Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1893-04-20
LOVE IN A CABIN.
sand this is homer


Ruth Delano gazed about her with
mingled feeling of wonder, Joy and disap-
pointment. 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 a home Not vestige of a plant or
flower around it, hills stretching brown
and bare under the July sun and not a
shade tree in sight
Zone might know there never had been a
woman near this place. said Ruth, her
eyes slowly filling with tears. II seemed
so comfortless and barren after leaving her
mothers old fashioned farmhouse in Maine,
full to overlooking with inviting, com
Portable 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 theeyes Of her husband fixed
upon her, she forced back the tears
Had she not said, like Ruth of old,
'Whither thou goest will 90. and whittier
thou lodgest will lodge2"
Would any place, no matter how full of
comfort it might he, ever be home without
himi Had she and her baby Ruth not
vept tears Of JOY when the letter came tell
ing them that papa was coming from Cali
fornia to take them home? And had not
every foot of the way been n joy to think
he was once more with them and that they
. were to have homer
She stroked the hand Of her husband.
who held their little Ruthie in his arms.
smiling through her tears.
IL l. ak.
.Aid cheerfully, and you have done the
hest you could"
It was the truly wifely spirit, and in his
heart he blessed the true woman who said it.
"All the ranches look kind of desolate,"
he said, where there's no one but men
about, but now we've got little woman
here things will soon be looking different.
Inside of the house she found everything
neat at least, and that was great comfort
70 her, and il the parlor was barren look
ing with no carpet upon it the kitchen was
full of contrivances which women like, and
abe 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 "a glimpse of the blue
Pacific and a background Of purple noun
tains. she began to lose the undertone of
homesickness which had 80 married her
homecoming She thought how beautiful
a 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 il 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"
~ am afraid not" Ruth said eying the
mysterious looking packages wonderingly.
"Well, 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 those parcels that will
help you beautify it,"
What could he mean? Ruth took up the
lighter but larger one first. To her 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 dear mothers at
home"
"Yes," John replied, land go ahead Of it,
for California beats the world for flowers,
and your garden will be just as lovely.in
winter as in summer. There are 20 varie-
ties of roses alone among that collection Of
seeds"
Isn't it wonderful to think of" cried
Ruth, as delighted IA a child over her
treasures. And what can be in here" she
continued rs she opened the second parcel.
"Wonders will never cease" she exclaimed
the next moment as he poured whole bag
of silver into her lap. And what is this
fort"
ITO buy your parlor furniture" he 10
piled, laughing ut her amazement
"Honestf" She looked at him. her brown
eyes sparkling.
ut Is for Mrs. Delano TO do with as she
pleases," he said. II have saved the money
TO furnish the cabin with and thought to
have fixed it up before you came, but con
cluded on second thought that you could
do better than 1; 30 there's the money. Buy
what you please and fix up the place to
suit yourself"
well, II you amt the best John in tts
whole country" Ruth said, almost laugh
ing and crying In the same breath. How
could she ever be homesick sgainf