River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-12-13

SlStet IN taking without intermls-
sion To his wife. still keeping a watch
ful eye upon her and upon Mary.
so said To en-: IT'S nothing to me
what q mans politics NAV happen to
be. The best Of Us is liable To make
mistakes, and if a man Il only work
fair and fifty I'll be glad enough to
give him a job. thoug IN ! might be (as
you might say his employer, an think
him a little bit foolish to suppose he
do know more than his betters.
But | must say, John Trethewy, | can't
for the life of me understand how
you're so fool sh as to believe that 8"
He stopped short and glared at
the women ferOciously. Mary ceased
attempting to convey To her mis-
tress the intelligence she had gath
cred III the course OF her excursion to
the town. and Mrs. BarnicOtt sought
refuge behind the brown teapot. Cap'n
BarnicOtt did not finish his anecdote.
He was entirely silent dur ny the meal.
except for certain satirical cOmpli-
ments to his wife upon her thought
fulness IN remem boring his liking for
a lettuce; for the rest he watched her
with an air Of satisfied vigilance. He
managed by one excuse or anothe- to
keep her in the room with him all the
evening, AM later on. at family prayers,
he prayed with more than ordina-
r. earnestness that all prodiga's might
be brought swiftly TO a due sense of
their surprising iniquity. Finally he
sent Mary Penkervis to her bed. aud
for an our or two sat silent in his
big horsehair-covered chair, smoll-
ing and smiling with grim, delighted
maievolence, as he succeeded in
thwarting one or two desperate at
tcmpts on the part of his wife to have
a word with the servant before She
herself retired To rest
suppose it is not possible to deny
that Dick Barnicott and Mary Jane
Tredinnick had indeed acted badly
Mary Jane was only a mine-girl, en-
gagged at Wheal Dream. her daily task
being to stir up gently with long
haired brush TIE ane 81 me of mingled
tin aud waste stuff deposited by a
thin stream of water upon the sloping
wooden frames" over which it flowed.
Dick father was one of the under
ground captains at this very mine,
and If his position was not 4 very eX-
allied one he was still person set in
authority. and had given his son as
good an education as cOuld be obtained
Tallywarn. Obviously. then, it was
Dicks duty To marry above him. But
il happened that Mary Jane Tridin-
nick was the best soprano of the choir
10 which Dick sang tenor. 1t was a
rather famous choir. and used 20 travel
about considerably To sing at chapel
anniversaries and such like festivals.
ON these occasions, at the practices
and on tie day of the annual choir
picnic the two young people had met
pretty frequently. and in the end.
greatly to the disgust of the captain,
they managed to fall in love with one
another. Later on they had got mar
ried. Old Cap'n Barnicott had been
int nseiy angry; he had declared with
some publicity that his only son was
dead 10 him. and had vigorously com
PEELED his wife 20 conceal even the de-
sire she had To 90 and make friends
with her sons young and pretty wife.
The two young people had done their
best To effect a reconciliation; but,
finding that impossible, they had man
aged to live very happily in the cot
tage they had taken. And the mes
sage which the servant brought TO
Mrs. Barnicott the eIder-the message
which she had not been permitted to
deliver-was TO the effect that Dick
wife was now a mother.
You viii imagine how desperately
the old woman longed to have her
curiosity set at rest. Indeed, despite
the awe in which her husband kept
her. it remains matter for astonish-
ment that she did not break out in his
very presence with the question which
had been upon her lips from the mo-
ment Of Mary's return; is il boy or
a chield?' She had hardly slept that
night, for the question refused To be
silenced within her, though it must
needs go unanswered until the morn
ing.
Cap'n Barnicott had never forgotten
that, though he had long been an in
habitaut of Tallywarn. he was in the
beginning a native of Tregpllan. lit
tie village some three miles to the
north of the town. lie was usually
content To attend chapel in Tallywarn;
but il was ia Tregollan that he had
first become a church member, and he
had never ceased to attend class meet
ing there. II was, therefore, his con-
slant habit. no matter what might be
the weather. to rise at Ii tile before
six on sunday mornings. make himself
a cup of tea. and set off in time to
3, FTr,r~s,EV,,. 81 -,
on this particular morning the
dawn had hardly broken when his
wife gave up all attempts to sleep.
Her husband slept placidly at her side,
50 that she longed. but still did not
dare. TO steal rom the room and ques-
Ton Mary, however briefly. 1t seemed
an age before the time came at which
she had To arouse him; and even when
he was up and getting ready for the
walk She could not but consider him
extraordinarily slow. He brought her
up cup of tea. and stood at her bed
side while she drank it. although dis
regarding her suggestions that he was
behind Las tine lie still fingered, as
/ If 10th To relinquish his persecution OF
her
Now. lOokr' he said. at last That
cough Of yours is worse Than it do be-
long to be / couldn't sleep the best
part Of the night for the noise you was
maxim. You stop in bed until do
come home again. You must take
care of that cough"
Poor Mrs. Barnicott was only too GER
tain that he had slept continu-
ously the whole night through; but
anything was better than a discussion
. that might delay him longer, so she
meekly promised obedience. Then
I the cap'n descended the stairs,
[ found his hat and brushed it with a
most exasperating slowness, and at
| last left the house. The wife waited,
/ holding her breath. until she heard
+ the gate creak npon its hinges. Thee
she arose quickly and flung open the
door. just as Mary Penke.vis reached
| il from the outside.
Is it-?" she said.
Mary interrupted. IT'S the finest
/ great boy that ever was" she cried,
I bursting with the knowledge she had
80 long been kept from communicat-
4 ing. And the mothers doin' grand.
/ For long time they continued "a
talk excit idly: the grandmother. with
a flush on her thin checks, asking a