The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-03-09
MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW.
Tho Wonders Sho Has Worked
About the Old Home.

Tho wonders Gno has WORKED
About the Old Home.
Yon see. there was Just Tom. II the
old farmhouse had been fnll Of girls
an boys. ! suppose we wouldn't have
been so silly over him. Folks allowed
We were bonnd TO spoil him, an I'll
own up that II the boy hadn't been
blessed with the best Of constitutions,
morally and physically, he would never
have grown upa as he did His father
Is good man, as good man rs walks
the earth, but soft-learted an homely
very Now. II were not candid
don't know that I'd come right out
plain With the fact that I'm partial to
good looks It's easy to be candid on
paper; so easy that men an women
have been known to carry diary"
caough about to hang them as high as
I.amun--at least so I've heard. Adam
makes out To hold beauty as something
81 no value; calls 1t a snare an de-
fusion, but he can't convince me that IL
isn't one OF Heavens good gifts. OF
course there is beauty an beauty, but
beauty true breaches better sermons
than many divines preach, to my think
in Rein' SO dispositioned, ] was natlir-
ally glad to have Tom, as he was, tall,
an straight an good TO look on. An
other thing which made me, softer
toward him than was necessary, was
that he looked 50 much like myself.
was glad to know (could ! help it2l
that the clear, blue eyes. which looked
80 boldly ont on the world. were my
own over again in all but their bold
ness, an that the gold brown hair had
the same tint an wave in 1t that still
fingered In mine, an that the funny
dimple, which the years could not eff
face, had its counterpart in another
chinone not so well shaped as it used
TO be.
] have an idea that Adam liked to
have It all so. though he was wont to
say at every breach Of discipline an
lapse from duty on the part of the LAD:
Toms too good loolsin'-for a boy.n /
doubt in my own mind II there is man
alive who ever looked on girl and
thought her too good lookin', Curious,
isn't II? Well, scein' that he was all
W. hhR W phG AOAld suppose
we could do the job ourselves, but do
believe that half the men in the neigh
borhood did their level best to assist
Adam, an just as many women fairly
forced their aid on me. I'm independ-
cat myself don't want any body dom
for me what I'm able to do for myself
--an' 50 may have appeared little
ungrateful an crusty to well-meanin'
people, Alvira Wesley talked mean
about me round the neighborhood
when l wouldn't follow her advice
when he was teethin', and she
stu pursued me when he was
great fellow ut college. She
was full Of the things she called
Suggestions, an + don't deny that
was sick Of her-very. But seein' she
was an old maid who had no boy OF her
own, an wasn't ever likely to, / let her
kind Of NEEDLE with mine as much as
could without vioiatin' my principles.
When She brought forward d string Of
spice-wood berries to preserve him
from sickness | coaxed, an bribed an
threatened him into wearing them for
week, but when she brought out d
scheme for keepin' a distrustfnl watch
over every action was forced to turn
upon her. He was twenty years old
then, an one OF tho happiest fell
lows in the world. | hope I
didn't speak uncharitabiy to Al
,Sira, but | was plain--yery. /
wasn't much afraid Of my boy goin'
wrong. We were always SO near to-
gether at heart that was 9sure OF him.
Alyra doesn't know it to this day, but
her hints an sayin's made me do a
thing I'll be ashamed Of as long as /
liye-l searched Toms trunk. If he
had come an caught me at it believe
I'd have died then an there, but kept
right on till reached the bottom |
tried each little key, opened each box
an drawer, an there wasn't a thing in
all the place but every mother an sis
ter In the neighborhood might have
seen felt 50 mean, an glad an Joy
full all together, that ! shed tears when
; laid back the old picture Of Adam an
me taken when we were courtin' "a
daguerreotype, an poor at that.
Thank God for boy like mine
Well, as he had promised when he
went away to tell me everything,
at least most everything, j kept
waitin' to hear that he intended
comin' home an marryin' neighbor
Jones daughter in the fall Her name
Is Eliza Jane, an she isn't pretty, in
fact she's downright homely, but in all
the township you couldn't find a thrift
tier, tidier girl ! didn't say anything
to Adam, but had my mind made uI
70 go of down east visitin', an leave
the young couple to manage for awhile
I've worked hard-Yery; an when !
woman gets to be forty she begins Il
feel the need Of shirkin' spell some
times Adam thought heap OF Eliza
Jane, an twas shock to both Of us Il
learn that Tom had faklen dead In love
With he sister Of his cham. an wanted
4 Y bring the dearest girl in the work
horse 70 cheer our hearts an brighter