The daily tribune., 1907-07-30
Joe's Return
BY Frank Hardwood Rowe
Copyright. by Joseph D, powle.,

Joseph, l have decided TO get Oh
aloHo this winter"
There II was out The lines be.
came a little more rigid, II anything,
and the old woman's rocker increased
the cadence of Its croaking 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:
alone! Why, aunt, what's the mat
| ter? What have l done? Amt l
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 filled, why,
| aunt, | didn't know | 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 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.
mo, sir! amt quite bedridden
yeti she went on. Here I've been
| a-runnin this house for 40 years, and
never day but what | 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
| 1t up in the shed every fall? did.
| Who's drawed the water pail at
time all these years, and who even
laid the shingles on the ell an barn
ten years ago? did. ! did, Joe Ger
rish, and you know 1t. 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
But the 'rangement, auntic. the
| 'rangement,' said poor Joe. 'grasping
| like drowning man at the only straw
| in sight: you know the 'rangement
was that I 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
| 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 1t. aunt, agreed
| to 1t, but | never once 'spocted yer
want satisfied with me. I've tried aw-
full hard to please yer. Aunt, I've tried
awful hard"
Turned out, Joe looked around at
the homely. old-fashioncd furniture of
| the kitchen. Around the kitchen his
eyes Travelled and into the sitting
room, and everywhere were to be seen
evidences OF his madness with ham
| mer and saw.
Oh, but II was hard to be turned out
| now! Not but that he could continue
| to do odd jobs and so earn living
from the more pretentlous ncighbors;
| his services were always In demand.
| But the old house had become home to
| him. To sit down at night and draw
\ OF 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 outwardiy calm. she was
saying that he made her nervous
with his sulky ways"
Joe was n 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 n shrewish wife. to
whom silence was the only successful
opposition, and many more recent ex-
perlencos when loneliness had been
his invariablo lot had taught him the
happy art OF making friends with ones
self. and with himself he had Travelled
many n pleasant mental journey.
A year before he had come home
from Indiana. a man G2 years old. with
nothing but pair OF willing hands
and a clean name. His aunt. III at the
time, was nearly 90 years older. and
feeling that she had lived alone long
enough. had proposed that Joe make
his home with her. with the undor-
standing that sometime tho house