The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-09-12


moment. She has got Miss Bender in
the bath-tub, and Baby is splatting the
water all over everything, while May has
gone off into a gale. I must 60 and keep
things from falling, for when May laughs
she gets so weak. Her laughing 50
much, sensibly depreciates her market
value as wife and mother, OF course.
"My salary is riz twenty dollars a
month, and I am saving to buy-well,
never mind what; you shall come and
see us when it is bought.
"Your not infelicitous
"HARRY BENDER.
MAY will add P.S."
DEAREST AUNTY,-H you were only
with us-though, to be sure, I don't
know where we could put you, unless
you could 60 to sleep under my painting
table, now transformed into an ironing
table, or curl up in the babys bath-tub.
"The idea of Halls pretending to keep
the great secret mystery to yon !-That
was only his sweet way of leaving me the
pleasure of telling it.
"You know, Perth, where the Woods
went that summer2 Well, there is a
/ little house of four rooms not ten min
utes' walk from tn. depot of the Long
Branch railroad, which goes near that
little old village. The little house is not
very pretty now, but it con be made SO,
and, oh, Joy! it is dirt cheap. (This is
Halls cultured remark, and of course
good enough for Halls wife y
"Aunty, think of it I am nearly
wild: home, little house to be the
mistress of, and for Hal to come to!
"Wel, we have saved one hundred
and seventy dollars, and only need three
hundred and thirty more, which MIR.
Chace is going to advance to Hal.
"There is brave old oak, and plenty
of greenery all around us, and the great
wide bay in sight, where Ral says the
biggest ships that
Sail the seas over
can come right in, and there are walks to
lovely places. So you see we are going
to healthy neighborhood for my pre-
cious lamb of love.
II am so well, and life is so sweet! 1
often have little weeps all to myself for
sheer happiness. Happiness is good for
people, Aunt Dodo. Away with the false
theory of the uses of adversely! / am
not half 80 selfish and thoughtless rs |
was. I may be trihe vain, but Hal
keeps telling me that my temper is only
Il little lower than the angels, and that I
am his itty bitty paidge. (Isn't that too
frantically imbecile? p 1t is lucky that
baby cannot understand Halls nonsense.
Hal must learn to speak English in the
bosom of his family before Miss Bender's
talking days come.
"You had better read my end of the
letter first, and call his the postscript.
I meant to tell you all about baby, but l
have no time now. You are coming to
see us as soon as we get settled. Babs
sends honey-kiss. Good-by.
"Your beatitulinous MAY BENDER.
Five years passed. May and Aunt
Dodo sat together in the cottage which
was to have been an earthly paradise.
Nothing had gone wrong that anybody
could have helped, apparently, but some
how the glory had rubbed off. May sell
dom laughed till she was too weak to
hold the baby nowadays. Her arms were
oftener inclined to feel heavy from ia
tigue; but then this was the third baby,
and o much more exacting one than
miss Bender" had been.
! 1t was delicious June. The white
sails went up the bay, and took Venetian
colors from the sunset.
"You look tired, May; give me the
baby"
/ "No, Aunt Do 10; it would only save
drop in the bucket of my tiredness.
it is quite chronic" said May, with a
laugh, which am glad Harry did not
hear. Laughter without heart in il
has bad effect on man in his OWL
home.
"Do you always have that pain in
your back2 Doesn't it ever stop"
"Never." answered May. "That is,
it never does when 7 am awake, and
often dream that I am being sawed in
two at the spine, so it is to be supposed
it goes on when am asleep"
"I wish you would see DOCTOR" said
Aunt Dodo, peeling apples.
"Harry thought rs you do" May re.
marked, when she came back from put
ting the baby to sleep in its cradle il
the next room.
"Thought what ?" asked the old lady
wonderingly.
! ooh, nothing. About the doctor"
"What was that? I forget. Oh yes
about your pain"
"I wish could forget it one minute
IN my life. One minutes utter rest =
said May. "Earry did go to one. ;" sh'
continued, "though I begged him no
to waste the money, for, rs you know
we shall lose the house if that mortgage
is foreclosed, and every dollar tells; bu
he would. Poor Hal !" said the wife
wiping her eyes. "He said my tempe
needed curing, if my back didn't. IT.
very hard on him, my being 80 nervous
What do you suppose the doctor tolt
him?"
"I'm sure I don't know"
May laughed again.
"He advised him to take me t.
Europe"
Ibid you ever
"He told Hal that five women out o
ten had more or less Of the same thing
and that rest was the only cure-rest O
body and mind"
"Did he know how you were stu
ated ?" asked Mrs. Pinkham.
20. II don't imagine he could have takel
Hal for millionaire" replied May
"I rather think it was yelled satire o.
the doctors part. There is a resort,
understand, where the most. absolut
repose both of body and mind is en-
joyed."
go!" =.
eyes, I think So sometimes" sal
May; "but there is little hope for lon
time yet. We do deal of bendin
before we break, Aunt Dodo. Be
sides, there are the children" Sh
looked up 6ercely. Was this hollow
despairipg face that of "sweet Ma
=, linton 9n ssThe life of mothers ii