The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-03-27

He accompanied her to the carriage, and |
as he closed the door on the placid little |
face he inwardly mathematical the weak
ness that prompted him to withhold the |
story of his difficulties from her, when she |
daily ran the risk of hearing 1t from lips
less liable TO soften its details. Yet he
still hoped that the morrow would bring
some chance of redeeming his lost credit;
although his efforts to raise the 81, 900 due
on the 2lst were still unsuccessful. He
was almost worn out with physical and
mental labor, yet he put on his hat and
overcoat, and dragged YEARLY down town
through the fast-falling snow and murky
darkness, TO spend the dreary hours of his
wifes absence, porting over ledgers in his
counting-room.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Mark Shelton, not quite
satisfied with Marks "strange freak" as
she called her husbands refusal to attend
the party, was zealously trying to feel at
ease among Mrs. Austin's stylish guests.
For somehow, she felt depressed and ill at
ease among the fashionables who had hith-
erto welcomed her as the wife of a prom
inent young merchant who was steadily ris-
ing to eminence in the commercial world.
There was an undercurrent of GOODNESS in
their greetings that her sensitive nature de-
tected instantly, and an angry flush rose
to her check when she overheard remark
relating to Mrs. Shelton's old silk"
~ suppose my dress is not up to their
standard in point of elegance" she NUT
tered, bitterly "but I'll never ruin Mark
with my extravaganza in dress-never!"
She slipped out of the gay, overcrowcd
parlors into the library, where she found
refuge behind the heavy hangings of a bay
window. She dropped into low seat, and
sat watching the streams of gas-light flick
ering across the street. now ankle deep
with snow, wishing that Mark would re-
member her orders and send the carriage
early. The heavy, sensuous orders of trop
ical plants filed the room with fragrance
that almost took her breath away, and in
the distance the music OF popular waltz
rose and fell, the soft, voluptuous cadences
soothing her disturbed mind into calm
ness that was soon broken by the entrance
of two ladies', whose first words chained
Mrs Shelton to her seat, and held her in
the questionable light of an eaves-drop-
per-
II was astonished to see Mrs. Mark Shell
ton cut tonight exclaimed the elder of
the two ladies, whose diamonds flashed in
the gas-light
"Whyi"
"lIavc you not heard, Why, Mrs. La
ruptcy."
"Mark Shelton? Impossible! Why, he is
considered one of the staunchest merchants
in the city
"And was. But he has lost credit some
how. lie has been on the streets for days,
laying to raise money to cancel most of his
urgent debts and | wouldn't be surprised
II his wife did have to give up her stylish
home before the winter is over"
"She is a nobody anyway. Her father
was only a soap chandler, and have often
wondered at Mark Sheltons taste in choos-
ing her for a wife, remarked Mrs. Lamer,
who had once decided fancy for Mark
herself.
Soap chambers are as good as other
men. provided they are sober and respecta-
BILE, returned the lady with tho diamonds,
whose father had once been peanut ven
der, while Mrs. Lamer's ancestors were
famous for blue blood and reckless diss-
patton.
81 don't pity Mrs. Shelton, though, went
on Mrs. Lamer, politely ignoring the elder
lady's home-thrust ''fOr | expect she is
just like other women in the same sltua-
ton Mark made oceans of money, and she
spent ii.
'Doubtlcss. Just give any woman that
never had anything some money to splurge
on and see how fast she'll 20 drought it,"
laughed the elder lady, as she glded out of
the library, her rich silds sweeping after
her like purple pillows, while Mrs. Lamer
followed her like a shadow, in her pale
colored carleton robes
Poor Alice Shelton had heard every
word, and sat perfectly still, with her slim,
white fingers claspod tightly together
Every faculty of her nature seemed par
olyzed by the intensity Of her emotions.
Her honest, conscientious heart was shock
ed at the hypocrisy of two of her most in
innate society friends, and with the bitter
ness was mingled feeling of intense pity
for Mark, who had kept all this from her
ears that she might hear it from such I'M
charitable lips. Verify, she thought, the
world is vain show. and those who love
it but moths tluttering about Its dazzling
pleasures, only to have their wings singed
by the cruel tongues of flame that leap up
from envy, malice and deceit
''Mark shall not fail, she said, rising up,
with white, determined face. 81 will
show them his wife Is worthy of him"
Needless of the gayety and warmth
around her, of the binding snow storm
that was raging without or the long snow
bound walk that lay between the Austin
mansion and her husbands warehouse, she
hurried up to the dressing-room and,
wrapping herself up in cloak and furs,
went out into the storm and bravely faced
the binding sheets of snow that the wind
dashed into her face--a face almost as
CHASTITY as the snow that fell so swiftly
and silently on the half deserted pavements.
The gas fared out through murky gas
lamps with dull, sickly glare hacks and
carriages went whirling by like sheeted
ghosts and in xvhiIa halafat
pedestrian almost walked over her; but
still Mrs. Shelton walked on, her heart too
hard and anxious to think of fear or ia
tigue.
When she reached the warehouse the
clock on a distant stceple was just Ginning
eleven, and Mark was standing in the dim
ly-lit office, putting on his overcoat. The
porter doZed in chair before the stove in
the outer room, and Alice stole softly past
him and stood before her husband.
"Alice !"
His eyes dilatcd in establishment Alice
dropped into seat and looked up at him,
with glitter in her blue eyes that held him
spell-bound.
"Mark, do you think I'm fool -
Her voice had raspy ring that startled
Mark. lie glanced at her snow covered
wraps, and then made dash for the soaked
pootS pccpiuB out from unueT tle cuSc ol
her bedraggled silken skirts.
"Alice !'-one boot came off with jerk
-"what insane within drove you out on
the streets such a night as this Z" lie flung
its mate to the furthest end of the
room.
so Mark" Mrs. Shelton's temporary
strength and courage was swiftly vanish
ing, ''are you going to fail ?"
Mark instantly eomprehended the situa-
ton. She had heard the story of his finan-
cial troubles, probably in some distorted
form, and the knowledge had almost crazed
her lie blamed himself severely for keep
ing her in ignorance of the truth. He al
ways had repugnancc to ,womanly inter-
ference in business matters, but felt, in
! justice to his wiie's general worthiness, he
should have trusted her IN this emergency.
lIInch Alicn ~ fnr rho ,,,nc ho.ri.,,.i....