Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1904-07-27

II should like to know how was GO
ing to leave. Only I'll say this, that II
Aunt Helen would marry old Thornton
to-day-she wouldn't touch him with a
walking-stick!'
TO our amazement, on the very next
afternoon who should appear at our
gate, with his phaeton and pair, but
Mr.. Thornton; and who, bonneted. and
gloved, and yelled, should issue from
the door, to be placed in that phaeton
and drive OFF with him, but Aunt
Helen! Ned chuckled; but the rest of
us could do nothing but wonder.
"Has she gone to be married?' we
gasped. And Lii and Harry began to
cry.
"Well, I'll tell you," said Ned, in
mercy. HE said there'd never been a
day since he left her that he hadn't
longed for what he threw awayp
"Oh, how wicked!'
"She told him SO, very quietly and
severely tell you Aunt Helen can be
severe-and to be silent on that. Fer
ever? said he. And ever said she.
1T is impossible, said he And then he
went over, one by one, q dozen differ
ent days and scenes when they were
young; and if ever a fellow felt mean,
1 was the one"
II should think you would" we cried
with one accord.
"Now look here" returned Ned. "If
you want to hear the rest, you keep
that sort Of remark to yourself. It was
too late to show myself, anyway. And
I'll be blamed If I'll say another word
If you don't every one acknowledge
you'd have done just as 1 did,"
ooh, Ned, do tell the whole. That's
good boy"
well, she just began to cry-I
never saw Aunt Helen cry before. And
then it seemed as If she would go dis
tracted; and he begged her not to cry
and she cried the more; and he begged
her to marry him out of hand-I know
just how to do it now; only it doesn't
seem to be very successful way
and she shook her head; and he i'm
plored her, by their old love, he said,
and he wiped her eyes, and she looked
at him, and gave laugh--a hateful
sort Of laugh.
"'Then,' said he, if you will not for
my sake, not for your own sake, then
for the sake of the motherless children,
who need you more than ever children
needed mother yet, and who-who
are driving me crazy!' And then Aunt
Helen laughed in earnest, a good,
sweet, ringing peal; and the long and
short of it is that she has driven UP to
the Thornton house to-day to look ut
the cubs and see what she thinks about
them. Maybe she'll bring them down
here-she's great on missionary work,
you know"
"Well, I declared was the fnal
chorus. And we sat in silence a good
half hour; and by the time our tongues
were running again Aunt Helen had
returned, and Mr. Thornton had come
in with her and sat down upon the
piazza step at her feet, but not at all
with the air Of an accepted lover
much more like tenant of Mohamet's
coffin, we thought And, as began to
tell you, we were all sitting and swing
ing there when Aunt Helen exclaimed
about It's being a scene Of domestic
comfort. As she sat down the big
black Cochin hen came to meet her.
and Aunt Helen threw her a bit Of
water-cracker, a supply Of which she
always carried about her nowadays.
"Why, where's your husband?' said
she to the hen.
'aThere he u.s." said Ned. "He's been
up alone in that corner Of the grass
the whole day, calling and clucking
and inviting company; but the rest
haven't paid the least attention to him,
and are picking and scratching down
about the cannas."
ooh, but he's been down there twice,
Ned,' cried Harry. "and tried to whip
the little bantam, but it was a drawn
battle"
''Well, he ought to have little va
cation, and scratch for awhile" said
Aunt Helen. "He has picked and
scra tched for his hen and her family
all summer"
"And SOS the banty," said Ned. "The
bantams the best; he's taken as much
care Of the chickens as the hen has,
any way; and he never went to roost
once all the time his hen was setting,
Mr.. Thornton, but sat right down in
the straw beside her every night"
"a model Spouse" said Aunt Helen.
'They are almost human" said Mr..
Thornton. And so we sat talking till
the tea-bell rang, for Mr.. Thornton was
going to stay to tea, he boldly told us;
and we saw that he meant to get all the
young people on his side by the way he
began to talk to Ned about trout and
pickerel, and about deep-sea fishing;
but when he got to eel-traps, Ned's
face was purple, and he blessed that
too I>oJ1 r Co. vyI~