The Bossier banner., 1882-06-15

once, half bitterly-she had been Digging
IN the garden at the time of year when
those great white worms turn into
beetles, and was crawling little at the
loathsome half-developed things-..J4lst
Like marriage, for all the world. They
don't live any kind of Afe down IN the
ground, not quarter of life, but once
out OF 1t they run the risk of humping
their brains out against wall, of bein9
eaten by the fowls, or of getting needle
through their hearts, That was the
worst she was ever known to say.
She was not blind. She knew lust as
well as II she had been told that all those
evenings when her husband said he had
pressing business with Mr.. Darwin
had to wait four hours to see him and
then attend to. the business after
wards,'' he had been quietly playino
chess with pretty Miss Darwin ali the
ame, while the unconscious papa
dreamed of bonds and per cent. when
the same thing took him away half the
evenings in the month, she despised him
that he could look her in the face and
say. business" She did not care
about the chess. She had never inn
agined that when he promised sleavine
all others to cleaye to her alone'' It
meant a VOW to forego all social privi-
leges; but sit was sneaking make-be-
heve" she said to herself. And then to
come home and, if his mother was there.
says he was $50 sorry that peskv tor
menting business kept him away and
left her at home to prose over the mend
ing and never have a good time!n The
soft lying was what she did wish he
could be broken OF. 1t exasperated her
sol
But, as / said, she never .blasphemed
marriage because her own had found as
many thorns as roses. She knew it was
not the State but the people.
If Mr.. and Mrs. Grey, over at the
corner, believed, as they seemed to, that
Wedlock on earth was inferno enough to
preclude the need of any hereafter, that
was only one side of it. There was sweet
Mrs. Marshall who made her home a
paradise, and whose husband grew deep
er in love with her every day Of his life
with an intense unspeakable loyalty;
there were Mr.. and Mrs. Hall, who had
been married fifteen years and whose
honeymoon was still in the first quarter.
Mrs. Russell was too sensible to blame
the condition, if it did prove unconaforta-
bic for her. And the discomfort went on.
He came home one noon and found her
roasting on every gridironin her kitchen,
in a sitting atmosphere, tired and
flushed, with an odor of soups and des-
serts about her. Miss Della was grace
fully swinging in a hammock in a con-
veniently near bay window, and it was
too good an occasion to be lost. So,
with his habitual company -gallantry and
q few extra grains thrown in for spice,
he said:
My darling, it's shame to have YOU
sweltering in this Nebuchadnezar' fur
mace on such a fiendish day, getting din
ner for us br,ltes. By Jove! I'd rather
come home every day and find you sit
ting in the big rocking chair witlla palm
leaf fan, and eat a-cold crust of bread.
on my soul I had. And he lifted ket-
tie for her by way of emphasis, and left
q huge black mark on his clean white
vest. After which mishap he betook
himself to Della, still protesting about
the cold crust.
And Mrs. Benjamin said pleasant
word, flushed little redder, and kept
up a prodigious thinking. Their guest
went away on the evening train. She
came down radiant in ultrarnarine ash
ribbons and cheeks that glowed as nat
ural pink as if it all came from
fresh emotions, and not from ten min
ltes' application of fresh mullen leaves.
Mr.. Russell went with her, of course, to
zee that she had a seat, and to get her
some oranges and magazines with which
% shorten the ride. Mrs. Russell STAYED
1t home to wash the dishes, as any duti-
ul wife would, but still kept up the
,rodigious thinking.
The next noon he came home to din
Ter hungry as a bear, opened the dining
DOM door, saw the chairs set up, the
fishes as usual, and two crusts Of cold
'read the only edible thing in sight. He
tared in the greatest astenishment; not
! hint of anything else. He opened the
,itchen door; perfect order reigned
here. not a kettle in sight, no odor of
resh meat, no sign of dinner! He was
,etting angry. aWhat is all this blast
d business about? Jennie! Jen-n-i-e!'
Ie called, but no answer came. J-e-n-
l-i-er' in prolonged Indignation as he
eared the parlor. ssJ-a-n-e!n He was
cry angry, or he would never have used |
hat name.
There in the GOODNESS Of the bay-win-
ow she sat in the easiest chair, wasting
er time. No knitting or mending in
er hands, not even q novel, only an
normous fan that she was using as if all |
ne leisure of eternity was at her dispo-
al. He was indignant in every nerve.
.sConfound it, Jane, what does all this
lean?'' he said, sternly.
II thought you'd like to see me fol-
,wing your advice, she answered, look
lg lazily up.
"You idiotr' he muttered. "rm
ungry, and in a hurry, too.
30, yes,n she answered sweetly,
the crusts are on the table waiting for
on. -
He answered her with swear words.
do not need to 60 On. You have the
icture before you. She sat there un-
loved, swaying her fan, until the speech
) I'D