New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-10-27
TIE ONE DOLLAR RlLT.s


T4FE ONE DOLLAR BlLEo
i
| How it did rain that November night
| Mono of your undecided showers, with hest
| tating intervals, as it were, between; none
of your mild, persistent gatherings on the
roof, but a regular tempest, a wild deluge,
| q rush Of arrOwy drops, and thunder of
| opening clouds!
| Squire Partlet heard the angry rattle
| against the easement and drew his snug
easy chair little closer to the fire-a great
! open mass of glittering anthracite-and gaZ-
! ing with a sort of sleepy satisfaction at the
crimson In0reen curtains, and the old gray
| cat fast asleep upon the hearth, and the
canary bird rolled into ball of yellow
down upon its perch.
"This is snug" quoth the squire; "Im
| glad had that leaky spot in the roof of the
| barn fixed last week. | don't object to q
stormy night once in while when bOdy's
under cover, and there's nothing particular
| to be done. Mary"
| "Yes," Mrs. Partlet answered. She was
lffitting about between kitchen and sitting
room, with blue check apron tied about
her waist. "Im nearly ready to come in
now, Josiah Now, wonder" sotto 7oce,
''if that was really knock at the door, or
just a little rush of wind and rain2"
She went to the door, nevertheless, and a
minute or two afterward she went to her
husbands chair.
Joe, dear, its Luke Ruddilove," she said
apprehensively. The squire never looked
up from his paper.
"Tell him BEES made mistake. The tav-
ern is the next corner beyond"
'But he wants to know if you'll lend HIM
q dollar" said Mrs. Bartlett.
"And couldn't you have told him no,
without the preliminary ceremony of COM
ing here to ask me! Is it likely that shall
lend dollar or even a cent to Luke Ruddi-
love? Why, had great deal better throw
il in yonder red GOALS. No, of course, no! "
Mrs. Partlet hesitated.
"He looks SO pinched and cold and
wretched, Josiah He says there's nobody
in the world to let him have cent
"The better for him if he did but know
it," sharply enunciated the squire. eff it
had come to that pitch half dozen years
ago, perhaps he would not have been the
miserable man that he is now"
I'VE used to 90 to school together said
Mrs. Partlet gently. He was the smartest
boy in the class"
"That's possible enough" said the squire
But it don't alter the fact that he is poor,
drunken wretch now. Send him about his
business, Polly, and if his time is of any
consequence, just let him know that he had
better not waste it coming here after dol
lars"
And the squire leaned back in his chair,
after positive f@shion, as if the whole mat
ter was definitely decided.
Mr.. Partlet went back into the kitchen,
where RuddilOve was spreading his poor
thin hands over the blaze of the fire, his
tattered garments steaming as though he
was pillar of yapor.
''He won't let you have it, luke" she
said; 81 thought he wouldn't
Then I've got to starve like any other
dog" said Luke Ruddiloye, moodily. "And
then, after all, don't suppose it makes
much difference whether l shuttle out of the
world to-day or tomorrow"
"0h, Luke, not to your wife"
"She'd be better OFF without me-" said
Luke, down heartedly.
but she ought not to be-
Ought and is are two different things.
Mrs. Partlet. Good night l amt going to
the tavern, though I'll wager some thing the
squire thought | was"
"And isn't it natural he should, Luke?'
"Yes-yes, Mary, don't say but what it
is" murmured Luke Ruddilove, in the same
detected tone he had used throughout the
whole interview.
Stay" Mrs. Parlet said in low voice,
as his hand lay on the door latch.
"Here's a dollar, Luke. Mr.. PartIet
gave it to me for a new piece of oil cloth to
put in front of the diningroom stove, but
III try to mako my old one do little
longer. And Luke, for the sake of old
times-fOr the sake OF your poor wife, will
you endeavor to do better ?"
Luke Ruddil0ve looked vaCantly first at
the fresh new bank bill in his hand, and
then at the blooming young matron who
Lad placed il there.
Thank you, Mary" he said, and crept
out of the warm, bright kitchen into the
storm that regned without. Mrs. Partlet
stood looking inteDtly into the kitchen fire.
81 dare say I've done very foolish
thing" she pondered, "but indeed | could
not help it. OF course he will spend it all
at the public house, and / shall do without
my oil cloth; that will be the end of it ALL"
And there was an unconscious flush on
her check, as if she had done something
wrong, when she rejoined the squire in the
sitting-room
"Well,' said Squire Partlet, has that
ne'er-dowelI gone at last ?"
YES"
ITO Stokes tavern, suppose,
Il hope not, Josiah"
I'm afraid it past hoping for" said the
squire, struggling his shoulders. "And now
for pleasant evening How it does rain,
to be sure"
And Mrs Partlet kept the secret of the
dollar bill locked up in her own heart.
1t was six months afterWard that tho
squire came into the room where his wife
B-N"S' 'AAA1 SNt4AO S5tSttN AG1 cHPPA@9 AAANS
Jelly.
well WELL quoth he, "wonders never |
will cease. The Ruddiloves have gone
away"
"GOne where 7"
Il don't know-out West. somewhere, |
with colony. And they say Luke hasn't I
tasted drop in six months.
" ! am glad of that" said Mrs. Partlet. |
at won't last long" said the squire, dis
paragingly>
Why not2"
"Ob, 1 don't know. l haven't any faith
in these sudden reforms"
Mrs Partlet remained silent; she thought |
thankfully that after all Luke had not spent |
the dollar bill for liquor.
Six months-six years-the time sped |
along in days and weeks, almost before busy |
Mrs Partlet knew that it was gone. The |
RuddiI0ves had come back to Sequossett.
Luke had made his fortune, as the story
went, in the far off FL Dorado, vaguely i
phrased "OuU West" by the simple Sc
THEY do say" said Mrs. Buckingham,
% that he's bought that lot opposite the
and is going to build such a
house as never was"
He must have prospered greatly" said