The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1907-09-24

and the old woman's rocker increased
the cadence of its creaking by ten
rocks to the minute, but still she kept
her, eyes intent upon her work, which,
for knitted stocking, seemed to need
an unusual amount of attention.
AS for Joseph, the look of astonish-
ment, then CONSERVATION that came
over his face was pitiful to see. He
brought down his feet from their
place of ease, half turned in his chair
till he could see his aunt's rigid ex-
preston, and exclaimed in voice in
which all the trouble of his face was
reproduced:
"Alonel Why, aunt, what's the mat
ter? What have l done? Amt
tended to the wood, and amt helped
you wash, and amt l done everything
for yer that / could? Be yer sick of
seem me 'round2 Why, Aunt" his
voice broke as his eyes filed, why.
aunt, didn't know / wasn't a-pleasin'
yer"
The cadence of the chair increased
yet again 1.-THE only outward evidence
of the inward disturbance), and Mary
waited moment before answering.
"'Tain't you, joe" she said finally;
'it's me, l guess. But l tell yer, Joe,
I've been thinking it over all summer.
and if am an old woman / amt quite
laid on the shelf yet. and | amt ago
in to be, neither
AS she talked her feelings overcame
her timidity of speech. and now she
set forth her views with the force of
ten months of pent-up feelings, while
poor Joe listened and looked as
though the end of the world had come.
NO, sir! 1 amt quite bedridden
yet" she went on. Here I've been
a-runnin' this house for 40 years, and
never a day but what l was glad there
want no man botherin' round Who
dug the garding and planted it, year
in an year out, before you came? I
did. Who threw in the wood an piled
it up in the shed every fall? l did.
Who's drawed the water a pail at a
time all these years, and who even
laid the shingles on the ell an barn
ten years ago? l did. l did, Joe Ger
rish, and you know it Now do you
think I'm a-goin' to see my home
taken right out of my hands. an me
a-dependin' on somebody else? Well,
l amt"
But the 'rangement, auntie, the
'rangement," said poor Joe, grasping
like a drowning man at the only straw
in sight; you know the 'rangement
was that / do the work around and
make my home here the rest of my
days, and that sometime when you
get through, aunt, l was a-goin' tc
have the place. Want that the under
standin' Aunt Mary?"
, "Providin', Joe, providin' that at the
end of a year everything was satisfac
tory. Want that what I said? Didnt
you agree to that, now? Tell, me, now
didn't you agree to that?"
Yes, 1 agreed to it, aunt, 1 agreed
to it, but l never once spected yel
: want satisfied with me. I've tried aw
full hard to please yer, Aunt, I've tried
awful hard"
Turned OUT Joe looked around a
the homely, old-fashioned furniture o
/, the kitchen Around the kitchen hi
eyes travelled and into the sitting
room, and everywhere were to be seer
evidences of his hardness with ham
mer and saw.
Oh, but it was hard to be turned on
nowi Not but that he could continu,
+ to do odd jobs and so earn a livinl
from the more pretentious neighbors
, his services were always in demand
: But the old house had become home t,
him To sit down at night and draw
,, of his heavy boots. put on his warm
=, roomy slippers and after supper, witt
! Dick on his knees or close beside him
|, think over his thoughts all by him
! self, was joy enough and to spare. HI
little realized the inner emotions o
his aunt. He little imagined as he sa
: thus in pleasant and peaceful though
/. that though outwardly calm, she wa
saying that he made her nervous
with his sulky ways"
IA year before he had come hom,
from Indiana, a man 50 years old witt
nothing but a pair of willing hand
and clean name. HIS. aunt, ill at tn,
time, was nearly 20 years older. ant
feeling that she had lived alone lon,
enough, had proposed that Joe max,
his home with her. with the under
, standing that sometime the hous,
should be his. Thus had the place be
come home to the old man, and S,
happy had he been in this haven o
refuge that he failed to see the storm
that was rising, and when at last /
broke he felt for the while that hi
spirit broke as well. So, with only tn
stars to see, he cried like child tina
night before tired Nature at last CAV
way and sleep claimed her own.
December came and went 1t was
hard month. Great storms piled tn
streets, and country, city and shippin
suffered. Joe Gerrish in his one lntl
, room kept his diminutive stove fierce
ly going, and before it he rubbed hi
hands gleefully. "a snug little harbol
snug little harbor," he repeated owe
and over again, as if to make I'm wit