Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1916-02-10
Second Best
What Ann Said and What
She Did
By LOUISE oINEY

Henry Jasper. He stood before her
. little awkwardly, but yet man
that most women would have con-.
sidered kindly. He was not forty,
well OF for the simple community,
highly respected, and his wife, Caro-
line, had been dead three years. Be-
ing . mere man, how could he know
that Ann, his old schoolmate, had
suffered agonies when as q young
man he had courted and married
her cousin?
No one knew why Ann had not
married. She never wore her heart
on her sleeve. Now, in spite of
herself, her heart softened to him,
noting how his hand ruffied his hair
% it always did when he was puz-
zled and unhappy.
Il never did think / could be Sec
ond best in any mans life,' she
went on rather cruelty. "And /
don't see how at my age, thirty
five, and / don't care who knows it
II don't see how / can begin play
ing mother to another woman's
eli Id. The boy will hate me, as all
children do stepmother. No; ask
some other woman" The man
flushed angrily.
Don't insult me, Ann. You
know / don't want any other wo-
n:an. I've always--you know / can't
tell you what ! always thought of
you. 1t wouldn't seem fair to Caro-
line, who did her best by me-
The world knew she had been a
weak, fretfnl, untidy woman, jeal-
GUS, thriftless, her baby beauty gone
in few years. And it knew of his
loyalty. He could not tell this wo-
man how in the years she had been
about his house helping Caroline
his heart had gone out to AIMS
CHEEKY strength, her wholesome,
healthy kindness. He tried one
word more.
"Ann, if yon knew how l needed
you in every way you would come.
Do you think ] have forgotten how
to love ?" Still she shook her head,
He turned slowly away, climbed into
his buggy and drove to his own
farm. Ann sat thinking, for she
remembered many things. She
finally rose and went into her sis
ter Molly's house, where she was
visiting.
In the crisp September morning
Ann started out for walk. She
went over the hill where she used
to play with Molly and with Henry
and Caroline. Reaching the top OF
the hill, she sat down in the falling
leaves, pushing the heavy dark hair
back from her face.
Down in the valley she could see
Henry Jasper's house and barnyard.
He was hitching the bays to the
buggy, and presently he drove away.
A sudden temptation assailed her.
She had heard Molly say his most
recent housekeeper had left. Should
she 60 and have look at things ?
She did not see the boy about.
Probably Jimmy was at his grand
mothers. She rose and walked
across the stnbble.
The door was locked, but she
found the key under the mat and
entered. She could have groaned at
sight of the kitchen - dishes un-
washed, floor ditto, disorder ram
pant. The sitting room, the bed
room, everything was sorry sight.
Things had been bad enough in
Caroline's time, but now they were
impossible.
She had no conjunction about
entering. She had always been in
and out before she went to the city.
He would not care. She looked at
the clock and calculated that he
could not get back from town un-
der two hours. Then she rolled up
her sleeves and skirt and went to
work--dishes first, then the floor,
then sweeping, busting and making
beds. Before she knew it three
hours had gone and it was noon.
She found bite to eat and decid-
ed to 20 on even il he caught her
at it.
|. She had decided that she would
keep at work as long as possible and
then slide out the back way when
she saw him coming. but it was not
to be. About she suddenly was
aware of wailing in the yard and
from the door beheld Jimmy, fish
pole in hand, limping along and cry
ing at every step. He was boy OF
ten, like his father as one pea to
another. She ran to meet him and
saw that his foot was cut and bleed
ing. She picked him up and car
fied him in, washed his foot, dress
ed it and put him on the sofa, where
she fed him. AS she came to take
away the plate he suddenly, in the
most unboylike fashion, snatched
her about the neck and kissed her.
Then he fell asleep.
BY this time she had no thought
Of going back till the child's father
came. She moved about the kitchen
Is
and dining room in her orderly, eff
fective way - . way businesslike,