The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-02-06

the sandy burrows and lined them with
weeds. On the broken sod walls of
the old pigsty chickweeds fourished,
and ice plants lifted their transparent
leaves. Waldo was at work in the
wagon house again. He was making
kitchen table for En-. AS the long
curls gathered in heaps before his
plane he paused for an instant now and
again to throw one down to small
naked niger who had crept from it's
mother, who stood churning in the sun
shine. and had crawled into the wagon
house. From time to time the little ami
NAL lifted it's fat hand as it expected
a fresh shower of curlS till Doss. jeal-
Gus of his masters noticing any other
small creature but himself. would
catch the curl in his mouth and roll
the little Katfir over in the sawdust,
much to that small animals content
ment
A different life showed itself in front
of the house, where Tant' Sannie's cart
stood ready "inspanned." and the Boer
woman herself sat in the front room
drinking coffee. She had come to visit
her stepdaughter, probably for the
last time, as she now weighed 260
pounds and was not easily able to
move On chair sat her mild young
husband nursing the baby, pudding
faced, weak eyed child.
''You take it and get into the cart
with it," said Tant' Sannie. What do
you want here, listening to our wom-
ans talk?'
The young man arose and meekly
went out with the baby.
''I'm glad you are going to be mar
ried, my child" said Tant' Sannie as
she drained the last drop from her
coffee cup II wouldn't say SO while
that boy was here. 1t would make
him too conceited. But marriage is
the finest thing in the world. I've
been at it three times, and il it pleased
God to take this husband from me
should have another. There's nothing
like it, my child, nothing"
Perhaps it might not suit all peo-
pie at all times as well as 1t suits you,
Tant' Sannie," said EN-. There was
little shade of WEAKNESS in the voice.
mot suit every one" said Tant' San
ME. IF the beloved Redeemer didn't
mean men to have wives, what did he
make women for? That's what say.
If woman's old enough to marry and
doesn't, she's shining against the Lord.
It's wanting to know better than
him. What! Does she think the Lord
oil hot Al In, 1t,
nothing? It's evident he wants babies.
Otherwise why does he send them?
Not that I've done much in that way
myself" said Tant' Sannie sorrowful-
~, 'but I've done my best"
She rose with some difficulty from
her chair and began moving slowly to-
ward the door.
Its strange thing" she said, "but
you can't love man till you've had .
baby by him. Now, there's that boy
there. When we were first married, IL
he only sneezed in the night l boxed
his ears. Now If he let's his pipe ash
come on my milk clothes l don't think
Of laying finger on him. There's moth
ing like being married." said Tant'
Sannie as she puffed toward the door.
''If wom2n's got baby and hus-
band. she's got the best things the Lord
can give her. If only the baby doesn't
have convulsions. AS for a husband,
it's very much the same who one has.
Some men are fat, and some men are
thin. some men drink brandy. and some
men drink gin. but 1t all comes to the
same thing in the end; it's all one. A
mans man. you know"
Here they came upon Gregory. who
was sitting in the shade before the
house. Tant' Sannie shook hands with
him.
I'm glad you're going to get mar
ried," she said. 81 hope you'll have as
many children in five years as COW
has calves. and more too. think I'll
just go and have look at Your soap
pot before start" she said, turning to
EN-. "Not that believe in this new
plan of putting soda in the pot If the
dear Father had meant soda to be put
into soap. what would he have made
milk bushes for and stuck tenn all
over the weld as thick as lambs in the
iambing season?"
She waddled off after EN- in the d.
rection Of the built in soap pot, leaving
Gregory as they found him. with his
dead pipe lying on the bench beside
him and his blue eyes gazing out far
across the fiat. like one who sits on the
seashore watching that which is fad
Ing fading from him. Against his
breast was letter found In desk adj
dressed to himself. but never posted.
1t held only four words, You must
marry EN-" He wore it in a black
bag round his neck. 1t was the only
letter she had ever written to him.
"You see if the sheep don't have the
scab this year," said Tant' Sannie as
she waddled after Elm. ITS with all
these new inventions that the wrath of
God must fall on u.s. What We're the
children of Israel punished for If it
wasn't for making golden calf? .
may have my sins. but do remember
the Tenth Commandment, Honor Thy
father and thy mother, that 1t may be