Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-02-16

black lace, and with a recital of what
Count This and Baron That had said to
her. and the last hits of scandal about
Mrs. General the One and Mrs. Second
Assistant Secretary the Other-for she had
the ca apitolian vernacular pat-with GER
tain mild exultatiOn at her familiarity
with persons that she had never expected
to know at all, when in the midst of the
little feast, the colOred lad brought up the
mail. Il declare, it's st. Valentines
Dlyr said she IL wonder if I've any
letters?"
Mr.. Ecceston glanced up moment
with the mail in his hand rs the door clos
ed. Then he handed his wife some letters
with local stamps on them.
"Valentines!' she said gayly, breaking
the seals.
Mr. Eccleston was not jealous man !;
but all at once he remembered to have
heard that gay life was demoralizing and
a vivid sort of hating remembrance darted
over him of tlat gay young attache who
spilled the punch. In the next instant his
unspoken felr started out into doubt, and
doubt became black certainty, as, with II
wild. half smothered cry, the letters whirl-
ell from his wife's hand. and she tainted.
He had sprung round and caught his wife
on one arm before she fell, but with the
other hand he had caught those letters,
and before he had laid her upon the bed
he glanced at their contents. 1t was
Madame Des Chenes 8 bill, the hair-dress-
er's, the livery's. Horses at all hours;
puff, switches, pomades. combs and care {;
silk, gauze. tulle Valenciennes, damasse,
embroidery in gold thread, black queen s
point, flowers, buttons, irnges, ribbons,
| slippers, gloves, making, and attendance
item for item, there they We're. No
won"cr his wife had tainted. He wished
he could too-for u moment wished it
might be never to revive. Sum by sum,
the whole amount was twelve hundred
dollars. Exactly the amount of the
mortgage on the dear little house at
Lotion.
Mrs Ecceston came 10 herself without
any eXertion on the part of her husband.
lie WAS sitting, when she opened her eyes,
with his arms stretched along the table.
and his head fallen between them. What
was the use of struggling, he WAS think
ing, when dress makers bill and its
accessories for three weeks could sweep
away the home built from the savings and,
sacrifices of lifetimeP And this was
only the beginning of it. The appetite,
once whetted would go on to their de-
struction Ifhe sent home and mortgaged
the house for enough more to pay these
bills that ended it; life would be to begin
over again, and probably to the same re-
suit ut last.
They were now, practically. after a
dozen hard years, just where they stood at
tirst-without roof to their heads. 1t
seemed to hun, in that sudden plunge from
gayety to gloom, that it might be as well
to stop the whole thing-life and love and
work and worry-now. He was aroused
by strange sound at the other end of the
room-a sort of sobbing groan. He look
ed up to see his wife bundling one thing
after another into her trunk as fast as she
could hurry them. What are you
doing?" he said.
"Tm-I'm going home to mothers. ="
look ut me again! And | must go some
where. you know"
"And you'd make it so much easier by
leaving me all alone to bear it!" he cried
And at these words she tumbled over on
the floor again.
"Oh, WILL" she cried, with her arms
about his neck, after she had come round
the next time, "do you mean that you
really forgive me2 hadn't an idea the
lace was real"
Forgive youp You dear little fool
you are the one to forgive me. | ought to
have known better. | ought to have
known that clerks are not millionaires,
and that when the frog tries to swell to the
size of the bull, he bursts. 1t was |, )" said
Mr.. Eccleston-" that did it with my
own cursed folly. l spurred the business
on, and gratitied my pride more than your
vanity. I've nobody to blame but myself.
| don't blame you, my darling, one par
ticle"
"Oh, but do. Will, do. l shall never
forgive myself. l will dismiss Bridget.
ri go wiihout-l'll do my very best to
make it up, you dear, kind, patient boy"
Nonsense! nonsensel IN fnd some
other way than that, But, Helen, do you
know, in spite of the dismay. there was n
little relief about this?"
Reliefw
"Yes Don't be vexed. For one mo-
ment, just one moment, | thought your
valentines were from the young attache' ~
at isn't possible. Oh, Will. | wish I'd
never come-I wish I'd never come. How
could youP oh, how could youP Why
didn't think your letter was all wrong
was another valentinep"
milne? BY George! I had forgotten
had lettcr;' and he tore open the long
official envelope with trembling fingers.
To learn that the claim had been allowed,
and the money awaited his disposition.
And my percentage is just twelve hun
dred dolars,' he said.
at would have paid off our mortgage,
came the answer, through food of tears.
And now"
"Well, well, that's better than it might
have been. by a good deal. We We got
each other at any rate. And we haven t
lost the house, rs we might have done.
We're as well off now as we were before,
and have twelve hundred dollars worth of
experience, to boot" said the tender hus-
band
One hour from that time, trunk packed
and bills paid, they shook the dust of
Washington off their feet and sought the
SHOWS of Lotion. And that is how the
beautiful Mrs, Eccleston year or two
since disappeared so suddenly and mys-
terously from society.-Harper's Bazar.