The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-06-10
vOLUBIE TX.

Il mean just what I say, sir! From
this day henceforth remember that
have waited on your last boarder. see
that 1 have done too much. have
borne all the burdens, when it was your
duty to bear fully half Of them. You
have long declared yourself independent
Of labor, and 50, just now, have /. Let
the new boarder go elsewhere. The
lawful wife Of Peter Tubbs, Ike himself,
will be a fiunkey for nobody You IN
derstand ~
Woman, have you taken leave Of
your senses?"
81 have just found them, sir. Never
again, from now till doom day, will I
DO another days work for money for you
till you have proved yourself willing to
do as much for yourself and me. In the
/ fifteen years that We have lived together,
you have spent the greater part Of your
time in wild speculations that have re-
suited in nothing but debts and penury.
You have never taken counsel Of me,
and yet, whenever your wildcat schemes
have failed, which they have invariably
done, you have given up, like lump Of
putty, and ossifed into inactivity, and
retained nothing but your dignity,
which has never yet amounted to any
thing worth preserving"
"What in the-Sam HUL-has come
over the woman, anyhow" cried Peter,
in lis extremity. "There isu't enough
food in the house to last the family a
week, and we've no credit, and the rent
will soon be due again. Co." address
ing the child, 'and sag 10 the stranger
that we can't give him breakfast. The
regular breakfast hour is over"
"You needn't send such word unless
you want to, Peter. You can wait on
the stranger yourself"
"Darned If do, though 90
every well, then. You can dismiss
him, and Tll dismiss all the others at
noon"
"Bul wha; viil become Of us?"
What is 20 become Of you, sir, is not
my affair. / viii take MY children and
60 TO my mother You gained me by
lie in the fret place, and | am deter
mined TO counienance that lie 10 longer.
II you would be a man, IL you'd bear
your share of life's burdens rs man
ought TO bear them as any honorable
man would and does bear them-I
might, for the children's sake, endure
the hollow mockery that ties ne 10 you
till the bitter end. But we sre bringing
up family Of boys IN idieness. Like
you, they have been heirs Of great ex-
/ pectatious and, like you, they will
never amount 90 a gill Of beans if stay
with you-for they, like you, will do
nothing but lie by and watch tie COM
mon drudge make all the living. III
take then all TO my mothers, aud I'll
put them on the farm and teach them
to plow and SOW aud reap and break
horses, and 30 all the other work that
comes in their way. When you took
the mean advantage of me that made
me consent to be your wife, you were
considered honest, industrious and capa-
bic of making a living. Bat I think
that lie has haunted you through all
these years. At any rate, it is high
time for you to atone for it, II you ever
expect to be happy in this life or the
life to come"
The pompous dignity Of Peter Tubbs
gave way to a humiliation as al ject as
it was contemplate. He well knew
what the lie was TO which she alluded,
and rightly OWNED her mar acr Of dis
covering it. The sister Of John Iugleton
had informed her, after her fathers
/ funeral, that Peter TuJbs had known
before their marriage that John-hcr
John-was not entangled at that time in
the meshes Of mis- mated matrimony.
"My sister Tirzah may abide the con-
ditions Of a fraudulent contract till her
own life pays the forfeit Of her sacrifice
il she desires il; but all probation is at
an end with as, Peter Tubbsi Ever
since my return from my mothers
home a week ago, have been trying 10
bring myself to this resolve. Bot you
have done the work yourself now.
You've crossed the last bridge over the
many gulehes on our road Of life and
burned it behind you, leaving me on the
other side"
Peter Tubbs began 20 weep like
child.
"lf you'll only live with me, Liza"
he whimpered, "I'll DO everything just
as you say. I'll go and work for john
Hardine, or III go out to the Shubrick
mine, or I'll work here in the house at
anything you may give me to do.
know I've not done as l ought, but III
do better if you give me a chance"
you've had chance to do better for
fifteen years, Peter. And now, If you
should undertake, under compulsion, to
become the mere creature Of my WILL
and do my bidding only, no matter AZ
what sacrifice 10 your own feelings. vou
would but destroy the little spark Of
manhood yet within you. No, Peter.
the way to atone Tor sin is to s.op sin
ming. You gained me by a lie. Every
day that l live with you, knowing Of
this sin, I am but aiding and abet,ing
an odious outrage upon my most sacred
, personal rights, aud standing between
you and the strongest possible incentive
to repentance and atonemeut"
"But love you, Liza"
She Strengthened herself to her fullest
/ f.f.f,f 81 .,...ri-.1 4 -,.~,f1.. .-. -