The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-05-23
Mrs. StOddard's Trial.
by lsADORE ROGERS.

tnat ever GREW the breath OF lie.
wouldn't shed a tear if lightnin' would
strike him and knock him into the fur
thest corner o. kingdom come. didn't
'spose that there was a man in the world
that could be so everlastn' mean and ag-
gravatin'. What has he done2 He's done
that that he ought to be hung for. You
see there was another fellow paying at
tention to me when | first saw Will, and
never told of it before, but the actual
fact of it is that had about half no.
ton to marry the other fellow, for he
really was handsomer than Will, but he
didn't seem to feel so bad when l went
with Will as Will did when l went
with him, and l finally got to thinkin'
that maybe Will cared the most for me,
and if there's anything in the world that
it pays IA woman to look out for when
she's makin'a bargain for life, it's to be
sure to get husband whose love will be
true, and lastin', and constant as the little
troubles that come all along the way, for
when you take that away there's nothin'
left to tighten EN-, and that's what makes
so many women grow old, and cross, and
tired lookin' when they ought to look
about as well as ever.
| won't say but what Wills been good
enough, and I've never been sorry for one
single minute for the choice | made, but
some way he's always held a grudge aGin'
Phil. Elmer. 1t seems to me that the
fact that sent Phil. adrift for his sake
ought to satisfy him, but somehow it's
always seemed to worry him to think that
l ever did care for any one else, and it's
4 h., tkatf n
between us. He's made me feel meaner
than dirt many time for thoughtlessly
mcntonin' Phil's. name. There's nothing
ever cuts me up like that wouldn't
feel half So bad if he'd swear at me, and
this mornin' he said:
"Susan, | want to 90 to town to-day
with load of potatoes, and you know
I've been uncommon busy lately, and
wish you'd go down cellar and help me
sort 'em over"
1t amt often be asks me to do anything
like that, and said / would rs soon as /
combed my hair.
so, never mind your hair" says he;
"you're handsomer now than lots o wom-
en- that's ten years younger, and, besides,
whose aeoin' to see you down cellar"
so went just as was and worked till
about ten o'clock, and then we heard
somebody at the door, Will went to
open it, and pretty soon he called me to
come up out of the cellar. | went, and
there stood Phil. Elmer. | hadn't seen
him for fifteen years, but he was as hand
some as ever. He looked as if he wanted
to shake hands with me, but the potatoes
had been frosted little. and some of 'em
was wet and muddy, and l cast glance
toward the looking lass, and there was a
dirty streak across my face and my hair
all every way, for Ia only slicked it over
little before breakfast. | was so beat
that | couldn't say hardly a word, and
Will stood there lookin' perfectly happy
to see how mortified | was.
Phil. said that he'd just come from Colo
RADIO and told Will that he d call that morn
in or he didn't want to go back without
seem all the old friends, and his wife had
charged him particularly to come and
see me, for We were girls together.
told him that guessed Will had forgot
ten to mention it, and that was about all
that | dared to say, for | knew that if
acted as though | was a bit glad to see
him, that Will wouldn't like it.
Phil. didn't stay long, and Will laughed
till the tears ran down his face to think
how dreadfully beat looked when first
came up from the cellar.
"Will," says l, "why didn't you tell me
that he was coMin2"
swell, Susan says he, 'if l had told
you, you would have fluttcred around like
hen with her head cut off, and had this
room just shinin', and had on your
incest calico and prettiest collar, and a
blue ribbon in your hair, and you would
have asked him to stay to dinner, and
made me feel about as used to when he
used to go home with you from spellin'
school,"
"And s'pose you wanted to make him
think that he hadn't lost anything by not
getting me-" said l.
II don't care what he thinks" SAYS he,
land | don't know any reason why you
should"
could have cried just from wounded
pride, if had dared to, for would have
so liked to have had Phil. stay and take
dinner with us, and see what a comfort
able home Will has provided me with,
for didn't want him to think that had
any reason to regret my choice. Perhaps
Will is right in thinking that | have no
business to care for Pills. opinion, but
sometimes when he's made me miserable
for a whole day by words that it didn't
take him two minutes to say, can't help
wondering if Phil. would have made me
unhappy in the same way. OF course |
know it's wrong, and try to think of
something else as quick as can, but I've
raaJ cnmethinu like this