Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-12-12

But you know you took him 'for better,
for worse Do you think, yourself, it is
quite right to break your part of the
contract because it proves the worst for
you-because you are the strong one and |
he the weak one of the twog That
doesn't strike me as good Bible doctrine,
Nabby. We that are strong ought to
bear the infrmities of the weak, and not |
to please ourselves, you know"
"Well, l dunno, said Nabby, twisting
the corner OF her shawl obviously. "i
hadn't thought ont in that light, l must
say. It's SO aggravating to have such a
man for husband. Besides, dunno as
he'd come back if wanted him to-
"Hasn't he been back at all?''
"Why, yes, he came back once for a
pair of pantalooons. But didn't. take
no notice of him."
"Now, Nabby, you may depend upon
it, it WASH the pantaloons he was after.
He wanted to see if you would not re-
lent. If he comes again be a little
pleasant to him, and warrant he'll stay.
Give him another chance, Nabby. Jo-
siah isn't the worst fellow in the world
by any means. He has his redeemlng
traits, after all. I believe he will do
better If you try to help him. You
know Josiah is one that bears encOur-
segment, Nabby."
"Well, squire, I'll think it over. Any
how, I'm obliged to you. You talk SO
sorter comforting to body. Your moth
er's own son; just the same good heart.
Would you be able to eat some of my
cheese, squirrel"
''Try me and see, Nabby," said the
squire, smilingly, not impervious to
Nabby's compliments. Nabby made
her exit just as Mrs. Hosley
rushed in, full of wifely in
dignation that the squire had been per-
mitted to see Client
Nabby's home was over at the "Cor-
neTs," three miles from the village. She
| walked rapidly along IN the fast thicken
ing darkness, with the steady, strong gait
becoming the self-reliant woman that she
was. Yet even her unimaginatlve mind
was not proof against the depressing
| influence of the chilly, raw November
evening. The wind whistled through the
| bare tree branches, which creaked and
moaned mournfully, and waved wildly
up and down in the dim branches over
head. The wind seemed to cherish a
special spite against Nabby. 1t blew
| her bonnet off and her hair into the eyes,
struggled madly with her for her shawl,
took her breath away, and firmly resisted
her every step. Finally it began to send
| spiteful dashes of cold rain drops in her
| face-a rain that seemed almost to freeze
as it fell.
"Josiah used to come after me with an
umbrella when I was caught out in the
rain," thought Nabby. "He was always
kind and real good to me, after all. I
dunno's he ever gave me a cross word in
his life, even when he'd been drinkin'.'
Here the driving sleety rain and pierre
ing wind pounced down upon Nabby
with renewed fierceness, hustling her
madly in fendish glee.
can awful night to be homeless, Nab
by something seemed to say.
81 don't care,'' said Nabby to herself,
beginning to feel cross again and gene
rally ill-used, as she grew wetter and
colder. sit serves him right. He's made
his bed, and he can lie in it."
At the's Corners" light streaming
cheerfully out into the night from other
homes, made Nabby's little house par
ticularly gloomy and uninviting. Nabb J
fumbled under the mat for the door key,
fumbled with stifened fingers for the
key-hole, and finally succeeding in un.
locking the door, and felt her way in
through the little entry.
There is always something "uncanny'
about going alone at night into dark
and shut-up house. Even people of the
best regulated minds experience vague
suspicion of something behind them, q
sense of possible ghostly hands to clutch
them in the darkness. Nabby was 8
| woman like Mis-. Edmund Sparkler, with
"no nonsense about herr but, neverthe.
less, cheerful tale she had read only
yesterday in the Chronicle, about burg
lar and lone woman, kept coming up
in her head, and she carefully avoided
the blackness of the corners and the pan.
try door, as she CROPPED around the
kitchen for candle. Of course the
fire had gone out.
Two heads are better thas one if one is
a sleeps head,'' Nabby might have
been heard muttering out in the wood
house as she stopped painfully down
picking up chips, by which oracular ut
terance 1 suspect she was thinking what
a good supply of kindlings Josia h
always kept on hand for her, and how
much more comfortable it was in the old
times coming home to house bright
with light and warmth, and Josiah 8
welcome.
For Josiah cherished the most pro-
found admiration for Nabby-an admi-
ration not unmixed with awe. He thought
her most wonderful woman. She was
just as beautiful to him now as in the
old counting days, before the brightness
and quickness of the black eyes had de-
generated into sharpness; before the
smiling mouth had acquired its hard
firmly-set expression, before there were
any wrinkles in the smooth forehead
People had thought that Nabby had
done well in marrying Josiah Gould-a
pleasant, good-natured young fellow that
every one liked; young mechanic, not
very rich, it is true; but with good
trade and with such wife as Nabby,
there seemed nothing to prevent his fig
urlng as tone of our first citizens
| Apuhodu CON ho oua oI>o1x in <hic