The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-03-07

merchants In Cn0 city.
''And was. But he has lost credit
somehow. He has been on the streets
for days, trying to raise money to
cancel most of his urgent debts. and
wouldn' t be surprised if his wife did
have to give up that stylish home be.
fore the winter is over
''She is nobody, anyway. Her father
was only soap.chandler, and I have
often wondered at Mark SheltOn's taste
in choosing her for 4 wife," remarked
Mrs. Lamar, who had once q decided
fancy for Mark herself.
'.Soap.chandlers are as good as other
men, provided they are sober and res.
pectable," returned the lady with the
diamonds, whose father had once been
peanut-vender. while Mrs. Lamar's
ancestors were famous for blue blood
and reckless dissipation.
81 don't pity Mrs. Shelton, though" >
went on Mrs. Lamar, ignoring the el-
der lady's home thrusts; ''f0r expect
she is just like other women in the
same situation; Mark made oceans of
money and she spent it,"
"Doubtless. just give any woman
that never had anything some money
to splurge on, and see how fast she'll
go through it, laughed the elder la.
dy, as she glided out OF the library,
her rich silks sweeping after like pur.
pie pillows, while Mrs. Lamar follow.
ed her like a shadow, in her pale.col-
ored tarlatan robes.
Poor Alice Shelton had heard every
word, and sat perfectly still, with her
slim, white fingers clasped tightly to-
gether. Every faculty in her nature
seemed paralyzed by the intensity of
her emotions. Her honest conscien.
tious heart was shocked at the hypoc.
risy of two of her most intimate so.
ciety friends, and with the bitterness
was mingled a feeling of intense pity
for Mark, who had kept all this from
her ears that she might hear it from
such uncharitable lips. Verify. she.
thought, the world is vain show, and
those who love it are but moths flut.
tering about its dazzling pleasures,
only to have their wings singed by the
cruel tongues of flame that leap up
from envy, malice and deceit.
SHARK shall not fall" she said ris-
ing up with white determined face.
II will show them that 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 husband s
warehouse, she hurried up to the
dressing-room, and, wrapped herself
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 that STOW that fell so swiftly and
silently on the half deserted pave
ments. The gas flared out through
murky gas-lamps with a dull, sickly
glare; hacks and carriages went whirl.
ing by like sheeted ghosts, ond once
in a while some belated pedestrian al
most walked over her; but Mrs Shell
ton walked on, her heart too heavy
and anxious to think of fear or ia.
tigue. ... !. s.-,
When she reached the warehouse
the clock on a distant steeple was just
Ginning eleven, and Mark was stand"
ing at the dimly.lighted Office putting
on his overcoat. The porter dozed in
a chair before the stove in the outer
room, and Alice stole softly past him
and stood before her husband.
"Alice!' 81. y
His eyes dilated in establishment,
Alice dropped into a seat and looked
at him with a 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. He glanced at her
snOW-cOvered wraps and then made a
dash for the soaked boots peeping out
from under the edge Of her bedraggled
silken skirts. IT H.. .'-. ,
"Alice!''-one boot came off with a
jerk-what insane whim drove you
out on the street such a night as this!''
He flung its mate to the further end Of
the room. @H" = '@25c ".H
30 Mark Mrs. Shelton's temper
airy strength and courage were swiftly
vanishing, ''are you going to fail!'
Mark instantly comprehended the
situation. She had heard the story of
his financial troubles probably in some
distorted form, and the knowledge had
almost crazed her. He blamed him
self severely for keeping her in ignor-
ance of the truth. He always had
a repugnance to womanly inter-
ference in business matters, but felt,
in justice to his wife's general worth,
that he should have trusted her in this
emergency. a'& -"-.
"Hush, Alice !''-for she was begin
ming to sob Historically. You must
not be alarmed. If l can raise the
money to pay off a note that comes due
tomnrrou, T NOV uoothor tho how'd