Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-10-22
TAUNTON, VIRGINIA FRIDAY, OCTOBER y, 1880

sob, yes, there is, - said Betty, still in
the cool, calm way that ought not to have
deceived him. But men know SO little OF
womens hearts, although they may live
with them for years In closest friendship
I"You needn't try to endure it, John Pea
body, if you don't want to. Pm sure l
don't carel'' 2 1881 Y ss'-stl s's' Af'i ~
"What do you meanY,' Her husband
grasped her arms and compelled the merry
brown eyes to look up to him. a@sa7i'e
ST can 60 back to mother's'' said Betty,
provokingly. ''She wants me any day, and
then you can live quietly and live to suit
yourself, aud it will be better all ar6und..''
Instead of bringing out a violent prores-
tation of fond affection and remorse which
she fully expected, John drew himself up,
looked at her fxedly for long, long, min
ute, then dropped her arm. and said,
through white lips, very slowly: o u 4 iat
Eyes, it may be as you say better an
around. You know best, y and was gone
from the room before she could recover
from her establishment enough to utter
sound al Il a.ssn slaaw ssi5,agss, y sa
With wild cry Betty rushed across the
room, first tossing the ten dollar bill saw
agely as far as she could throw it, and
finging herself on the comfortable old
sofa, broke into food Of bitter tears-the
first she had shed during her married life.
q. How could be have done it, 1toh, what
have said-oh, John. John!' ms XIII, issisg
The bird twittered in his little cage over
in the window among the plants. Betty
remembered like 8 fash how John and she
filed the seed-cup that very morning, how
he laughed when shei tried to put It in
between the bars, and when she couldn't
reach without getting upon ia chair, he
took her inh his great arms. and held her
up, just Ikea child, that she might fix Il
to suit herself. And the tsbits' that he
said to her in his tender way, whyq they
had gone down to the depths OF her foolish
little heart, sending her about her work
singing for very, gladness ofspirit. And
now! Az = ~ = 10 "a ''4'i y AN "
Betty stuffed her fingers hard into her
rosy ears to shut out the birds chirp-
ing Oh a9Ya e2 q ElEi'A5ie'lG" sH3 "<''t
eff he knew why sighed" she moaned.
"Oh, my husband Birthdays nothing
will make any difference now. Oh. why
| can't I die?,,9sin ~ 1854 tn&l1'i4 4 ffi
| How long she stayed there. crouched
down on the old sofa, she never knew.
Over and over the dreadful scene she went,
realizing its worst features each time in
despair, until voice out in the kitchen,
said: "Betty!" and heavy footsteps pro-
claimed that some one was on the point Of
breaking in upon her unlimited. o 4"'g'
Betty sprang up, choked back her sobs,
and tried with all her might to compose
herself and remove all traces of her
| trouble. s2AlAD
| The visitor was the worst possible one
she could have under the circumstances.
Crowding herself on terms Of the closest
intimacy with the pretty bride, who with
her husband had moved into the village a
twelyemeneh previous, Miss Elvira SIN.
mons had made the very most OF her op-
portunities, and by dint of making great
parade over helping her in some domestic
work, such as housekeeping, dressmaking,
and the like, the maiden lady had managed
! to ply her other vocation, that of news
gatherer, at one and the same time, pretty
effectually. - a70 .9y mh aaHsy
She always called her by her first name,
though Betty inwardly resented it; and
she made great handle of her friendship
on every occasion, making John rage vio-
lently, and vowsa Thousand times the "old
maid" should walk , 70 .,g.-. ~ rs I, /, a'9 e
| But she never had-and now, seeming
dimly, Ikea carrion bird after its prey,
that trouble might come to the pretty
little white house, the make-mischief had
come to 10 her work, if devastation had
really commenced. l'sy'1 40 = 5a' 9'14
ssBeen cryingF' she said, more plainly
than politely, and sinking down into the
pretty chintz covered rocking chair, with
an energy that showed she meant to stay,
and made the chair creak fearfully.
"Only folks do say that you and your
husband don't live happy--butlal would
not mind-I know faint your fault.
Betty 3 heart stood still. Had it come
to this! John and she did not live hap
lpily! To be sure they didn't, as she re-
membered with pang the dreadful scene
of words and hot tempers; but had it got
ten around so soon-a story In everybody 8
mouth. t''s3as "5' i''''A!. 7" w" "a. :" " "
With all her distress OF mind she was
saved from opening her mouth. So Miss
Simmons, failing in that, was forced to'
60 on. ss'''s' 49, '''s3 49HAA '"i' '-.'''
can tell folks so,n she said, rocking
herself back and forth to witness the ef-
feet of her words, s'when they git to talk
in so you can t blame me, if things don t
20 easy for you, Pm sure.''T03 si@4gHG d.i|
'sYou tell folks so3' repeated Betty,
vaguely. and standing quite still. "W haiti
l don't understand ."iU n1si.a9ibGN 10 peI
"Why,, that the blame is all his n, !"
cried the old maid, exasperated at her
strange mood and her dullness.g 81 say,
says I, why they couldn It no one live with
him, let alone that pretty wife he's got.
That's what say. Betty. And then I
tell EN- what q queer man he is, how
Cross. an s--t 33aaW. --i,f4pi8H W5l
-"And you dare to tell people such things
of my husband?" cried Betty, drawing
herself up to her extreme height. and
towering SO over the ole woman in the
chair that she jumped in confusion at the
storm she had raised, and stared blindly
into the blazing eyes and face rosy with
righteous Indignation, her only thought
being how to get away from the storm she