The Elbert County tribune., 1903-10-08

osity. said he must do nothing Of the
sort. He should have her butter and
egg income. which was no little. So
she continued to carry her heavy baby,
made over her meagre wedding outfit.
and spent the evenings tearing and
sowing carpet-rags.
That fall the old mother died. and
the funeral expenses consumed much
of the money saved toward the winter
payment on the Lower Ranch. New
winter clothes were not to be thought
Of; the butter and egg income con
tlnued to flow into the Lower Ranch
fund. and by spring Mary was asking
quarter at time for thread and
other necessities. still she was proud
of her husband as n land owner, and
kept saying that she would 20 with
him some day to see the Lower Ranch
But 1t was ten miles distant, a long
ride for her and baby in the heavy
wagon, and she was always so busy.
That season the crops We're almost
failure through drought. and the
| hogs had 10 go, market or no market.
In the spring another baby added 10
Mary's cares and she made Ruben's
infant clothes do for the tiny girl.
How could she ask for new things
when barns must be painted. hired
hands paid, and that semi-annual pay
ment always staring them In the face?
A hired girl had been the dream of
her honeymoon days, and the necessity
for house help grew as the passing
years increased the work. and slipped
babe after babe into her reluctant
i Itt,t hn tnI1 Inn
fear. that she could see that three
hired men couldn't put in and culti-
vate and gather all the crops of the
homestead and Lower Ranch and the
rented land: he must have more help.
When once the Lower Ranch was paid
for. she could have n hired girl and
welcome.
1t was the fifth year when the mort
gage was due that diplomatic trip
had to be made to the county-seat.
The last payment was overdue. with
only part of the interest paid. But
the agent was wise. He had learned
upon inquiry that Jason Grant was
honest. Woodworking and ambitious:
that he always paid. as he demanded
to be paid-to the last penny. So there
the mortgage; and the ranchman re-
turned home radiant His wife was
not as sympathetic as he had expected.
Every year of the extension of that
mortgage meant another year without
help in the house.
The second five years proved harder
than the first five. Mary's superb
health yielded more and more to the
strain. The rosy face and arms grew
brown and Ieathery from exposure at
the washtub. in the garden and in the
barnyard. She took less pride in her
self and children now. went less fire.
quently to church. though the minister,
stlll unmarried, called to protest. She
grew more and more silent. unfriendly
and self-contained, as she ''trod her
eternal circle" of cooking dish-wash-
ing. sweeping and mending, washing.
milking cows and rocking babies.
During these years of meeting pay
ments. she seldom expressed want
of n need-shoes or school books for
| the children. bottle of medicine. or
small donations for the parsonage
| but she was confronted by the Lower
Ranch and its next payment.
| At lenEtH tnt was
the last payment met: but the sign OF
pardonable relief was quenched by the
announcement that the "hnc house
would now be built-for renting pur-
poses. The projected Branch Road
| from county seat to county seat was
enjoying its biennial boom. the Lower
Ranch was on its surveyed route, and
ms all the adjoining ranches were MAX
ing improvements, it was Just pure
business to keep up with the neighbors
and be ready for what might happen.
The .'fine house was begun and
finished. and Ranchman Grant urged
his wife TO go with him and see It,
Mary smiled one of her grim little
smiles. and said she was too busy and
too tired; the children might go-Ru-
ben. Mandy and Jason. She really
never had been to the Lower Ranch.
near as It was The longing of earlier
years to visit had changed. first into
Indifference. and by-and-by into posi-
tive aversion, quite unaccountable TO
her husband.
The years that followed were full
of prosperity for Jason Grant He
bought more land TO raise more corn
TO feed more hogs"-his eternal circle.
His possessions increased = fields,
barns. stock, family. He would have
hired girl for his wife. he told her
one day about here; but country help
was high-priced, and besides, Mandy
and Mag were quite old enough to
take responsibilities. To this Mary did
not respond. She was growing to be
almost as silent as he.
More yer-s, more prosperity. more
improvements on all the ranches and
now of the state of affairs at the old