The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-10-23


His possessions increased - fields.
barns, stock family. lie would have
hired a girl FOR his wife. he told her
one day about here: but country help
was high-prlced, and besides. Mandy
and Mag were quite old enough 10
take responsibilities. To this Mary dld
not respond. She was growing 70 be
almost as silent as he.
More years, more prosperity. more
improvements on all the ranches and
now of the state of affairs at the old
ranch house, just a glimpse.
Ranchman Grant sits inside the Ay.
screen Of the west kitchen door. Mrs.
Grant has done the supper dishes
and strained the milk and set the yeast
and picked the chickens and put the
baby to sleep and heard Mays and
Willle's Sunday-school lessons. and
now she draws her mendlng basket
near the lamp, and approaches her
husband on the matter of their share
Of the minister's salary. The Joneses
give ten dollars besides most keeping
the minister and his sister in meat.
The Turner's give ten dollars and never
go to town without taking bushel
Of turnips to the parsonage. And didn't
he mind, they had set down four dol.
lars and one-half last revival time. and
only fifty cents of it was paid, besides
the half bushel of potatoes and what
butter she had spared?
Emboldened by his silence, she goes
on to remind him that Ruben needs a
new pair Of boots, since he and the
team have been promised n week in
Turner's timber. And Mandy ought
to have a new calico dress If she
takes the little o7es to Sunday-school.
And she, herself, would like to get
another bottle of that iron tonic Just
to carry her over haying season; the
other bottle had sort o. braced her up.
She hated TO so to Or. Dean again,
when he wasn't paid yet for tending on
Willie and the baby.
Jason Grant is astonished. Doesn't
he let her have half the butter and
egg money, and oughtn't a woman to
keep herself in little things with all
that? Don't all the stores where she
trades carry calico? And Ruben's
boots will last another two months at
least; he noticed them only last Sun
day. AS to the parsOn, doesn't he,
Jason Grant, give each of the children
penny every Sunday for the collec-
ton? She doesn't stop to calculate
how much that amounts to in n year;
women are nothing at figures anyhow.
Well, he'll see the parsOn some of these
days and see about that four dollars.
Maybe he'll take some more potatoes.
He settles back to his paper without
a mention of the medicine. But his
wife persists. though half frightened
at her own temerity. Can she have just
enough to get the tonic? She can't
sell butter and eggs at the drug store.
If she can only be carried over till
cool weather. She isn't feeling right
smart, and baby pulls her down
and"
Her husband breaks in impatlently
How much does bottle cost? Thirty
five cents. He counts out the exact
change into her extended hand, mutter-
ing that he doesn't see how he is ever
to improve the Lower Ranch if she
keeps on. Nearly a whole half dollar
for Il bottle of patent medicine that
won't do any good either Women are
always sick or think they are. If they'd
only take care Of themselves! He is
never sick. Always money! Does she
think his breeches pockets are chuck
full all the time? A man can struggle
along all his days and work like a
slave and never get ahead. And to
see his money, good straight silver
cash, mind you, worse than thrown
away on such fool things as patent
bitters 1t is downright outrageous
And two new sicllles broken and a new
sulIy rake to buy, and a stockwell tt
dig on the Lower Ranch, and won
that ranch be hers when he is dead?
After several such interviews, Mary
| Grants aversion to the Lower Rancl
grew into sort Of mania. Not only
did she refuse to see it, but she began
to tell her neighbors in boastful way
that she had never seen the big piece
of land, bought when she was a bride
now more than eighteen years ago
and what was more, she never wOulC
go near it. 1t was the one subjec
upon which she was laxative. TIL
:, habit grew upon her she would tel
the same story TO every one, even t
chance acquantancos. She went so ia
as to repeat her VOW to the ministe
in the presence Of her husband-a voy
which tho minister npvnr FORGOT nm