The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1895-01-31

Jardine that I do not fsed to consider
he answered, with that slight air Of
hauteur which. whether it was right or
wrong, his wife loved. could not help low
ing, for it was Il bit of himself. NO.
dear; in my worst. that is. my idlest days,
| never was so foolish as to think there
was any disgrace in work. any dignity in
~idleness; and now, when | have To earn
my bread by the sweat of my brow, ike
old Adam and all the rest, down to poor
Grandfather Paterson, I'll do it, and not
be ashamed of it, either"
Nor |. Nothing that my husband did
could make me ashamed of him. except
his doing something wrong. But now"
She stopped, her voice choking: and
again, wcak-minded little woman that
she was. She cried-they both cried. Then
they gathered up their courage for the
new life which began the next Monday
morning.
1t might have been-possibly any per-
son more worldly wise than these young
folks would ave said it was-that this
two pounds n week, so important to them.
came out Of the sOftest bit in old Blacks
heart. rather than H. full and usually
lightly slu purse; seeing il would be
some months before an ignorant gentle
man.. however capable. could be equal
III value to an experienced workingman.
even rs foreman at Il mill. But they dih
not khoW this. and without another word
Dotl clceriully accepted the new life
which was to begin the next Monday
morning.
The hardest bit of it was tho long
hours-the separation from the dusk of
me morning till after nightfall. Some
times ltoderick came in so tired that.
instead of talking, he would Just throw
himself doWn-not on the sofa. that he nj
ways LETT Tor her. bat on the rug at her
Iceland fall asleep till bedtime. while
she, anxious 10 use her busy fingers To
'he last available minute, SeWcd silently.
watching him the while. If he had seen
lhat watch. Does Il man ever thoroughly
comprehend how a woman loves him!
But. the working days done. there were
the blessed Sundays, he never knew how
blessed, he said, ill he became a "work-
Church over, his wife sent
him TO take a long stroll over the hills.
while she gathered round her for an hour
the little class of mill girls, taught for so
many years by Miss .Iardine. Roderick
sometimes |grumblcd at this. but she
said. gently, I'VE cach do our work. |
think this is mine; let me do it," And by
the time he came TO tea il was done.
and the jealous fellow had his wife 10
himself for the whole evening.
Those sweet Sunday evenings, when
1.-The rain was on the roof"-for winter
set in early that ycar-how comfortable
they We're. The two, shut in together.
had to learn the great secret. and 90
fbrOErb tho In rlaCt lost ,f rr;nJ If
even such young married life as theirs
constant companionship; not love, not
passion. scarcely even affcction-for all
these can sometimes exist without il,
ut least for Il long time-but simple COM
panionship. that priceless friendship
which is love without his WINGS
Suppose you had been n goose, ST.
%lence," he said one day. Suppose you
had expected M to be always making
love to you, instead of talking to you
like a sensible woman; suppose you had
not cared for the things | care for, but
wanted something totally different-say
dressing and dancing and going out of
evenings-what in the world would have
become of me-"
h laughed mcrrily. "And suppose
YOU had been Il man of the world, who
liked good dinners and brilliant society.
and was ashamed of his poor little wife
because she was not clever"
"Nonscnse.'
Not clever" she repeated, with IL
sweet decision. "aftcr the fashion that is
called clever; nor beautiful, nor grand;
had brought him no money and given
him no position don't speak often of
this. but know it all. Suppose, Rod
crich. you had been different from what
you are; ! wonder what would have be
comc of me. No, no. And her gayety
melted into an almost sad seriousness.
'Whatevcr the future brings we have the
present. Let us rejoice in it, and-let us
thank God"
In his old life Itoderick had seldom
thought of this. Now. when every night
he saw his wife kneel down by her bed
side, he had come instinctively TO knecl
beside her, Saying his prayers" as the
children do; or, rather, since with her
always near him there seemed nothing
left to pray for. just whispering in his
heart. THANK God!' AS he did now
ay. and many Il time in the day, il the
midst of his work, which was not too
pleasant sometimes. But it grew pleas
ant and easy when there flashed across
him the vision Of the sweet face at home
no longer the ideal mistress of his
dreams, but the dear wife of his bosom,
always ut hand to tighten his burdens
and divide his cares.
Go be continued)
plan fnr InnnppVjnD SfnnInnPs