The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-09-10
A LESSON.

Betty sighed. Now, why she should
have sighed at this particular moment,
no one could tell. And it was all the
more exasperating because John had
just generously putinto her little shapely
hand brand new ten dollar bill. And
here began the trouble.
'sWhat's the matter?" he said, his face
falling at the faint sound, and his mouth
clapping together i'll what those who
knew him but little called an obstinate
pucker"-''n what is it?"
Betty, who had just begun to change
the sigh into merry little laugh rippling
all over the corners of her red lips, stop
ped suddenly, tossed her head with a
small jerk, no ways conciliating, sent out
the words, "You needn't insinuate that
I'm always troublesomel'
II didn't insinuate-who's talking of
insuating?" cried John, thoroughly in
censed at the very idea; and backing
away few steps, he glared down from
his tremendous height in extreme irritat-
ion. ''It's you, yourself, that's forever
insinuatng, and all that, and then to put
it on me-it's abominablep'
The voice was harsh, and the eyes that
looked down into hers were not pleasant
to behold.
"And If you think, John Peabody, that
I'll stand and have such things said of
me, you miss your guess-that's ALI"
cried Betty, with big red spots coming
in her cheeks as she tried to draw her
little, erect figure up to its utmost di1nen
sions. Forever insinuating! / guess
you wouldn't have said that before mar
ried you'll Oh, now You can, of course!'
'.Didnt you say it first, I'd like to
know" cried John in great excitement,
drawing nearer to the small creature he
called ..wife," who was gazing at him
with blazing eyes OF indignation; II
cant't endure everything"
s'And if you bear more than I do"
cried Betty, wholly beyond control now,
"why then I'll give it up, and she gave
bitter little laugh and tossed her head
again.
And here they were in the midst of
q quarrell These two who but year
before had promised to love and protect
and help each other through life.
s'Now, said John, and he brought his
hand down with such bang on the
table before him that Betty nearly skip
ped out of her little shoes, only she con-
trolled the start, for she would have died
before she had John see it, "we,H have
no more of this nonsense His face was
very pale, and the lines around the
mouth SO drawn that it would have gone
to any ones heart to have seen their ex-
preston.
ST don't know how you will change it
or help it" said Betty, lightly, to con-
ceal her dismay at the turn affairs had
taken, s'I'm sure," and she pushed back
with saucy, Indifferent gesture, the
light waving hair from her forehead.
That hair that John always smoothed
when he petted her when tired or dis
and called her s'childie." Her
gesture struck to his heart as he glanced
at her sunny hair and the cool, indiffer-
ent face underneath, and before he knew
it, he was saying, There is no help for
it now, I suppose"
ssOh, yes, there is, said Betty, still in
the cool, calm way that ought not to
have deceived him. But men know so
little of women's hearts, although they
live for years in the closest friendship.
"You needn't try to endure it, John Pea
body, if you don't want to. I'm sure I
don't carew
ssWhat do you mean?" Her husband
grasped her arms and compelled the
merry brown eyes to look up to him.
ST can go back. to Mothers y said Bet
ty, provokingly. ssShe wants me any
day, and then you can live quietly, and
live to suit yourself, and it will be better
all around"
Instead of bringing out violent pro-
testation of fond affection and remorse,
which she fully expected, John drew
himself up, looked at her fxedly for q
long, long minute, then dropped her arm.
and said through white lips very slowly:
"Yes, it may be as you say, better all
around. You know BEST" and was
gone from the room before she could re-
cover from her astonishment enough to
ntter a sound.
With wild cry Betty rushed across
the room, first tossing the ten-dollar bill
savagely as far as she could throw it,
and hinging herself on the comfortable
old sofa, broke into food of bitter
tears, the first she had shed during her
married life
ssHow could he have done it-oh, what
have said~oh John, Johnl"
The bird twittered in his little cage
over in the window among the plants.
Betty remembered like flash how John
and she filed the seed-cup that very
how he laughed when she tried
to put itin between the bars, and whel
she couldn't reach without getting upon
q chair, he took her in his great arms
and held her up. Just like child, that
she might fix it to suit herself And
the ssbits" that he said in his tender way,
why they had gone down to the depths
Of her foolish little heart, sending her