The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-04-21

see when 1 opened the kitchen door was
old Hank Slater settin' there in my
ockin' chair. He and Josiah were both
runk as-hogs," said Nabby, SANDER
ng an innocent animal in her haste for
q simile.
"They'd tracked the mud all over
my clean floors. The cookin' stove was
crammed full of wood, roaring like all
possessed. 1 wonder they hadn't burned
ed the house up before got there. And
they'd got my best teapot out to heat
some water, and the water'd oil billed
away an dthe bottom came out. But the
worst was to see my husband consort-
in with such q scum OF the earth rs
that miserable, low-livett Hank Slater.
1 tell you, Squire, was mad. I Just
hung that kitchen door wide open, and
sez I:
"Get out out of this houee, Josiah
Gould, and don't ever let me see your
face inside ont again."
"Sez he, meek rs Moses: Where
shall go to, NabbyY
"Sez 1, Il don't care where you go
to, so longs you don't come near me.
I've always been a respectable woman
and l don't want none of Hank Slater's
friends round my house,"
"Well?" queried the squire, as Nab
by's narrative came to pause.
"Well," said Nabby, in rather sub
dued tone, "he went off. And he hasn't
come back. And 1 want divorce"
"Now, Nabby," demonstrated the old
squire, "you don't want divorce. I
know you better than that. You are not
the woman to give Josiah up and let him
go to the bad without a struggle. You
feel little vexed with him now, and I
don't blame you. It's hard-very hard.
But you know you took him 'for better,
for worse Do you think, yourself, it's
quite right to break your contract
because it proves the worst for you-
because yon are the strong one and he
the weak one of the two? That doesn't
strike me as good Bible doctrine, Nabby.
I'VE that are strong ought to bear the
infrmities of the weak and not to
please ourselves, you know"
"Well, l Dunno" said Nabbv, twist
ing the corner of her shawl, obviously,
81 hadn't thought ont in that light, l
must say. It's SO aggravatin' to have
such q man for q husband. Besides, /
dunnos he'd come back if wanted him
to-"
"Hasn't he been back at all ?"
"Why, yes, he came back once for q
pair of pantaloons. But didn't take no
notice of him."
"Now, Nabby, you may depend upon
it, it wasn't the pantaloons he was
after. He wanted to see if you wouldn't
relent If he comes again be little
pleasant to him, and I'll warrant he
will stay. Give him another chance,
Nabby. Josiah isn't the worst fellow in
he world, by any means. He has his
edeeming traits, after all. I believe
he will do better if you will tly to help
him. You know Josiah is one that
bears encouragement, Nabby."
"Well, squire, I'll think it over.
Anyhow, I'm obleeged to you. You
talk so-sorter comfortin' to body.
Your mothers own son; just the same
good heart. Would you be able to eat
some of my cheese, 'squire?"
"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 indignation that the squire
ha been allowed to see "client."
Nabby's home was over at the "Cor-
ne s." three miles from the village. She
wa liked rapidly along in the fast thick
en- ng darkness, with the steady, strong
gait becoming the self-reliant woman
that she was. Yet even her unimagina-
tive nature was not proof against the
depressing influence OF the chilly, raw
November evening. The wind whistled
through the bare tree branches, which
creaked and groaned. mournfully, and
waved wildly in the dim light overhead
The wind seemed to cherish a special
spite against Nabby. 1t blew her bon
net off and her hair into her eyes, strug-
gled madly with her for her shawl, took
her breath away and firmly resisted
every step. Finally it began to send
spiteful dashes of cold rain drops in her
face-rain that seemed to freeze as it
fell.
"Josiah used to come after me with
an umbrella when was caught out in
the rain," thought Nabby. "He was
always real kind and good to me after
all. l duno's he ever gave me a cross
hOlu III Alo I1S, OHeh hASA lS b Deeu
drinking"
Here the driving sleety rain, and pierc.
ing wind pounced down upon Nabby
with renewed ferceness, hustling her
madly in fiendish glee.
can awful night to be homeless,
Nabby," something seemed to say.
81 don't care" said Nabby to herself,
beginning to feel cross again, and gen.
orally ill-used as she grew wetter and
colder. "It serves him right. He's
made his bed and he can lie in it,"
At the "Corners," light streaming out
cheerfully into the night from other
homes made Nabby's little house par.
ticularly gloomy and uninviting. Nabby
fumbled under the mat for the door.
key, fumbled with stiff fingers for the
hey-hole, and finally succeeded in un,
locking the door, and felt her way
through the little entry.
There is always something "uncanny'
about going alone at night into darl
and shut-up house. Every person o.
| the best regulated minds experience {
vague suspicion of something behinG
them, a sense of possible ghostly hands
about to clutch them in the darkness
Nabby was a woman like Mrs. Edmund
! Sparkler, with "no nonsense abou
her )" but nevertheless a cheerful tall
she had read only yesterday about
burglar and lone woman, kept coming
into her head, and she carefully avoided
the blackness of the corners and tn,
pantry door as she groped around til,
kitchen for a candle. OF course TIL,