River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-08-04
HIS COUNTRY HOME.

81 have come to get the key which un-
derstand Mr.. Ames LETT here when he moved
away" said the young man.
ooh, yes" said the old lady. "Step right
in and III get it for you"
large cat made friendly advances, and
was settled in his lap by the time the old
lady came back. She sank ponderously into
her chair and looked at the young man with
kindly scrutiny.
Are you Mr.. John Arnold, the new
owner of Mr.. Ames' house?"
Eyes. The unhappy owner, / should have
said few days ago, but now have changed
my MUD"
"Indeed?" said she. 81 wonder why you
changed your mind"
We'll, I'll tell you about it," he said,
leaning back comfortably in his chair and
stroking the purrng cat.
II took the mortgage on the place with.
out having the slightest idea that it would
ever come into my possession. That was
FIVE years ago. For some time Ames has
been getting behind on his interest, and
did not look after him as ought, 50 | was
rather surprised and not little disguised
when found last week that was the owner
Of the place. and that Ames had moved
sway. did not remember much about i,
except that there was small house on
half an acre Of land, ana that it was very
far from salable. So there | was with
a white elephant on my hands and no earth
" use for him"
The old lady smiled.
We'll, in a day or two / mad brilliant
idea. | was SICK in the winter, don't feel
real good now, and the doctor, every time
see him, tells me | must get out Of doors
more. My boarding place is only five
ant l.. I
work, and when one is tired he doesn't
feel like walking, or even riding the
bicycle, just for the exercise. SO it occurred
to me to come out here to live. Get my
own supper and breakfast, you know, and
putter around in garden. | can go into
town on the electric ears till the roads get
settled enough to ride my wheel"
dinners. lie had lived with Mr.. and Mrs.
Austin for a number of years, and Mrs.
Austin felt motherly solicitude for him.
She almost overwhelmed him with questions
as to whether he slept well, and if he had
breakfast enough, and wasn't he very tired,
and didn't he think he had better stay in
town that night, and was the house properly
aired before he went into it,
For the first week Arnold himself was
little doubtful about his experiment, and
Mrs Austin fears and questions rather
annoyed him, but Mt the end of that time
he began to get used to his new life, and he
became more cheerful than he had been foi
months.
BY the time the grass began to turf
green he could not have been persuaded I,
return to his old way of living. His hous
seemed more attractive as time went on
lie tidied the yard, trimmed the rose bushc'
and grape vines, and by the middle Of Apr
he began, with great enthusiasm, to spad'
up a garden patch.
Mrs. Austin sighed and shook her head
until June came. Then, as she saw no pros
pect of getting him back, and as she was
lonesome evenings, she took school teach
r to board. She was very pretty girl
Grace Howard by name, and she was quite
laxative. Mrs. Austn's dinner table was
A very pleasant meeting place.
Arnold was not used to girls, but it seemed
to him that Grace Howard must be different
from most girls, he felt SO friendly toward
ler, and she seemed such congenial spirit
lie told her all about his house, his garden
md of the long rambles he took on Sundays
She listened with interest to all he told hel
If his rural experiences.
The summer went by, and Arnold becam,
more and more enamored Of his COUNT
aome The Littlefelds were constan,
source of pleasure to him, and the two house
holds were very neighbory.
Then one night, just on the edge of win
ter, new idea came to him. How mucl
peasanter it would be if Grace were here,
he thought, and he sat in a reverie for
oug time. After that he kept thinking o
her being there and Of how well she would
5ecome the house. Especially did he thinA
Of it when he sat opposite to her at dinner.
In March he began housekeeping. He
tore the paper from the walls, bought paint