He Fell In Love With His Wife by Edward Payson Roe (best books to read for students TXT) đ
- Author: Edward Payson Roe
- Performer: -
Book online «He Fell In Love With His Wife by Edward Payson Roe (best books to read for students TXT) đ». Author Edward Payson Roe
He regarded her and her child as barnacles with such appalling adhesive powers
that even his ingenuity at âcrowding outâ had been baffled. In justice to
him, it must be admitted that Mrs. Mumpson was a type of the poor relation
that would tax the long suffering of charity itself. Her husband had left her
scarcely his blessing, and if he had fled to ills he knew not of, he believed
that he was escaping from some of which he had a painfully distinct
consciousness. His widow was one of the people who regard the âworld as their
oyster,â and her scheme of life was to get as much as possible for nothing.
Arrayed in mourning weeds, she had begun a system of periodical descents upon
his relatives and her own. She might have made such visitations endurable and
even welcome, but she was not shrewd enough to be sensible. She appeared to
have developed only the capacity to talk, to pry, and to worry people. She
was unable to rest or to permit others to rest, yet her aversion to any useful
form of activity was her chief characteristic. Wherever she went she took the
ground that she was âcompany,â and with a shawl hanging over her sharp,
angular shoulders, she would seize upon the most comfortable rocking chair in
the house, and mouse for bits of news about everyone of whom she had ever
heard. She was quite as ready to tell all she knew also, and for the sake of
her budget of gossip and small scandal, her female relatives tolerated her
after a fashion for a time; but she had been around so often, and her scheme
of obtaining subsistence for herself and child had become so offensively
apparent, that she had about exhausted the patience of all the kith and kin on
whom she had the remotest claim. Her presence was all the more unwelcome by
reason of the faculty for irritating the men of the various households which
she invaded. Even the most phlegmatic or the best-natured lost their
self-control, and as their wives declared, âfelt like flying all to piecesâ at
her incessant rocking, gossiping, questioning, and, what was worse still,
lecturing. Not the least endurable thing about Mrs. Mumpson was her peculiar
phase of piety. She saw the delinquencies and duties of others with such
painful distinctness that she felt compelled to speak of them; and her zeal
was sure to be instant out of season.
When Mr. Weeks had started on his ominous mission to Holcroft his wife
remarked to her daughter confidentially, âI declare, sis, if we donât get rid
of Cynthy soon, I believe Lemuel will fly off the handle.â
To avoid any such dire catastrophe, it was hoped and almost prayed in the
Weeks household that the lonely occupant of the hill farm would take the widow
for good and all.
Chapter III. Mrs. Mumpson Negotiates and Yields
Mr. Weeks, on his return home, dropped all diplomacy in dealing with the
question at issue. âCynthy,â he said in his own vernacular, âthe end has come,
so far as me and my folks are concernedâI never expect to visit you, and
while Iâm master of the house, no more visits will be received. But I haint
taken any such stand onconsiderately,â he concluded. âIâve given up the whole
forenoon to secure you a better chance of living than visiting around. If you
go to Holcroftâs youâll have to do some work, and so will your girl. But
heâll hire someone to help you, and so you wonât have to hurt yourself. Your
trump card will be to hook him and marry him before he finds you out. To do
this, youâll have to see to the house and dairy, and bestir yourself for a
time at least. Heâs pretty desperate off for lack of women folks to look
after indoor matters, but heâll sell out and clear out before heâll keep a
woman, much less marry her, if she does nothing but talk. Now remember,
youâve got a chance which you wonât get again, for Holcroft not only owns his
farm, but has a snug sum in the bank. So you had better get your things
together, and go right over while heâs in the mood.â
When Mrs. Mumpson reached the blank wall of the inevitable, she yielded, and
not before. She saw that the Weeks mine was worked out completely, and she
knew that this exhaustion was about equally true of all similar mines, which
had been bored until they would yield no further returns.
But Mr. Weeks soon found that he could not carry out his summary measures.
The widow was bent on negotiations and binding agreements. In a stiff,
cramped hand, she wrote to Holcroft in regard to the amount of âsalaryâ he
would be willing to pay, intimating that one burdened with such
responsibilities as she was expected to assume âort to be compensiated
proposhundly.â
Weeks groaned as he dispatched his son on horseback with this first epistle,
and Holcroft groaned as he read it, not on account of its marvelous spelling
and construction, but by reason of the vista of perplexities and trouble it
opened to his boding mind. But he named on half a sheet of paper as large a
sum as he felt it possible to pay and leave any chance for himself, then
affixed his signature and sent it back by the messenger.
The widow Mumpson wished to talk over this first point between the high
contracting powers indefinitely, but Mr. Weeks remarked cynically, âItâs
double what I thought heâd offer, and youâre lucky to have it in black and
white. Now that everythingâs settled, Timothy will hitch up and take you and
Jane up there at once.
