The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-01-08
lrst visi, to the place since Mary's mar

"You Gust 20 to see Mary in her own
home, " said Mrs. Morton, ''but the poor
child is too weak to visit much. We
will go there together and spend the
day, and it will gritty her, though she
cannot enjoy it as If she was we'll"
''Ill sleep with Mary tonight and
wait upon her, " said Mrs. Morton to
Aunt vi, as bedtime came on, land you
can go up stairs and get a good nights
rest"
"We'll sleep together, Aunt vi"
added Mrs. Cramer, land keep each
other warm and have a good visit be-
sides" II
Was it all chance that the chamber
the two ladies occupied had in the wall
anopen stovepipe hole leading Through to
the one where Jonas slept with 5 year
old Teddy?
He slept soundly for awhile, but per-
haps it wa his good angel that woke
him just in time to hear Aunt vi ask,
what do you think about Mary?'' "
Mrs. Cramer was a lady who used not
only her eyes and ears, but her brains as
we'll. Being new to the bingham house,
she saw it through unaccustomed eyes,
and she made up her mind fully.
II think" she said impressively,
that she is starving to death!''
For the land sakesr' calculated
Aunt vi. lyon don't know what you're
talking about. Such a provider as Jonas
isl Always buys his -four by the barrel
and keeps two sorts, one for bread and
one for pastry; makes no end of maple
sugar and buys all the white sugar a
body has q mind to use; kills the incest
of pork and beef every winter, with
turkeys and chickens and geese and
ducks; lambs in the fall and the beau
tifulest veal every spring; buys fresh
meat any time in the summer, and Of
course they have milk and cream and
eggs Of their own all the year round.
He's always bringing home honey and
fruit and oysters, any luxury he hap
pens to see. He's too fond of good living
himself to starve anybody in his housed"
1.-THE eating is a very small part OF
true life, said Mrs. Cramer when
Aunt vi paused for breath. Il can see
that Mary's mind and soul are starving
here in this bare house, where work
and utility are the foremost things and
beauty and pleasure have no place. Her
better nature is being literally starved
to death"
No matter what further the ladies
said, Jonas bingham heard no more,
though he neither put his fingers in his
ears nor rose and stopped the stovepipe
hole. Mrs. Cramer's words had opened
his eyes to a naked, unpalatable truth
and set him to such serious thinking
and plannings that he had no ears for
anything more.
Mary looks brighter this morning, !"
said Aunt Cramer at breakfast.
"She certainly does" said Jonas,
land I think your visit has done her
good. I tell you what, Mary, - he said,
turning to her, II want you to hurry up
and get stronger, so that the first mild,
pleasant day I can carry you to your IA
theirs to stay a week. / believe the
change would do you good. ..
A warm, mellow day came like q
smile into the heart of the winter.
Jonas urged, and Aunt vi seconded, till
between them they wrapped her snugly,
and cushioned in the warmest and soft
est of robes. she took a sleigh ride to her
fathers house, where Jonas left her.
And now, Aunt Vi, he said, COM
ing i'll On his return, with his arms
loaded with rolls of paper, II want
your help il conspiracy. The long and
short Of it is that you and / and the
boys and all the help we need are going
to work with paint and paper and car
pets and furniture to make this house
look so Mary won't know it at all when
she comes back"
The painters came the next day; the
paperers followed. Jonas brought home
nice carpets and women to make them.
Loads of new furniture came to the
door and new stoves to replace the for
lorn, Anticipated ones.
An elegant new bookcase wa stocked
with a we'll selected library. and choice
pictures were purchased to hang on the
renewed walls,
Jonas was not devoid of taste when
he tried Il exercise it, and when he
doubted his own Judgment he took
SOAlSC4 VI h4OSo WIN NI&C ~ pC ASAISA
on.
One lovely day, the last of February,
he went to bring her home. Aunt VI
and the boys waited patiently for their
coming.
When the sleigh stopped at the door
Jonas lifted her carefully out and car
ried her, all wrapped, as she was, int
the house, straight through the hall int
the long unused parlor and placed he.
in the softest and easiest of easy chairs
A soft colored carpet covered thu
floor, pretty paper adorned the walls
sunlight streamed in warm at the win
dows, but did not outshine the Cheerful
fire in the open stove, new books ant
magazines lay N the table, the canar.
in a gilded cage was trilling his bes
songs, and the plants in the sunnies
window seemed smiling a welcome +
, THEN mistress.
= "Eow pretty mother looks!" erie
Teddy.
Truth to tell, a most becoming re
\ had crept into the pale cheeks, perhaI