Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Anacortes, Wash. Ter.) 1882-1887, 1882-08-26
"Oh, Luke, no difference to your

"But she ought nUt TO be.
"Ought and is are two different
things, Mrs. Pratlct. Good night.
l amt going to the tavern, although
LII wager something the Squire
thought | was.
"And isn't it natural enough that
he should think so, Luke?"
"Yes, yes, Mary; l don't say but
what it is" murmured Luke, in the
same detected tone he used during
the interview.
Stop" Mrs. Pratlet called to him,
as his band lay on the door latch,
ia low voice. "Uere is dollar,
Luke, Mr.. Pratlet gave to me for
an oil>cloth to go in front of the
stove; but 1 will try and make the
old one last a little longer. And
Luke, for the sake of your poor
wife and little ones at home, for the
sake of old times, try and do botter.
Won't your"
Luke Ruddilove looked vacantly
at the new bank bill in his hand,
and then at the blooming young
matron who had placed it there.
"Thank you, Mary, l will. God
bless you," he said, and crept out
into the storm that reigned without.
Mrs Pratlet stood looking into tho
kitchen fire. 81 dare say I've done
foolish thing, but, [ could not
help it. If he will take it home
and not spend it at the tavarn, |
shall not miss my oil-cloth." And
there was conscious flush on her
checks as if she had done some-
thing wrong when she joined her
husband in the sitting room.
"Well," said Squire Pratlet, "has
that unfortunate gone Vt last?"
"Yes."
"To the tavern, ] suppose?"
81 hope not, Josiah"
"Im afraid it is past hoping for,
said tho Squire, Struggling his
shoulders. But Mary kept her Sc
cret in her own heart. 1t was six
months afterward that the Squire
came into The dinning-room where
bis wife was preserving great red
apples into jelly. "WeiI, WELL"
quoth he, "Wonders will never
cease. The Ruddiloves have gone
away"
where"
II don't know-out West some-
whore with colony. And they
say Lukes not drank drop OF
whisky for six months"
81 am glad of that" replied Mrs.
Pratlet. cit won't last long" he
suggested, desparlngly. "Why
not"
"Oh, I don't known; | haven't
any faith in these sudden reforms. "
Mrs. Pratlet was silent; she
thought thankfully that, after all,
Luke had not spent the dollar for
liqunr.
Six months-siX years; the time
sped along in days and weeks, al>
most before busy Mrs. Pratlet knew
that it was gone. The Ruddiloves
had returned to Sequossett. Luke
had made his fortune, so the story
went, far off in Eldorado.
"They do say" said Mrs. Buck
ingham, "That he has bought that
ERE lot down opposite the court
house, and he is going to hnild such
a house as never was"
"He must have prospered great
ly,' "And his wife wears silk
gown that will stand alone with it's
own richness! l can remember
when Ruddilovo Was nothing but a
poor drunken creature. 1t is to be
all stone, with white mantles and
inlaid floors; and he has put lot Of
papers and things under the corner
stone, like they do in public build
ings.'
'Well, that is natural enough
4 know, yet it seems kind O.
queer that he should put a dollar
bill in with the other things. He
must have lots Of of money to
throw it away in that manner.
Mrs. Pratlet felt her cheeks flush.
Involuntarily sho glanced toward
the Squire. But he never looked
around. She met Ruddilove that
afternoon for the first time since
his return to Sequosset--Luke him
self, save that the demon Of lntcm>
! pcrauce had been completely crush