Year: 1871

Il
think woman ought to be willing T.
do the milking if her husband was
farmer and was called away on tow
business.


"Of course, said two or three @
them. "Do you want to hire hand
4 Eph2 Take me, oh, take me-" ant
they all huddled up around me unit
| was almost crazy l don't know hoy
l should ever have got away from them
but was tipping back in my chair
and somehow it went over and 1 wen
my full length on the floor. They al
commenced screaming, and 1 suppos,
they thought 1 was hurt, for the,
called to their father, and he cam,
running in. Says he, Brother Haw
kins, what is the matter? what have
you done to frighten these girls so Z"


Says |, "They can't be more fright
ened than / am, and If you will ge
the chair mended will settle the bill
/. wanted to talk with you about the
school in our district, but 1 guess
will see you down to the corner some
day and was coming away, but my
hat had been mislaid somehow, sn6
after long search Brother Read ,eni
me his best one; and though it wat
pretty large, / managed to weal
it by wrapping my handkerchiei
around my head. Becky Read
was in the yard, and she
said elf she found my hat she'd bring
it over, and if weren't at home shed
stay and do the milking" was going
to have little more talk with her, but
heard the other girls snicSering, and
it upset me completely.


"Oh, Ephraim the whole town will
be laughing about you, know"


"Oh, no, mother, there's no occa-
sion, for in all these places / never said
a word to any one about marrying, and
then you know l passed it off as though
really did have business with the men
folks"


"But what possessed you to ask such
strange questions Why did you not
leave those things to time 2"


'No time like the present to settle
points which might make trouble for
us if left to the future At my age ]
wasn't going to ask any girl to marry
me without knowing her views. When
l got out of sight of Reads house i
sat down on the wall and tried to settle
whether / would give it mp and go
home, or what / had better do. ]
thought of all the hard work l had
done on this place, and of what you
said last night, that you'd settle every
thing upon Solomon if didn't marry
in month; and he's nothing but a
child, aud not fit to be trusted with
clearing up the land; so, late as it was,
and hungry and tired as felt, walked
over to the Widow Slater's. The
children came running out to meet me;
you know they always 'peared to like
me; they had been crying because their
mother had been ordered to have the
house empty in fortnight's time. As
soon as they told me saw what my
duty was, and why my way had been
hedged up all the day. / stayed an
hour, L guess, and we agreed upon
everything, and so 1 think your trials
are about over, mother, for she is going
to marry me as soon as ever we can be
published"


Won mean, for the widow has three girls





to doing up their hair"


"Why, mother, tbs the widow her
self, though if I'd thought of it I'd
asked Miranda some questions; but
tbs too late now the bargain is made,
and when once / have the widow and
her seven children here, nobody can
complain of my not having a family.
think have been led to great useful
ness.


"To great foolishness, you'd better
say. How am to live with all those
children running wild around here
and Solomon will be flirting with those
grown-up girls. Dear me; if your
father had only lived, and there'd been
some head here, you wouldn't have
tried me SO.


"No, mother; / promise You about
the flirting I'm going to do better
tnan that"


The promise sounded little mystic
rious to Ephraim and his mother, but
the explanation came soon enough, for
Solomon was missing one day, as was
also the widow Slater's daughter, Mi
randa; and when they returned Solo
mon presented his wife to the family,
saying that "he'd given his word to
his mother that he wouldn't fiirt, and
he was bound TO keep it, if it killed
him"


The last we heard about the widow
she was "tired about what relation
Solomon's children will be to Ephraim
and his wife. And though Ephraim
has been chosen deacon, yet with such
a mixed up state OF things at home, she
is of opinion that her trials have only
Just begun.