The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1879-04-10
"I think It's beastly." was the spir-

"I think it's beastly." was the spir-
tied answer.
"Plenty Of babies, If their coming
kill their mother. is Johns idea
Of chastity, hut it isn't mine. Already
| am in trouble again"
80, Lillianr
Fact. But it's no great matter. I
shall never live through it again"
"Sister, how can you talk like that ?
am amazed to hear you utter such a
threat"
''Irs all very easy for you to sit in
judgment upon case that you
know nothing about, my sister, but to
be yourself the victim Of that judgment
is quite another matter. Look at these
worn hands and my wrinkling brow
and fading cheeks and falling hair. /
haven't a decent tooth in my head,
either Then look in your mirror and
mark the contrast. And yet, the world
pities you, and fancies that I have an
easy life of it. Only yesterday a neigh
Dor remarked in my hearing that be
was so sorry for the widow Snowden. Ii
was a wonder that the murder Of her
husband had not dethroned her reason.
At the same time / was undergoing
mental aud bodily torture added to
physical toll that you could not endure
for an hour without doing something
desperate"
but. look at your reward in the fu-
ture, dear Lillian. Think Of your chill
dren. In a few years they will be
grown to man and womanhood. Then,
imagine how proud OF them you will
ben
"But I shall never live to see that
day, Grace"
"How DO you know you won't ~
because I'm DYING already"
"Dyiagf"
"Yes."
"How %
"By inches"
"NouF looks express as much, sister,
aud yet ] hope and pray that it may
proc, TO he only PASSING fancy"
at is not fancy; it is fate"
Don't tals abou. dying, sister. Tell
me all about your life, and why you are
unhappy Maybe can be your physi-
clan"
Lillian again closed her eyes and lay
for a time busily thinking. Then she
spoke:
"As I said a while ago, I married
John under a mental protest. As you
know, we went to live with his amia-
ble, apple-faced mother She was neat
and exacting aud obliging and prim, and
made a splendid home for John and his
meek hammered and excellent old
father But when / went into the fam
lily, though ! tried and we all tried to
make the best Of IL, somehow we
couldn't assimilate. John put me of
for year or two, 10 spite Of his prom
ises about building Us a separate estab-
lishment lie meant we'll; / know he
did; but be very naturally believed that
his parents, more especially his mother,
could not err. He has, many time,
as fairly agreed with me upon a propo-
sition to build a house or make other
improvements as any man could hon
orably agree TO anything with a fellow
mani and then, when my hopes had
risen, he would, after a private talk
with his mother, utterly ignore his con-
tract with me. / endured everything
with outward patience for long time,
and then I got furious. There's no use
IN my rehearsiug all said or did, even
. If could do it. Bot I assure you was
vixen when got fairly started. John
was patient with me, and his parent,
[ consented for our home to be built; but
they never esteemed me afterward a,
they would il had not been goaded tc
desperation in vainly attempting to as
simulate with them. Oil and watel
won't mix. II isn't possible. And
now, my sister have come home tC
you to die. John would never agree tC
sign deed to any portion Of my thou
sand unused acres, nor would his par.
euts ever permit him to improve them
/ So / have toiled at the churn-dash and
over the wash-board and cooking stove
to pay the taxes, and I've prayed a thou
sand times that the whole thousand
acres would sink some day into a thou
sand d-fathomed lake"
The conversation was suddenly inter.
rupted by a shadow in the doorway
Grace turned and gazed, her blood
fairly freezing with horror. Before hel
stood a chesply-clad, wild-eyed girl o
about twenty, her thick hair strayinl
in dishevelled masses over her head
The eyes Of the two women met for the
first time save in dream; and while
Mrs. Alonzo Snowden junior offered q
silent prayer to God for help, the
woman who ought in justice to bel
child to have borne the title, laughed
loud, grating, cultural laugh, suggest
/ i've Of Pandemonium.
To be continued
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One of Charles Dickens daupbters-iu n