The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1878-01-26
From the St. Louis Sunday Times.
HER LAST CHANCE.
BY ANNIE ROBERTSON NOXsoN.

Ii there had ever been a touch of pa
thos or q bit of romance in Drucilda
Maxwelps life, it had all faded out now
passed away like the sweet scent of our
first wood yiolets; for certainly palmer,
more commonplace little woman could
not be found anywhere than Drucy Max
well, who had slipped from girlhood into
middle age almost before even her enc
mics took note of it.
With rare good sense, she had accept
ed the inevitable, and had settled down
into sober browns and grays, when other
women of her age, married and single,
were gaudy as peacocks in green's and
puppies.
/ declare" said Mrs. Redditch, peep
ing through her parlor blinds one Sun
day, as was her custom when folks were
going home from "meetin' )" al declare
if Drucilda Maxwell amt really getting
old"
SO are we all, Polly" said Jacob
Redditch, gazing out at the frozen toma-
to vines.
"Drucilda was powerful pretty girl
once, but that was a dozen years ago,
when our Nathan first left home.
Strange we've never heard of him, poor
chap; and, stranger still, we never knew
why he went, His old fathers ways
wasn't good enough, suppose"
Polly dropped the dimity curtain with
a last spiteful glance at the dun-colored
figure passing under the scraggy branch
es of the balm o Gilead trees in front of
Squire Colby's red brick house, mean
suspicion, which, like a smoulder;ag fire
had been eating at her heart day and
night, for ten years, springing up afresh
at Jacobs thoughtful words
The Maxwell's were well-to-do-folks
then, and the Redditch farm was heavi-
ly encountered, and Nathan stood but q
poor chance of gaining favor with re-
puted heiress.
How things fall out.
Jacob Redditch since then had pros
pered wonderfully, and, like Midas,
everything he touched seemed to turn
to gold, while the Maxwells had gone
down the hill, until death and poverty
had swept them all away, except Drucy
and her mother, who lived in poor but
neat cottage on the outskirts of the
town.
And for all her high notions and as
pirations Drucilda Maxwell had been
left an old maid, while the other girls
had married and raised troops of rosy
children. 1t might be said by the PEG.
pie who loved justice, that Drucy had
thrown away more chances than all the
others put together, but that did not
lessen the meanneSs of her position one
whit; nor take away any pang from her
as she sat reading the yellow pages OF
old love letters, and tenderly touching
the relics of other days. To her mother
she had said with a light laugh, that
her time had not come, and she might
vet have a chance better than ALL" and
this saying had gotten abroad, and every
body scotfed at 1t, and talked about Dru-
,cy MaxwelPs last chance.
This would have been hard to bear if
Drucy Maxwell had cared for peoples
opinions, but she did not, and 50 her
eventful life went on as it had done for
years, until even she discovered that she
was no longer young.
People will talk, and the next sensa-
ton that set tongues wagging in Liscomb
was Drucy Maxwells sudden fortune.
Years ago there had been a wild in
vestment-a hairbraned scheme of her
fathers, who died believing he had
wasted his substance and condemned his
wife and children to eternal perjury.
The investment, at the end of years of
priyation and waiting, had proved a sue
cess, and the two remaining MAXWELL
had suddenly grown rich-richer than
anybody in the town, which fact made
Polly Redditch grow grayer day by day.
This thing had to be balanced in some
way, and, as the wheel rattles around,
some 90 up and some go down, and now
poor old Jacob Redditch lost his money
as fast as he made it. His cattle died of
a strange disease and his big barn burned
down, and his corn crop was an utter
allure for the first time in his life.
Rumors of these misfortunes came to
Miss Maxwell while busy experimenting
affairs at her new home-an imposing
affair for Liscomb-with white stone
facings, and new tangled window shut
tiers inside. Drucy was not without
womauly pride, and her gray silk dress
glmmered like water in the sun, and
rustled after her as she walked to the
Redditch home, passing again under
those balm o'Gilead trees: but quite a
different woman now. People smiled
: on her now servilely who last month
would have passed her with cold glance
and nod
She had not crossed that sill for
years, but her pride had melted away
quite, and her heart ached for Nathan
old father and mother.
The old people sat by the hearth,
their tremulous fingers grasped as if
here were no more to be done in life.
4 hagSard, brown-haired man who sat
between them rose up as the door opened.
Miss Maxwell drew back, and gave a
little startled cry.
The man, on whose face the blood had
rushed madly for an instant, turned pale
again, and dropped his eyes.
It's Nathan, home again, Miss Max
well, said Polly Redditch, apologetie-
ally.
The world has not used Nathan as
Well as II has you; no more has time: he
ooks as old and troubled as father here. y
Nathan's chin dropped lower on his
breast, which heaved with agony. and
his nerveless hands fell by his side.
Drucy Maxwell had never tainted If
her life, but she had strong inclination
to commit that folly now, but she re
sisted it, and drove back the quick sob
which threatened to choke her.
g | am glad TO see you back again, Mr.
Redditch, believe me. Won't you tax,
my hand|
Only she knew what these words COS
her Nathan-who grew pdler and pale,
at the sound of her voice, and with one
wild wish uppermost in his mind-tha
he had never, never come home.
II L ] = 1 4