The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-03-01

hast time. as she now weighed 260
pounds and was not easily able to-
move. On chair sat her mild young
husband nursing the baby, a pudding
faced, weak eyed child.
''Yo& take 1t and get into the cart
with IT," said Tant' Sannie. What do
you want here. listening to our wom-
ans talkY'
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-if it pleased
God to take this husband from me
should have another. There's nothing
alike it, my child. nothing"
perhaps it might not suit all peo-
ple at all times as well as It suits you,
-Tant' Sannie," said EN-. There was
little shade of WEAKNESS in the voice.
Not suit every onew said Tant' San
ME. IF the beloved Redeemer didn't
mean men to have wives, what did he
make women forr That's what ! say.
If woman,s old enough to marry and
doesn't, she's SHINING against the Lord.
It's a wanting to know better than
him. What! Does she think the Lord
took all that trouble in making her for
nothing? It's evident he wants babies.
otherwise why does he send them2
Not that I've done much In that way
myself" said Tant' Sannie sorrowful-
ly. ''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 a man till you've had
baby by him. Now, there's that boy
there. When we were first married, if
he only sneezed in the night boxed
his ears. Now If he lets his pipe ash
come on my milk clothes don't think
of laying a finger on him. There's moth
ing like being married." said Tant'
Sannie as she puffed toward the door.
eff woman's got a baby and hus-
band, she's got the best things the Lord
can give her. If only the baby doesn't
have commissions. AS for husband,
its 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 a man. you know" s, -....-.-.-
z Here they came upon Gregory, who
was sitting In the shade before the
house. Tant' Sannie shook hands with
him. ?. .a .# +
'I'm glad you're going to get mar
ried," she said. ~ hope you'll have as
many children in five years as a cow
has calves, and more too. think I'll
just go and have look at your soap
pot before I start" she said, turning to
En-. "Not that l believe In this new
plan Of putting soda In the pot. If the
dear Father had meant soda to be put I
into soap, what would he have made
milk bushes for and stuck them all
over the weld as thick as lambs In the
lambing season o.
She waddled of 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 fat, like one who sits on the
seashore watching that which is fad
ing. fading from him. Against his
breast was 8 letter found in desk adj
dressed to himself, but never posted.
1t held only four words, "You must
marry EN-" He wore 1t in black
bag round his neck. 1t was the only
letter she had ever written to him.
"You see II the sheep don't have the
scab this Year, said Tant Sannie as
she waddled after EN-. "Its with all
these new inventions that the wrath of
God must fan on US. What were the
children Of Israel punished for II 1t
wasn't for making a golden calf?
may have my sins, but do remember
the Tenth Commandment, Honor Thy
father and thy mother, that it may be
well with thee, and that thou mayst
live long in the land which the Lord thy
God giveth thee It's all very well to
Say we honor them and then to be find
ting out things that they never knew
and doing things in a way that they
never did them. My mother boiled
asoap with bushes, and will boil soap
with bushes. If the wrath Of God is to
ifall upon this land" said Tant' Sannie,
with the serenity Of conscious virtue,
"1t shall not be through me. Let them
make their steam wagons and their
fire carriages; let them go on as though
the dear Lord didn't know what he
was about when he gave horses and
oxen legs. The destruction Of the Lord
will follow them. don't know how
such people read their Bibles. When
DOVE hear Of Moses or Noah riding In
a railway? The Lord sent fire car
riages out Of heaven In those days.
Eyes," said Tant' Sannie; Il had al
most forgotten to tell you. By the Lord
If had him here! We were walking
to church last sacrament Sunday, Pet
and L. Close In front Of us was old
Tant Trana, with dropsy and cancer
and can't live eight months. Walking
by her was something with its hands
under it's coattails, flap, flap. flap, and
its chin in the air, and a stick up collar,
l. hox hn hanx