyes slowly filling with tears.
1t seemed so comfortless and barren
after leaving her mothers old fashioned
farmhouse in Maine, full to overlooking
with inviting, comfortable things, and
surrounded with flower gardens and
orchards, and where every nook and
corner suggested the deft hands of
woman. She felt her very heart sink
ing within her.
Then, seeing the eyes of her husband
fixed upon her, she forced back the
tears.
Had she not said, like Ruth of old,
Whittier thou goest | will go, and
whittier thou lodgest l will lodge?"
Would any place, no matter how full
of comfort it might be, ever be home
without him? Had she and her baby
Ruth not wept tears of joy when the
letter came telling them that papa was
coming from California to take them
home? And had not every foot of the
way been Joy to think he was once
more with them and that they were to
have home?
She stroked the hand of her husband,
who held their little Ruthie in his arms,
smiling through her tears.
"I know, dear, it is new country"
she said cheerfully, "and you have
done the best you could"
1t was the truly wifely spirit, and in
his heart he blessed the true woman
who said it.
Gail the ranches look kind of DESC
late" he said, I" where there's no one
but men about, but now we've got a
little woman here things will soon be
looking different"
Inside of the house she found every
thing neat at least, and that was a great
comfort to her, and if the parlor was
barren looking with no carpet upon it
the kitchen was full of contrivances
which women like, and she knew that
John had thought Of them for her.
After supper they sat down on the
little porch in front of the cabin to talk
of plans for future work. 1t was just at
sunset, and as Ruth sat placidly looking
at the view in front of her, which, after
all, was fine one, taking in glimpse
of the blue Pacific and background of
purple mountains, she BEGAN to lose the
undertone of homesickness which had
so marred her homecoming. She
thought how beautiful home might
really be under the shadow of the lifted
pines, and she resolved, with Johns
help, she could make hers one to be
proud of. AS if in answer to her
thought, John went into the house and
returned in a moment laden with two
parcels, which he dropped into her lap
There, Ruth" he said, You can't
guess what these are, can you?"
s. am afraid not" Ruth said, cycling
the mysterious looking packages won
deringly.
swell, you know the house isn't
very beautiful yet" said John, his good
face fairly shining with the little secret
he had in store for her. " But / guess
you'll find something in each of these
parcels that will help you beautify it,
What could he mean? Ruth took uE
the lighter but larger one first. To hel
surprise it was full of garden seeds
small packages of every kind, almost
she could think of.
Well, how lovely!" she said "Now
we shall raise all the vegetables We
need, and our garden will rival deal
mothers at home"
fEVpa ~ Jnhp plia6 &C opd oo ohao r
of it, for California beats the world fol-
flowers, and Your garden will be just a,
lovely in winter as in summer. There
are twenty varieties of roses alone
among that collection of seeds"
Isn't it wonderful to think oi?'
cried Ruth, as delighted as child ovel
her treasures. "And what can be il
here?" she continued as she opened
the second parcel. "Wonders will
never cease" she exclaimed the mex
moment as he poured whole bag o
silver into her lap. "And what is thi
for?'
''To buy your parlor furniture" h,
replied, laughing at Ter amazement.
"Honest?" She looked at him, be
brown eyes sparkling.
g 1t is for NJ S. Delano to do with a
she pleases," he said. 81 have savet
the money to furnish the cabin will
and thought to have fixed it up befor
you came, but concluded on secon'
thought that you could do better thai
L; so there's the money. Buy wha
you please and fix up the place to sui
yourself"
"Well, if you amt the best John il
the whole country" Ruth said, almos
laughing and crying in the same breath
How could she ever be homesck again
And that night, instead of cryins
herself to sleep as she had thought tina
afternoon to do, she lay awake from
very joy, thinking of the pretty thing
she could buy and make for the cabin
and, imagining how picturesque i
would look covered. with Lady Ban
roses, and how sweet the violet bed
would be in the springtime.
And so the very next day she set tn
hired man to work laying off garden
and all that week and the next sh
spent her spare time in digging AM