The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1900-12-27
TWO SN0WDR0ps.

A thick carpet had lately been put
Town in the dining room at the squire's
the door from opening and shutting
EASILY, so Wedge, the village carpenter,
vas sent for to ease 1t.
At 6 o'clock, while he was at work,
carriage wheels were distinctly heard,
and the squire's lady, with her chill
lren, came down into the hall, ready
TO welcome home Mr.. Cary, who had
been that day to town.
Wedge, who was working inside the
ii3fng room, listened with astonish-
mint as he heard the shout the chill
irSn gave when their father stepped
'1t of the carriage.
That the squire's return should
cause such delight was puzzler for
'ur worthy friend; Tor had he not with
his own eyes seen this gentleman go
on at $50 In the morning, no one
could have persuaded him otherwise
than that he must have been away a
month, to put it at the lowest figure.
He saw, moreover. that the squire
was holding tightly in his hand little
parcel, which, shaking of the children,
be quickly united, for all the world as
il he were boy Of five years old,
who could not wait moment for any
thing.
In shorter time than we take to
write 1t he pulled out the contents and
n fhnro 20 hfc ~r,s% 1fc.
tinct kisses.
Soon the merry party went upstairs,
the echo Of their voices died away, and
Wedge was left to finish his work on
the door, while his heart and con-
science began their work on him.
He, too, had q home and wife and
children; he. too, had been away all
day, but the thought struck him un-
comfortably that his welcome home,
II indeed he got one at all, would seem
poor and cold after that he had Just
witnessed.
In. fact, he was feeling Jealous of
the squire and discontinued with his
own wife and children. Why were
they not eager to rush out and well
come him, after the fashion of the
sQuire's family
But conscience had word to say to
him, and said it loud enough, too, for
him to hear, although he was making
noise enough to prevent any one from
trying to gain attention.
1t told him the fault was chiefly In
himself, for IL his wife and children
were not like the squire's, neither was
his likeness to that worthy gentlemen
particularly striking.
As Wedge walked home, his tools on
his back, he came across an old friend,
carrying carefully a dainty bunch Of
snowdrops in his big, rough hand.
Here, WILL" he said, walking along
by the carpenters side, 1--WE Just given
q trife for these fowers-pretty bits
of things, amt they?-for my wife
makes SO much Of any little present
take home; she never minds what I
bring her so long as l give it to her
myself, for, to be sure, I always tack
on little something, in the shape of
. few Kind words, which makes the
thing seem valuable in her eyes,"
Wedges road now lay In a different
direction from his friends, SO they
parted company, Joe Sparks putting
couple of snowdrops into Wills hand,
supposing he would know well enough
what to do with them.
Wedge turned the snowdrops over in
his hand and looked after Joe, who
had nearly turned the corner. What
could the man mean by giving him the
snowdrops and never saying word ?
Wedges wife was nice woman, but
family cares were weighing her down,
70 that the light was fast dying out of
her eyes and the color fading from her
cheeks. She would not have minded
them half, nor even quarter, 80 much
If, when Wedge came home, she could
have told him all about them-for ten
to one he could have set things right.
But he had always pooh-hooed when
she ventured to begin the subject, so
that she had left to looking for help
where there was none to be got.
Wedge had done many a handy bit Of
work with those tools n his back, but
he did heater Job now with those
snowdrops than ever he had done with
all Of them put together, for he, so to
speak, sawed Mary's heart right in two
when he gave them to her, and got to
the very inside, and planed down no
end Of knots and rough places and
french-polished her of as If she were
some choice piece Of cabinet work to
be sold for nobody knows what.
That day was the beginning Of
brighter times, Mary's heart, as we be-
f6r1 said, sawed right open, never
tlod6 up again, by reason of her hus.
badd's continually putting in one little
thing and another on purpose to keep
1t open, and warm streams Of affection
came gushing out that nobody knew
were ever there at all, they were hid
den down so deep.
And as to Wedge, he never knew be.
fore how many pretty little speeches
he could make.-New York Daily
News.
Couldn't Meet Anyone Then.
Wheelman-I think I'll give up bicy-
cling. I am as careful as can be, but
every now and then some accident
happens. This il the second time I've
been arrested and fined for running In
to people.