Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-03-18

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| his attention.
MANY OF his business friends who met
! or passed him on the streets looked curl
ously at his downcast face for his mind
was TOO much Ireoccupied TO take any
| interest in passing occurrences He
heard nothing, saw nothing, but the blue,
numb hands of street beggars, who
seemed to beset his path every few rods,
for his characteristic charity was well
known, and few were the hands that did
not close on the coveted penny.
| For Mark was a good man, humane,
| charitable and generous in all things,
and until year back the world had
gone we'll with him. But the panic
| swamped dozens of his debtors; his
| business was dead in financial sense !;
| and his creditors were clamorous for
| bills he could not meet. He had never
been careless, unwise or extravagant in
| filling or discharging contracts, and his
business difficulties had come upon him
so swiftly and imperceptibly that the
blow fell heavier than if he had been eX-
pecting some such catastrophe.
But Alice Shelton knew nothing of all
| this. The mental turmoil going on in her
| husbands breast never found vent in a
dissatisfied word or look, and until the
| previous day he had kept his face and
manner free from all traces of anxiety.
| But the constant excitement and worry
| had been too hard for him, and the
dunning of creditor, who demanded
| the punctual payment Of note of four
thousand that fell due on the 21st of
December, together with the other I'M
| foreseen debts, had so upset him that he
could not cover his mental distresses with
the mask of carclessness he had worn for
weeks past
His greatest trouble was for Alice
Never very strong-and he had often
moderated her strength--he had endeav-
ored to surround her with every comfort
and had carefully kept all harassing
business details or cares from her ears.
He had given her money without stint,
| and he supposed she spent it like other
wemen, for she was always well dressed,
and his home was model of order and
good taste. Be that as it may, he never
thought of tracing the cause of his fail
ure 10 home extravaganza. For no
woman was more thoroughly economical,
without being misery, than Mrs. Shell
ton. Her party toilets were always in
exceptional taste, and her dress for Mrs.
Austin's party was not designed for any
unusual display OF elegance, although
the gathering was to be one of unusua
brilliancy.
The night Of the Goth came--a dark,
stormy December night, the air filled
with snowflakes and the sky gray and
overcast with heavy clouds.
1t is going to be a terrible night,
Mark" Mrs. Shelton said to her husband,
who sat before the library fire evidently
absorbed in the contents Of the evening
| paper. 81 have thought once or twice
since l commenced dressing that Iwould
not go out tonight"
go, by all means, Alice; the carriage
| is close" her husband replied, glancing
| up at the trim little figure arrayed in a
| dark silk, retrimmed, with pale blush
roses in her purplish-black hair, and at
| the white throat, half-veiled with filmy
lace. He smiled bitterly as he saw her
| going out in her happy, childlike inno-
cence as she might never go again among
people who had no sympathy for failing
merchants and who would not give his
| wife a thought if she were not rich in
the worlds goods
| Il wish you would 60" she said be-
| seemingly, lingering at the door to adj
| just her cloak, Mr.. Austin will be eX-
| pecting you"
Mr.. Shelton smiled; thinking perhaps,
! of the torbidding face of man Of whom
he had begged loan on that afternoon,
whose curt Cannot spare dollar, sill"
rang in his ears yet He arose from his
seat by the fire, and going over to his
| wifes side fastened The warm wraps
| closer about her throat
Be careful of yourself, little woman"
he said, with forced attempt at gayety ;
land enjoy yourself, for it is utterly inn
possible for me to CO.
| He accompanied her to the carriage,
and as he closed the door on the placid
| little face he inwardly mathematical the
weakness that prompted him to withhold
| the story of his difficulties from her
when she daily ran the risk of hearing
it from lips less liable to soften its de-
tails. Yet he still hoped that the NOR
row would bring some chance of redeem
| ing his lost credit, although his efforts
to raise the 1000 due on the 2lst were
| 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 wife's ali.
sence porting over ledgers in his count
| ingroom
Meanwhile, Mrs. Mark Shelton, not
quite satisfied with Marks strange
freak" as she called her husbands re.
fusal TO attend the party, was zealously
trying to feel at ease among Mrs. Aus
tins stylish guests. For, somehow, she
felt depressed and i'll at ease among the
tashi nables who had hitherto welcomed
her as the wife of prominent young
merchant who was steadily rising tC
eminence in the commercial world