But Mrs. Mumpson now began to insist upon writing another letter in regard to
her domestic status and that of her child. They could not think of being
looked upon as servants. She also wished to be assured that a girl would be
hired to help her, that she should have all the church privileges to which she
had been accustomed and the right to visit and entertain her friends, which
meant every farmerâs wife and all the maiden sisters in Oakville. âAnd then,â
she continued, âthere are always little perquisites which a housekeeper has a
right to look forââ Mr. Weeks irritably put a period to this phase of
diplomacy by saying, âWell, well, Cynthy, the stage will be along in a couple
of hours. Weâll put you and your things aboard, and you can go on with what
you call your negotiations at Cousin Abiramâs. I can tell you one thing
thoughâif you write any such letter to Holcroft, youâll never hear from him
again.â
Compelled to give up all these preliminaries, but inwardly resolving to gain
each point by a nagging persistence of which she was a mistress, she finally
declared that she âmust have writings about one thing which couldnât be left
to any manâs changeful mind. He must agree to give me the monthly salary he
names for at least a year.â
Weeks thought a moment, and then, with a shrewd twinkle in his eyes, admitted,
âIt would be a good thing to have Holcroftâs name to such an agreement. Yes,
you might try that on, but youâre taking a risk. If you were not so
penny-wise and pound-foolish, youâd go at once and manage to get him to take
you for âbetter or worse.ââ
âYouâmisjudge me, Cousin Lemuel,â replied the widow, bridling and rocking
violently. If thereâs any such taking to be done, he must get me to take
him.â
âWell, well, write your letter about a yearâs engagement. Thatâll settle you
for a twelvemonth, at least.â
Mrs. Mumpson again began the slow, laborious construction of a letter in which
she dwelt upon the uncertainties of life, her âduty to her offspring,â and the
evils of âvicissitude.â âA stable home is womanâs chief desire,â she
concluded, âand you will surely agree to pay me the salary you have said for a
year.â
When Holcroft read this second epistle he so far yielded to his first impulse
that he half tore the sheet, then paused irresolutely. After a few moments he
went to the door and looked out upon his acres. âItâll soon be plowing and
planting time,â he thought. âI guess I can stand herâat least I can try it
for three months. Iâd like to turn a few more furrows on the old place,â and
his face softened and grew wistful as he looked at the bare, frost-bound
fields. Suddenly it darkened and grew stern as he muttered, âBut Iâll put my
hand to no more paper with that Weeks tribe.â
He strode to the stable, saying to Timothy Weeks, as he passed, âIâll answer
this letter in person.â
Away cantered Timothy, and soon caused a flutter of expectancy in the Weeks
household, by announcing that âOld Holcroft looked black as a thundercloud and
was cominâ himself.â
âI tell you what âtis, Cynthy, itâs the turn of a hair with you now,â growled
Weeks. âUnless you agree to whatever Holcroft says, you havenât the ghost of a
chance.â
The widow felt that a crisis had indeed come. Cousin Abiramâs was the next
place in the order of visitation, but her last experience there left her in
painful doubt as to a future reception. Therefore she tied on a new cap,
smoothed her apron, and rocked with unwonted rapidity. âItâll be according to
the ordering of Providenceââ
âOh, pshaw!â interrupted Cousin Lemuel, âitâll be according to whether youâve
got any sense or not.â
Mrs. Weeks had been in a pitiable state of mind all day. She saw that her
husband had reached the limit of his enduranceâthat he had virtually already
âflown off the handle.â But to have her own kin actually bundled out of the
houseâwhat would people say?
Acceptance of Holcroftâs terms, whatever they might be, was the only way out
of the awkward predicament, and so she began in a wheedling tone, âNow, Cousin
Cynthy, as Lemuel says, youâve got a first-rate chance. Holcroftâs had an
awful time with women, and heâll be glad enough to do well by anyone who does
fairly well by him. Everybody says heâs well off, and once youâre fairly
there and get things in your own hands, thereâs no telling what may happen.
Heâll get a girl to help you, and Janeâs big enough now to do a good deal.
Why, youâll be the same as keeping house like the rest of us.â
Further discussion was cut short by the arrival of the victim. He stood
awkwardly in the door of the Weeks sitting room for a moment, seemingly at a
loss how to state his case.
Mr. And Mrs. Weeks now resolved to appear neutral and allow the farmer to make
his terms. Then, like other superior powers in the background, they proposed
to exert a pressure on their relative and do a little coercing. But the
widowâs course promised at first to relieve them of all further effort. She
suddenly seemed to become aware of Holcroftâs presence, sprang up, and gave
him her hand very cordially.
âIâm glad to see you, sir,â she began. âItâs very considerate of you to come
for me. I can get ready in short order, and as for Jane, sheâs never a bit of
trouble. Sit down, sir, and make yourself to home while I get our things
together and put on my bonnet;â and she was about to hasten from the room.
She, too, had been compelled to see that Holcroftâs farmhouse was the only
certain refuge left, and while she had rocked and waited the thought had come
into her
Comments (0)