Frostburg mining journal., 1895-04-27
HIS SURPRISE.

Adam and Eve were probably the
only welded couple of whom no one
ever said, "How could he?" or "How
could she?''
Certainly, when the staid old bach
elor, Jonas bingham ("35 If he's a
dayP' said the wondering "other
girls"O. carried off Mary Morton, not
yet out of her teens, right in the face
and eyes of many admiring boys, a great
many people wondered, "How could
she?''
At home she occupied tho sometimes
questionable position Of the middle one
in family of three daughters. Nobody
doubted that she was good and useful,
but she was not brilliant and fascinat-
ing like her older sister, Amy, nor was
she a pretty doll of q girl to be petted as
everybody petted her younger sister,
Bess.
Amy had troops Of beaux that she
wound around her finger and made her
most obedient slaves, but Jonas Hing
ham was Mary's first attentive escort,
and his devotion and sincerity carried
her heart by storm.
Jonas pleaded eloquently for an early
wedding day, and Mary was nothing
loath, for life with Jonas and for him
seemed like paradise in anticipation.
He lived three miles away ON large
farm, his fathers and grandfather S
before him. His father had been dead
several years, and his mother, though
still active and industrious, was too old
to work as she had always done.
Everybody knew the Hinghams were
forehanded, free from debt and with
money at interest. The Mortons. on the
contrary, had always lived from hand
to mouth, Mr.. Morton's trade never
having sufficed to do much more than
provide home, with ample food and
clothing, besides educating the girls as
they wanted to be, with music and
painting and all the ornamentals which
girls in country villages sigh after.
1t is safe to say that Mary never
dreamed of the change it would be for
her to 60 from her snug, pretty homo
into that great, bare farmhouse-like
changing from soft, musical poetry to
plain, dry prose.
Summer and winter the family had
always worked and ate and sat in the
great kitchen, except when company
came. Then they rolled up the green
paper shades in the sitting room and sat
in there. Everything was stiff, bare, Or
derly and scrupulously clean.
Stepping into Mother Hinghams s
shoes" meant more real, downright hard
work than Mary had ever dreamed of,
but she was young and strong and
would not finch when she saw that
both Jonas and his mother expected her
to be the notable, hardworking house
wife the elder woman had always been.
Her hands grew brown and hard, her
dresses grew old fashioned, and she had
neither time nor care to remodel them,
as she seldom went anywhere, except
occasionally to church and more rarely
still on a brief visit to her fathers.
Then babies came as the years went
by-boys, always boys.
eff 1 only had girl, ;" thought Mary
sometimes, ''she might grow up to help
me and do all the light and pretty
things that have forgotten how to do,
but these boys will never care for such
things"
Mother bingham lived but few
years after Mary came there. To the
last she was happy and content, fond of
Mary and at home in the farmhouse,
still unchanged.
Jonas will have to hire help for his
wife, now that his mother is gone"
people said
But he didn't seem to think of that.
AS long as Mary did not complain he
never dreamed she was OVERRIDING or
needed anything she did not have.
One of the established traditions Of
the house was that they must have
hired girl through haying time, never
at any other time of the year unless in
case of sickness.
So through harvesting and the fall
housekeeping, the meat killing and
the spring sugaring, up to haying time
again, Mary's one pair of hands did the
work till-she broke down.
Jonas was worried about indoor mat
ters, not that he was so miserly he did
not like to pay hired help, but who was
to take care and oversee it all?
OF course the Mortons were as agitat-
ed as Jonas himself, and as much as
they could came to the rescue, but Mrs.
Morton was growing old and could not
work as she once had done, and Amy
had made a brilliant match years ago.
Bessie was still at home and single,
but had never enjoyed going there when
Mary was we'll, and with Mary sick it
could not be thought of.
Jonas had bad luck finding capable
indoor help, and it was great relief to
them all when Aunt vi, Mr.. Morton's
maiden sister, came from the west, and
not having any particular home any
where willingly took the leadership in
the bingham household.
But somehow Mary didn't seem to
gain at all, and Aunt vi told Mrs. Nor
ton that Mary seemed to have lost oil
interest in life.
'Jonas is just as kind as can be, end
the boys are all smart and bright and
fond of her. They are forehanded and
have good home, but it seems as if she
doesn' care about living I do think if
she had an ambition to get well she
would"
In the very depths of winter Mrs.
Morton's sister from Boston, Mrs. Cra-
mer. made flying visit in town, her