St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-04-29
Sharp Words.

Nonsense ~ said Mr.. Wheaton
shortly.
Mrs. WheatOn's face flushed scarlet
she looked up mt him, aud, if mistake
not, a sharp reply got up as far as her
throat, but she choked it down it did
not mart her lips. She looked furtively
at me, but | looked steadily ut the FIRE.
Mr.. Wheaton all the time was quite un-
conscious of the stir his word had made
in one tender and sensitive heart. Then
Mrs, Wheaton murmured something
about her scissors and slipped out of
the room.
Mrs. Wheaton had ventured to make
some remark on some business question;
| think it concerned the morality of
some Wall Street operations. The sub
iect was one with which she had no
great acquaintance, and perhaps her
woman wit was at fault. Indeed, | re-
member thinking ut the time that 1t
was, at least in part but what she said
was not nonsense.
After Mrs. Wheaton had gone out
there was a moment OF two of silence ;
then | broke it, Mr.. Wheaton and l
on that fact.
y
been married
Twenty four years next May, SAID
he. "A wear from next May, if we both
live so long, will he our silver wedding.
And vet it seems but yesterday that
Lucy and | were sleighing it in the
moonlight that Christmas that l ran
away from home for my holidays, much
to the chagrin and veXatiou of my Sis
tiers, because found greater attractions
at Lucy Vines"
81 wonder" said l, speaking slowly
and musingly, and as it were to myself
81 wonder if that Christmas holiday
you would have spoken to Lucy Vine as
you spoke to your wife just now "
How !" said Mr.. Wheaton and he
turned sharply upon me.
Nonsense ~ repeated and | threw
into my own voice all the vigor and the
sharpness there had been in his. 1t wa'
a hazardous experiment, but Tom ant
/ were old friends and at all events
there was no drawing back now.
He looked at me sharply for me
ment, and looked at him then hi
ewes went back to the fire. "ShOh !!
said he, speaking to himself. Il won
der"-and then quickly turning back t.
me. "Do you suppose she minded it 2
"What did she get up and go ont 70
without a word in replyi ?" l asked.
"To get her scissors, believe" salt
he.
laughed at him. at is taking he
a long time to find them" | replied
Eyes, she did mind it. If you had seel
the quick flush In her face, and the quicl
look, first at you and then at me, anC
the choking at the throat, and the nerV
Gus movement of the hands, you woul,
not have doubted that she minded it
Suppose she had said to you, Non
sense ." and fred it at him again a
explosively as 1 could chow wOul,
you have liked it ?"
He shook his head slowly he wa
still studying the fire.
"Suppose | had said to her, Non
sense ~ (explosively as befOre) ''hov
would YOU have liked it p
AZ would have said you were no gen
tleman," said Mr.. Wheaton "but-
butt
''But what r. said |.
"Dear me John, fellow can't b,
studying all the time how hell talk t.
his own wife. YOU know. If he can't b,
free at home be can't be free anywhere
She ought not to be so sensitive. Sh'
knows / didn't mean anything"
"Tsm," said /, ''if any one else &C
cused you of saying something whe
YOU didn't mean anything, you'd sc
redder in the face over it than she wa
lust now. You meant exactly what yo
said. You thought what your wife san
was nonsense, and bluIted it right out
"Well, it was nonsense" said MI
Wheaton.
81 am not so sure of that said l
"but if it were, that was no reason WIZ
YOU should tell her So"