Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-07-25
TWO DOZEN buttons

For only consider how silly 'twould be
To sit there and whistle for what you might
take"
-
TWO DOZEN BUTTONS.
Betty sighed. Now why she should
have sighed at this particular moment no
one on earth could tell. And it was all
the more exasperating because John had
just generously put into her little shapely
hand brand-new $40 bill. And here be.
gan the trouble.
whats the matter" ?" he said, his face
falling at the faint sound, and his mouth
clapping together in what those who knew
him but little called an " obstinate
pucker."
"Now, what is it ?"
Betty, who had just began to change the
sigh into merry little laugh ripping all
over the corners of the red lips, stopped
suddenly, tossed her head, and with a
small jerk no way conciliatory, sent out
the words
"You needn't insinuate, John, that /
am always troublesome"
81 didn't insinuate-who's talking of in.
sinuating cried he, thoroughly incensed
at tho very idea and, backing away few
steps, he glared down from a tremendous
hight in extreme irritation. "It's you
yourself who is forever insinuating and all
that, and then for you to put it on me-it's
abominable."
The voice was harsh, and the eyes that
looked down into hers were not pleasant to
behold.
"And if you think, John Peabody, that
I'll stand and have such things said to me,
you miss your guess-that's all ~ cried
Betty, with two big red spots coming in
her cheeks as she tried to draw her little
erect figure up to its utmost dimensions
"Forever insinuating 1 guess you
wouldn't have said that before [ married
you. Oh, now you can, of course p
Didn't you say it first, I'd like to
know" cried John, in great excitement,
drawing nearer to the small creature he
called "wife, " who was gazing at him with
blazing eyes of Indignation 50 can't en-
dure everything %
"And if you bear more than do" cried
Betty, wholly beyond control now, why,
then I'll give up, and she gave bitter
little laugh and tossed her head again.
And here they were in the midst OF a
quarrel Those two who but year before
had promised to love and protect and help
each other through life
"Now," said John, and he brought his
hand down with such bang on the table
before him that Betty nearly skipped out
start, for she would have died before she
had let John see it, "we will have no more
of this nonsense !"
His face was very pale and the lines
around the mouth so drawn that it would
l kn ana,o arf 10, hova
their expression.
az don't know how you will change it or
| help ii" said Betty, lightly, to hide her
sure " and she pushed back the light wav-
ing hair from her forehead with saucy,
Indifferent gesture.
That hair that John always smoothed
when he petted her, tired or disheartened,
and called her "child." Her gesture
struck to his heart as he glanced at her
sunny locks and the cool, Indifferent face
| underneath, and before he knew it he was
saying:
"There is no help for it now, suppose.
"Oh, yes there is" said Betty, still in
the cool, calm way that ought not to have
deceived him. But men know so little OF
women's hearts, although they may live
with them for years in closest friendship.
"You needn't try to endure it. John Pea
body, if you don't want to, I'm sure don't
care"
"Wbat do you mean ?"
Her husband grasped her arms and com.
PEELED the merry brown eyes to look up to
him.
81 can go back to mothers" said Betty,
provokingly. "She wants me any day !;
and then you can live quietly and to suit
yourself, and it will be better all around. +"
Instead of bringing out violent pro-
testation of fond affection and remorse,
which she fully expected, John drew
himself up, looked at her fixedly for a
long, long minute, then dropped her arm,
with white lips, said slowly
Yes, it may be as you say, better all
around. You know best" and was gone
from the room before she could recover
from her astonishment enough to utter a
sound.
With wild cry Betty rushed across
the room, first tossing the $40 bill saw
agely as far as she could throw it, and,
finging herself on the comfortable old sofa,
broke into a food of bitter tears-the
first she had shed during her married life.
"How could you have done it Oh,
what have said! Oh, John, John ! ="
The bird twittered in his little cage over
in the window among the plants. Betty
remembered like a flash how John and she
filled the seedcup that very morning
how he laughed when she tried to put it in
between the bars, and when she couldn't
reach without getting upon chair he took
her in his great arms and held her up, just
like a child, that she might fix it to suit
herself. And the "bits" that he said in
his tender way, they had gone down to the
depths of her foolish heart, sending her
about her work singing for very gladness
of spirit. And now?
Betty stuffed her fingers hard into her
rose ears to shut out the birds chirping.
''If he only knew why / sighed, she
moaned. "Oh, my husband Birthdays
nothing will make any difference now.
Oh, why can't die p
How long abe stayed there, crouched
down on the old sofa, she never knew.
Over and over the dreadful scene che went,
realizing it's worst features each time In
despair, until voice out in the kitchen
said "Betty !" and heavy footballs pro.
claimed that some one was on the point OF
breaking in upon her unlimited.
Betty sprang up, choked back her sobs,
and tried with all her might to compose
herself and remove all traces OF her trouble.
The visitor was the worst possible one
she could have had under the circum-
stances. Crowding herself on terms Of the
closest intimacy with the pretty bride. who,
with her husband, had moved into the vii
lace a twelvemonth previous, Miss Elvirs
i Simmons had made the very most Of her
opportunities, and by dint of making great
: parade over helping her in some domestic
work, such as house. cleaning dress. making
and the like, the maiden lady had managed
10 ply her other vocation, that Of news
eatherer, at one and the same time, pretty
effectually.
She always called her by her first name,
though Betty resented it; and she made 1
great handle of her friendship on every oc
casion, making John rage violently ant
vow thousand times that the."old maid
should walk.
But she never had-and now, scentinI
dimly, like a carrion after its own prey
that trouble might come to the pretty it'll
white house, the make mischief had com,
to do her work, if devastation had not al
ready begun.
Been crying" she said, more plainl,
than politely sinking down into the prett,
chintz- covered rocking chair with an enerc,
that showed that she meant to stay, ant
make the chair creak fearfully.
"Only folks do say that you and you
husband don't live happy-but la
, wouldn't mind-I know taint your fault.
Betty's heart stood still. Had it com
/ TO this. John and she not to live happy
a To be sure they didn't, as she remembers
: with pang the dreadful scene of word
I. and hot tempers; but had it gotten aroun
J. 60 soon-a story in everybody'a mouth?
Z With all her distress Of mind she wa
r saved from opening her mouth. So Mii
q | Slmmons falling In that Was forced TO &