Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1894-06-07

would tear up things, and we are SO
peaceful and serene that should dread
the general disturbance"
Again. being left without a servant
for several days, she said, pleasantly,
but very appealingly; my dear. wish
we had gas IN the old home. as in your
handsome tenements The cleaning Of
so many lamps every morning would
become unnecessary"
81 hate gas u ght," he exclaimed.
Nothing like nice, well shaded kero-
sene lampsw
lie did not have 10 keep them In
order, and suddenly thinking so, he
added, considerably, Don't light so
many, my dearest You see we'd have
to have long spell OF tearing up to
get the pipes In, and II would DO a
nuisance. besides destroying much Of
the wall paper, etc, that we are at
tached to-"
Yea that is So" said Mrs. Van Dyke
meekly. But the very next day, In
spite Of her lame muscles, she drew
three pals of water, pumped FIVE,
cleaned eight lamps, picked several
quarts of berries. and cooked meals for
Il family of four relatives Of Mr.. Van
Dykes, who had arrived for a weelS's
visit
There was not, literally, a single fea-
ture OF the old home which Mr.. Van
Dyke enjoyed that did not tax the ply
steal endurance Of his o greatly loved
wife. The light, the water, the shade,
the privilege Of entertaining his friends
were all pleasurablo TO him. But II he
had for one day had all the water TO
draw and pump, ali the lamps TO care
for, all the berries to pick, all the meals
TO prepare, perhaps he would have
said: Let us have modern conven-
ienccs, no matter at what cost or sacri.
fee" For he loved Mrs Van Dyke de-
votedly.
But this is not TO be n long story. 1t
is merely an argument TO prove how
devotedly Andrew Van Dyke did love
his wife.
She was terribly shocked one day
when he was killed In u runaway acci-
dent More than one consoling and
sympathetic voice reached her after the
funeral services were over; you have
lost a devoted husband"
"Ah, yes, indeed ! have" said Mrs.
Van Dyke, sincerely, ns she copiously
wept
"You have one great source of com
fort. lie is gone now, but when here
he loved you devotedly."
"Oh, yes, devotedly," she murmured.
In little less than two weeks, and
while her eyes were still fearful, and
she seemed to be plunged into state
of most hopeless grief, Mrs. Van Dyke
might have been seen In the lovely gar
den, clad in deep black, and resting her
rheumatic figure against large tree.
She was saying: you may leave this
one. Cut down all the others"
A few days later many worllmen
were busy, for water pipes and gas
pipes and bathrooms and "A solariuln
were occupying their attention.
There was n grand transformation.
In u few weeks the old house was
flooded with sunlight Mrs. Van Dyke
was as comfortable at least as her mar.
ried daughters In their modern resi-
dences, or as her husbands country
cousins who had enjoyed modern i'm
provements for ten years In advance of
her, or as the tenants who paid her
high rents for their luxuries, not know
ing that anyone else had the right to
collect. In the midst OF her new bless
ings she heard such sentences as tho
following: "Oh, grandma how beau
tifully you have arranged everythingl
How nice not to have any more lamps
to clean and no more water TO draw
and everything so handy How glad
grandpa would be II he saw you so
comfortable and so free from rheuma-
tism, now that the sun gets in!'
Eyes, II would mako him very hap
py," said Mrs. Van Dyke, sighing
drcamily. "Your grandfather loved
me devotedly Bazar