Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1877-12-05

Few rich mems wives would hav
done so much. Now, look at thes
things, my dear"
Jonas looked. There came
time afterward when it seemed t
him that the faded tint of tn
shawl, its dingy palnleaves of vel
low brown, and the wilted flower
and shabby ribbon of the bonnie
had been scared into his brain. III,
looked at them long and lingering
ly. He knew that his wife wa
reasonable, and that the things
were, and long had been, unfit foI
her to wear. But his money tug
ged at his heart strings.
Suppose you wear this just one
winter more !" he said-"just one.
"The shawl is very thin" she
said. 81 shall catch cold again, as
| did last winter"
"Poor girl !" he said, softly, and
looked toward the desk where his
check book lay. But the grip OF
the fiend that rules a miser's soul
nipped him sorely as he did so.
"They wear sacques great deal,
Sara, don't they Z" he said.
"Oh ! they are very fashionable
replied his wife.
"Then couldn't you make one
out of that old billiard-cloth that is
in the trunk room p he said. "My
poor mother bought it at auction.
She meant to use it for coyerlet.
It's very pretty green. Don't
you think so, Sara! And such
nice material -
There is a limit to woman's pa
thence. This suggestion measured
Sara's. She started to her feet,
and, gathering up her bonnet and
shawl, walked out of the room.
After she had gone, Jonas really
looked at his check-book. For at
least two minutes he contemplated
drawing a large check, and telling
his wife he had been teasing her.
But he could not bring himself to
do it.
After a while his wife looked in
to the room with her old bonnet
and her old shawl about her shout
ders, and said:
"Jonas =! | am going to spend the
day with my sister-in-law ; but |
shall be home before tea-time."
81 hope you will enjoy yourself,
my dear !" said Jonas. lie saw
that her eyes were heavy with
weeping, and he looked away
ashamed Of himself.
Then he took himself to his Of
fee where he ground out his mon
ey, and during the day he com
promised with himself. He would
do no extravagant thing; but
when be went home he would give
ni5 wife what was necessary. Aft
er all, as he said to himself it would
have been better to do it. He had
grieved her, and she was the only
thing he loved on earth.
He went home earlier than usual
Ills s66f%0Gld consent 5Hss t 10; and as
he walked briskly along, being
light upon his feet yet-for who
ever heard of miser growing fat ?
- he thought he would never again
bring tears to those good kind eyes.
never again and then
what was that crowd? People
were coming that way, looking
backward as they came. Men,
boys, women and little children
all the riffratf that accident, or
quarrel, or an arrest, will collect in
the city of New York. And now
he was in the midst Of the throng,
and close to four policemen, who,
with set faces, marched in line,
bearing between them a stretcher
on which lay a human form. 1t
was covered-covered with shawl.
Jonas looked. Oh, heaven he
knew the pattern of that shawl.
Only few hours before its dingy
palmleaves of pellow-brown, its ia
ded fringe, its shabby brown GEN.
ire, had been spread out before
him. 1t was his wife's shawl!
"Stop! stop! stop!" he cried.
"Let me see her! let me see her !"
ado you know her y asked the
policeman.
"Let Inc see her face !" said
Jonas, growing so faint that a
kindly man hard by supported him
by the arm.
"You'd not know her face. A
telegraph pole fell on her. Its
crushed all out of shape" said the
policeman, "but shawls are alike.
Keep up your courage. / do not
think this is any relation of yours.
She's too shabby. Look at her
shoes. See this is her bonnet.
You don't know that Z"
He held up a bonnet. It was
crushed and soaked with blood ;
but Jonas knew it; the streaked
ribbon, and a flower among the
other flowers had lost its petals.
He had fingered it as it lay on the
table beside him.
ayes, / know it J" he cried. ats
Sara. It's my wife !"
Then he pulled away the shawl
from the crushed face, and tainted
outright. Just as his senses left
him, he heard someone say:
"His wife = Why, thought she
was beggar
And another answered: