The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-01-27

A NOVEMBER AFTERNOON.
BIZ REBECcA HARDING DAVIS

bl REbECNA hAHIiNt DAVIS
THE wind off the Delaware was keen.
1t Redeemed the noses of the pretty young
girls hurrying home up Chestnut street,
and frightened their eyes; their plaid
clOaks and scarlet plumes fluttered; the red
sunset glittered on the windows; people
called gayly to each other as they passed
out of every area window came savOry
whitfs of dinner. The world to Sam
Bender had never seemed more insulting
ly good -humored
How dye like this blow, Sam? Smells
winterish, eh?"
How goes it, Bender?"
"M nat ) the good news, Sam w
Bender turned at this. 1t was little
Joe houston, one of his fellow clerks,
who had clapped him on the back.
Good news. no good news" turning
grulfiy away Yet he wished the fantastic
little fellow would stay with him. He felt
terribly alone-as he had never done be-
fore in all his life-things had reached
such narrow strait with him to-day.
"Tut, tut, Bender You're morbid
since you've been sick. Do you think
you're the first man that's had typhoid ?"
I've lost more than health. | find to-
day Stouch stopped my salary after the
first week"
"Whew, But, after all, what's money,
boy? Can sordid dust make the 'bosom's
lord sit lighter on his throne p" tapping
his gaudy little waistcoat theatrically.
" ANYHOW, don't believe StOuch knew
anything about it. It's that cursed old
Morris"
"What does that matter? It's gone.
have been saving for years to pay off the
mortgage on our house I'll have to take
the money to clear off the debts of the
last three months, and the mortgage falls
due tomorrow"
:" That's bad luck, indeed. Such a
snug little house, too! How long have
you lived there, Sam?"
81 was born in it. It's the Bender home
stead. I've been saving ever since l was
married, to pay off that mortgage. But
now"
31ary's done her share of saving, too"
Bender was silent moment. 81 have
no fault to find with my wife," he said,
coldly.
mo chance of renewalr'
"None. He is glad of the chance to
foreclose"
"Too bad, too BAD" He was chewing
his sandy mustache. Joe was always
fidgetty and in motion "There's Ki.ty
StOuch coming now She's brick of a
girl Know her? 1t would be wO.th fell
lows while to cut in there, hey. If you We
nothing more to say, I'll join her, Sam"
his eager face growing as. red as his hair as
the young lady came lear.
"Ive nothing more to saw"
BYE, tnenl touching his cap and
Skipping oil % the side of the large, calm
eyed blorde who was abreast of them.
Her he'.vy, lustrous silk brushed against
sam as she brushed by When Houston
lGIned her he spoke eagerly, motioning
back to- Sam; then they both laughed.
What had induced Bender to make con-
fidant of the man? He cursed his own
folly, looking after him as he went skip
ping along, light as a grass hopper Yet
he used to think Joe was soft-hearted as
woman But what did it matter to any
man that he stood there ruined to-day,
the patient toll of years swept away in
one blow? What did the world care? Or
God ,-if there were a God He looked
for few minutes stolidly over the heads
OF the gay, moving crowd into the cloudy
sky.
Only year ago Sam had been a rigid
church member, teaching class of boys
IN the Sunday He tried to teach
them to trust in a living Christ, to trust
in each other; constantly growing strong
CT himself from the teaching Now
1t was not the loss Of money. But
that Mary should have turned from him.
lie walked down the street, with his
head on his breast. Then he came slowly
back to the door Of Saul's ware-rooms In
a few minutes he could know the worst,
and he would not shirk it.
He did not remember ever to have no
t;ced this place particularly before. 1t
was a seven-stOried, white marble building
the ware-roOms above, and the ground
floor occupied as sale department The
manufacture was exclusively that of gas
fixtures.
The windows, beside one of which he
stood, were filled with costly bronzes; the
lofty ceiling of the room within glittered
with chandeliers and lusters. Two or
three of these great gewgaws would have
paid for his home, he thought, bitterly
1t was strange that, at that moment, when
he was waiting to know if his wife were
true or false to him, the loss of the home
should have REQUIRED to him. But it had
become, through long years of waiting, of
penny saving and selfdenial, mania with
Bender.
"saul, Crompton & Saul he read tn c
name of the firm over and over The
OdulS were mcIcndnt pIlnces-Hlck5ltc
Friends He knew their stately houses
out on Locust street. II was Crompton
whom Morris, the Overscer, had told him,
with so meaning sn lie, was a gay fellow,
" not to be trusted with so pretty wife
as yours, Bender"
1t was only this morning that Morris
had told him this, when he had crept down
to the office for the first time after his
three months illness. He felt, when he
opened the Office door, as if 1t were the
ghost of Sam Bender who was gong IN,
the strength was so drained out of his
body Then he had for long time.
noticed the change in Mary-how pre-oc-
cupied she was, silent, going about the
house with her thoughts far off. He had
not failed to note her long absences, even
when he was still III, and needed, Oh
thought he needed, her constant care
This thing had worked deep change
in him Sam Bender was not the man tc
ask questions or chatter over his jealousy
or wounded love. He only put his wife
coldiIy from him, little space, and wait
ed. At the most he fancied that she had
grown wearied of the sick-roOm and sick
man. But when she was put away from
him, the soul seemed to grow weak in hi
weak body They had been peculiarly
loving husband and wife.
That morning. Morris had told him frs
of the stopDape of his salary "Very