Connecticut western news., 1882-05-24

| AOASS AOAS AAAuOCJ UA0A NAOPPOu ASA arm, and said through white lips very 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 $1O bill sav- agely as far as she could throw it, and 1inging herself on the comfortable old sofa, broke into flood of bitter tears the first she had shed during her mar ried life.
 "How could he have done it-oh, what have I said? Oh, John, John p
 The bird twittered in his little cage over in the window among the plants. Betty remembered like flash how John and she filled the seed-cup that very morning, how he laughed when she tried to put 1t between the bars, and when shc couldn't reach without getting upon chair, he took her is 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, why they had gone down to the depths of her foolish little heart, send ing her about her work singing for very gladness of spirit And now!
 Betty stuffed her fingers hard into her rosy ears to shut out the bird's chirping.
 elf he knew why I sighed" she moaned. "Oh, my husband Birth days-nothing will make any difference now. Oh, why can't I die?"
 How long she stayed there, crouched down on the old sofa, she never knew. Over aud over the dreadful scene she went, realizing its worst features each time in despair, until voice out in the kitchen said, Betty p and heavy foot. steps proclaimed that some one was on the point of breaking in upon her unin- vited.
 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 under the circumstan- ces. Crowding herself on terms of the closest intimacy with the pretty bride; who with her husband had moved into the village twelvemonth previous, Miss Elvira Simmons had made the very most of her opportunities, and by dint of making great parade over help ing her in some domestic work, such as house. cleaning, dress-making, and the like, the maiden lady had managed to ply her other vocation, that of news gatherer, at one and the same time, pretty etfectually.
 She always called her by her first name, though Betty resented it; and she made a great handle of her friend, ship on every occasion, making John rage violently, and VOW 8 thousand times the "old maid should walk
 But she never had-and, now, scent ing dimly, like a carrion after its prey that trouble might come to the pretty little white house, the make-mischie had come to do her work, if devastation had really commenced.
 "Been crying !" she said, more plain ly than politely, and sinking down into the pretty chintz- covered rocking -chail with an energy that showed she meant tc stay, and made, the chair creak fearfully "Only folks do say that you and you husband don't live happy-but Ia wouldn't mind-I know 'taln't you fault"
 Betty's heart stood still. Hat it come to this |? John and sh, not to live happy To be sur, they didn't, as she remembered witl a pang the dreadful scene of words an, hot tempers; but had it gotten around so soon-a story in everybody's mouth With all her distress of mind she wa saved from opening her mouth. s. Miss Simmons, failing in that, wa forced to go on.
 "An' I tell folks so," she said, rock ing herself back and forth to witnes the effect of her words, "when they gi to talkin', so you can't blame me things don't go easy for you, J'n sure ?'
 "You tell folks SOP" repeated Bett vaguely, and standing quite still "What? 1 don't understand" ) Why, that the blame is all his'n, cried the old maid, exasperated at he strange mood and her dullness. "I say says I, why they couldn't no one liv l with him, let alone that pretty wife he , got. That's what I say, Betty. An
 then tell 'em what queer man he is , how cross, an"
 "And you dare to tell people sue l things of my husband ?" cried Betty l drawing herself up to her extremes height, and towering so over the. ol woman in the chair that she jumped i
 confusion at the storm s he had raised l and stared blindly into the blazing eye and face rosy with righteous indigni F tion. Her only thought was how { get away from the storm she had raise but could not stop. But she was force 3 to stay, for Betty stood just in front
 the chair, and blocked up the way, | she skunk back into the smallest corn'
 of it, and took it as best she coul l My husband !" cried Betty, dwellir Q with pride on the pronoun-at least, 0 they were to part, she would say it ov V lovingly as much as she could till tl # last moment and then, when the tin r. did come, why, people should kno f that it wasn't Johns fault" the bes