The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1894-11-23
HIS LITTLE SURPRISE.
Il Proved TO DO More Beneflce mt
Than Medicine.

could she?"
Certainly. when the staid old bach
elor. Jonas bingham ('Thirty-fve II
he's day" said the wondering "otner
girls"). carried of Mary Morton. not
vet out OF her teens. right in the face
and eyes OF many admiring boys.
great many people wondered How
could shc?"
At home she occupied the sometimes
questionable position OF the middle
one in family Of three daughters
Nobody doubted that she vas good
and useful, but she was not brilliant
and fascinating like her older sister
Amy. nor was she a pretty doll OF q
girl to be pcttcd as everybody pettcd
her younger sister Bess
Amy had troops OF bcaux that she
wound around her finger and made
her most obedient slaves. but Jonas
bingham was Mary's FIRST attentive
escort, and his devotion and sincerity
carried her heart by storm
Jonas pleaded eloqucntly for an
early wedding day. and Mary was
nothing 10th. for life with Jonas ana
for him seemed like paradise in antici-
patton.
lie lived three miles away on large
farm-his fathers and grandfathers
before him. His father had been dead
.everal wears. and his mother, though
still active and Industrious. was too
old to work as she had always done
Everybody knew the Hinghams were
forchanded, free from debt ana Win
money at interest. The Mortons, on
the contrary, had always lived from
hand 70 mouth. Mr.. Mortons trade
never having sufiiced to do much more
than provide home. with ample iood
and clothing, besides educating the
girls as they wanted TO be, with music
md painting and all the ornamentais
which girls in country villages sigh
after.
IL is safe to say that Mary never
dreamed OF the change IT would he iof
Aer to 90 from her snug. pretty nome
z into that great bare farmhouse-like
I changing from soft. musical poetry &c
plain. dry prose.
; summer and winter the family hao
. a,,xavs worked and ate and sat in the
great kitchen. except when coHpan,
u came: then they rolled up the greer
= paper shades in the sitting-rooin an.
. sat in there. Everything was stun
: bare. orderly and scrupulously clean
y "stepping into Mother bingham
: shoes" meant more real, downrigh
!" hard work than Mary had ever dreame'
y ~. but she was young and strong am
E would not finch when she saw tina
;. both Jonas and his mother expecte'
= ser 10 be the notable. hard-worhinl
!, housewife the elder woman had Away
u been.
e Her hands grew brown and hard ne
u dresses grew old-fashioned and sh
=. had neither time nor care to reinods
=. them. as she seldom went anywher
- except occasionally to church, an
more rarely still on brief visit 70 ns
- father'A
!. Then babies came as the years wei
- by-boys. always boys
~ "IfI only had girl" thought Mar
"a sometimes, ..shc might grow mp
a helm me and do all the light and pret'
80 things that have forgotten how
- do: but these boys will never care Il
= such things"
-. Mother bingham lived but fe
Oh years after Mary came there. 10 u
last she was happy and content iof
Of Mary and at home IN the isr'
house, still unchanged.
.Jonas will have to hire help for
- wife. now that his mother Is gone
people said.
xas But he didn't seem to think OF tins
OF A. long as Mary did not complain
nta never dreamed she was OVERRIDING
CHI needed any thing she did not have.
u One Of the established traditions
IN. the house was that they must nave
9 hired girl through haying time, new
III ~ any other time Of the year, unls
I" In case OF sickness. !.
Q So through harvesting and the Z
'"s house-clcan ming. the meat-kiiiing
mp the spring sugaring, up to haying "a
" again, Marys one pair OF hands
nus the work till--she broke down
the Jonas was worried about ind'
u OF matters Not that he was so misc
an he did not like to pay hired help.
en', who was to take care and oversees
all?
lcho ~ course the Mortons were as q
". tatcd as Jonas himself, and as mi
'sn' Ms they could came to the rescue
ing Mrs Morton was growing ola
.ne could not work as she once had DO
WIN VIC, and Amy had made a brilliant ma
thor years ago .,r,
.nSr Bessie was still at home and SIM
'rc'e but she had never enjoyed going n
can ,xhen Mary was we'll. and with NJ
PICK sick Il could not be thought OF.
- Jonas had bad luck finding caps
! indoor help. and it was great re
70 them all when Aunt VI. Mr. =
tons maiden sister. came from
west, and, not having any paruc'
home anywhere. Willingly took
n un. leadership in the bingham house,
and But somehow Mary didn't seen
bully gain at all, and Aunt VI toia
nltcd Morton that Mary seemed TO nave
ndcr- nil interest in life.
). Jonas is just as kind as can be,
said. the boys arc all smart and brigh.
, and fond OF her: they are forehonuea
have a good home, but II seems