Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1897-02-03

u the s8lks- You can punish little
boy who dos not bsciave 70 please you
whether yen are right OF wrong, for he
: the under dog: but what can you do
with a little boy Of ffty-sevens For a
week Mr.. Tucker showed a surprising
propensity for keeping himself IN eSi-
deuce. He would come in from the
farm al all hours OF the day and insti-
fute Ella borate searches for unknown ar
Tides. and If his wife asked him what
l. was looking for or begged 10 help
him be invariably turned a deaf ear
He found numberless things requiring
his immediate attention within sight OF
the kitchen door. II was not that lie
wanted 10 be near al hand TO answer II
{ spoken 10 and not answer. He also de-
Teloped a rigid independence 10 his
toilet He could look after himself. he
guessed: be didn't want any meddling
with his things One rainy day he was
busy for some time upstairs. and later
on his wife found out that be had been
f turning out the contents Of his bureau
drawers and rearranging them after an
original conception Of his OWL By this
F tine she would have worn sackeiozh
and ashes. il sackcloth and ashes had
anything 10 do with the case. He even
refused assistance with his collars. go
ing 50 far as 10 trim on the frayed
f edges Of an old one 10 wear 10 town
meeting. much 10 her morfiicat ion. and
on Sunday. while driving 10 church. as
she saw his checked necktie sliding
around 10 his ear and ventured 10 re-
place II, he deliberately put up his left
hand and showed II around again Then
she knew he was very mad
OF course, it wore of in time; but a
touch Of new independence remained,
and another result less palpable per-
haps, shading OF, as 1t were, Of the
undis1urbed self-importance which had
+ hitherto marked his demeanor. A man
cannot be confined four or five hours in
a closet on a broiling day in July. from
circumstances over which he has no
control. and preserve intact his sense Of
conscious superiority over all mani
mate things Even a stout wooden
button Of his own fashioning may be
a sufficient agent 10 enlarge his views
The Instruments that shape our ends
are not always such as we would choose
ourselves. II IS a curious fact, yet
true. that nothing had ever done Israel
Tucker more good than being shut up
in that closet
In the first sharp days of fall Mrs.
Tucker fell sick, and when she recover
ed the doctor told her husband that
her heart was weak. You must see
10 il now that she doesn't oyerdo," he
said Make her sit down more, and
not stoop over or reach up, or get tired
out"
He was young doctor and very able
Israel went TO the door TO see him drive
out OF the yard in his mud-splashed
buggy. He did not go back TO the room
where his wife was. He looked out
of the end window. Little was 10 be
seen from the window, and that little
be did not see, but he stood there some
time. -
II was trial TO the able-bodied wom-
an, whose life had been spent in taking
steps for others. TO give up her active
WAYS and let many things go undone.
Israel did his best to follow the doctors
Instructions. He did more: he began In
a feeble, rudimentary fashion to take
care OF her. At first it seemed TO Mrs.
Tucker more bother than use. She ex-
pressed herself quite openly about IT..
She had never been a scold. but she
had had her own VAT In that kitchen.
His fingers were all thumbs. When
he broke the handle of the sugar bowl
trying TO make her a cup of tea she
fel1 that the whole household was 60
ing to rack and ruin and told him so.
By-and-by II began 10 give her GER
tain pleasure TO see Israel stepping
about the house. bringing her her shawl
or placing a footstool for her He had
never done those things before. even
when counting; he had supposed that
she knew enough TO take care of her
self.
One day she sat In her room while
Israel, on his knees beside her. strug-
gled over her shoes with the button
hook. His sleek. gray head and busy.
work-hardened hands We're pleasant
in her eyes. She suddenly threw her
arms around his neck and kissed him.
And / suppose she had not done Ii like
that since she was young.
Our New England emotions are like
our bottled cider; they have a tang
OF their own, but the cork comes out
hard, and not always without al ex-
plosion.
"Oh. Isr'el." said she. you're so
good. ] don't like to make you do so
much for me all the time"
Israel looked up. He was not smil-
ing, but in his sober face there was a
look as Of one who was slowly rising
to the occasion.
You might as well get used to IT.
he said. Doctor said to see 10 you
some. an I'm going TO do it
But | don't want you should wait
on me so much-I don't need IT."
Il amt said yet I didn't ike It," an
swered Israel.-New York Tribune.