The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1907-08-08
JOe's Return
BY Frank Haziewood Rowe
Copyright. by Joseph b. Bowles)

Joseph, 1 have decided to get on
alone this winter"
There. It was out! The lines be-
came little more rigid, II anything,
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.
Az 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 a voice in
repr oduced:
alone! Why, aunt, what's the mat.
ter? What have I done? Amt I
tended to the wood, and amt helped
you wash, and amt done everything
for yer that could? Be yer sick of
seem me round? Why, Aunt" his
voice broke as his eyes filed, why,
aunt, didn't know l wasn't a-pleasin'
yer"
The cadence of the chair increased
yet again (the only outward evidence
of the inward disturbance), and Mary
waited moment before answering.
"'Tain't you, Joe," she said finally;
Its me, / guess. But tell yer. Joe,
I've been thinking 1t 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
mo. sir! / ain't quite bedridden
yet," she went on. Here I've been
a-runnin' this house for 40 yeass. and
never day but what was glad there
want no man botherin' round. Who
dug the garding and planted 1t, year
IN an year out, before you came? /
did. Who threw in the wood an piled
It up In the shed every fall? I did.
Who's drawed the water pail at a
time all these years, and who even
laid the shingles ON the ell an barn
ten years ago? I did. did, Joe Ger
rish, and you know II. 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,
amt" p. ~''t
"But the 'rangement, auntie, the
'rangement," said poor Joe, grasping
like drowning man at the only straw
In sight; you know the 'rangement
was that l do the work around and
make my home here the rest of my
days, and that sometime when you
get through, aunt, was a-goin' TO
have the place. Want that the under
standin', Aunt Mary?"
"Providin', Joe providin' that at the
end of year everything was satisfac-
tory. Want that what said? Didn't
you agree to that, now? TELL me. now.
didn't you agree to that?"
Yes, ! agreed to It, aunt, agreed
to Il, but I never once 'spected yer
want satisfied with me. I've tried aw
full hard to please yer, Aunt, I've tried
awful hard e ~.g' - ~
Turned outl Joe looked around at
the homely eld-fashionsd furniture Of
the kitchen. Around the kitchen his
eyes Travelled and into the sitting
room, and everywhere were to be seen
evidences of his hardness with ham,
mer and saw.
oh, but 1t was hard TO be turned out
now! Not but that he could continue
to do odd jobs and. SO earn a living
from the more pretentious neighbors;
his services were always in demand.
But the old house had become home to
him. To sit down at night and draw
off his heavy boots, put on his warm,
roomy slippers and after supper, with
| Dick on his knees or close beside him,
think over his thoughts all by him
| self, was JOY enough and to spare. He
little realized the inner emotions Of
his aunt. He little Imagined as he sat
thus in pleasant and peaceful thought
that though outwardly calm, she was
saying that he made her nervous
with his sulky ways"
Joe was q silent man; man of
many experiences, most OF them bit
ter. some of them tragic, who could
have had much to say Of the world
had he been given to talk. But years
of submission to shrewish wife. TO
whom silence was the only successful
opposition, and many more recent ex-
periencss when loneliness had been
his invariable lot had taught him the
happy art OF making friends with ones
self, and with himself he had travelled
many pleasant mental journey.
year before he had come home
from Indisna, q man 90 years old. with
nothing but a pair of willing hands
and clean name. His SAINT, III at the
time, was nearly 20 years older, and