The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1921-01-13
THE
HELPING HAND
By GEORGE z. COBB
1890. western Newspaper Union]

Time, abstraction, accepting things
as they came had roughened what had
once been sentiment and romance in
Abner Wheeler. The bringing up of
q family had made the practical ways
OF life serious, and little by little he
had drifted away from kiss and ca
ress, although never unkindly. He
was always pleasant with his patient,
toiling helpmeet, but never dreaming
that she might . still cherish those
trif1ing amenities Of affection that
keep a mans heart warm.
Their children had married and had
gone away, the home become lonely
and, Abner engrossed with business
cares and Jane, his wife, with her
household duties, it was natural that
each should treat the evening hours
as q period Of rest. Those hours were
dull ones to Jane. She did not COM
plain, however, because Abner read
and dozed, or sat lost in business
thoughts. He took her silence as a
natural sequence to the absence Of
the children and drifted into making
home a mere incident in everyday life.
Still, it warmed his heart whenever
he thought Of the devoted attention
Jane paid to his preferences and his
comfort.
Every morning Jane looked to ar
ranging his necktie snug and neatly
set In place, a feat Abner could never
accomplish. She would smile up In
his face and talk casual nothings
while performing this duty, and re-
ceived a goodbye kiss as q reward.
Jane had suffered a sprained wrist at
one time and made this the apology
for not always getting the tie "just
right" One morning Abner noticed
that she WINGED slightly in adjusting
Il. > ~~..,
"See- here, little woman, you're not
straining that hurt arm of yours in
taking my own lazy duty Off my Shout
ders, are your"
"Oh! no-just a little touch Of
rheumatism, Abner," replied Jane.
"It's this spell Of damp weather, I
think. Everybody is complaining"
Abner accepted the off-hand ~expla-
nation casually and getting out on the
street and finding he had left some
papers in the house, returned to the
front door. CHANGING past Its glass
top he made out Jane rubbing one
arm from the barred elbow down.
There was an expression of pain on
her face, and as she arose to put on
her busting apron Abner noticed that
she could not reach behind to adjust
the strings, but had to tie it in front
and then pull it around into place.
Abner proceeded to his Office with
bowed head and thoughtful face.
II wonder" he muttered to him
self, II wonder If I have been neg
lecting that dear woman all these
yearsY Somehow he was uneasy all
that day. Every time he thought Of
those busy, faithful hands that had so
ministered to his comfort, the pitiful
and pathetic appealed to him. That
was a day given over to retrospect,
to tender memories, signalized as a
period for casting up accounts and
realizing Just where he stood.
why, Abner, where is your regular
necktie?" spoke Mrs. Wheeler in q
ifest surprise as, preparing to attend
to his usual neckwear adornment, she
found her husband drawing into place
one Of those ties which have a set
knot and fasten with a pin. ~
"Oh! Ran across this sort yester-
day." responded Abner with affected
carelessness. Convenient. You can
set it in place readily and, besides, it
saves you a lot Of trouble"
"Saves me-" uttered Jane, in q
half troubled, half wistful tone. "Why.
It has got to be my last pleasant
thought as you leave the house to see
that you are trim and snug" she
was almost at the point Of tears.
"Well, well-smooth, out any stray.
wrinkles my bungling finger may have
left" interrupted Abner. Then
here, let me tie your apron for you.
That's ,it-really an artistic bow for
4 clumsy fellow like me. Now then,
4 kiss-no. the cheek won't do. ! say,
Jane, I'm going to have two weeks
vacation and this evening We'll plan
how Wen spend It, eh9 Goodbye.
dear" W 4. %...~
He was as brisk and volatile 40 q
young man and as he swung from the
house Jane sank into q chair, over
come. She was too bright a being
not to comprehend that instead Of be-
ine callous to her failing strength.
Abner had observed, and the new
necktie and the adjusted apron
Strings were the result. She sat like
one dumbed, and then cried as II her
heart would break. The thoughtful
ness, the tenderness. the love suggest
Cd by the two little incidents thrilled
her soul, bringing to the surface all
the latent suppressed emotion Of
years.
And that two weeks vacation!
Straight back to the town where both
had been born Abner Wheeler took
his wife. Amid the scenes where they
had played, boy and girl, where they