The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1882-06-17
mo-. HOW HE WAS lC,ulRED.

80 II was not any luculiti pfeScT1VtlOu
That did the work; his difficulty was be-
,yond that. 1t had shown itself in
troublesome acute attacks from his boy
hood up, and since marriage had settled
down into slow chronic annoyance;
but, as said, he was cured at last. The
beginning of the end happened in this
wise. ~ ss3y4ag< s1pi.e 5.pges z
Gray and Mrs. Russell were hav-i
ling just the lcoziest time possible one
+, summer afternoon, one on the sofa read
ing aloud from Pickwick Papers. the
other in an easy chair with her feet on
divan, knitting and chatting be-
tween the lines; for they were old
.shoolmateS, and perfectly at home with
each other Mr.. Benjamin Russell came
in from the Office and found them so, in
sisted that he must put u cushion under
each head to make them the very picture
of comfort, then seated himself between
them and treated them to a basket
% of cherries and an amusing account Of
; ibis days adventures. He did his very
prcttiest, and thatlwas no small thing.
) He might have written three volumes
4 :. On the Art of Pleasing, added an APP
pendix equal to the original, and still
had a few facts too choice to waste on
the public left over for his own private
use. sihi ftsd saf.loH
= And Just now there was particular
reason. Miss Della had said s.No'' to,
r. him once. Mrs. Benjamin more than
half suspected the fact, Mr. Benjamin
(. was still very much aware of it; and now
that she and Jennie proved to be old
friends, and she was at his home for the
First time, prettier and saucier thanever,
2 it was policy in him to show that scorn-
fialyoung damsel how much she had
missed. ;Saiaiit'' 'a.,iag b.se sr..I9ep
After the cherries were gone, and he
: had duly apologized for Interrupt ting
! them (althobgh he knew they would
fifty times rather have his chat than their
reading) he betook himself to the back
porch with a cigar and newspaper.
But just as he was going he caught sight
of the blue yarn.
D3a ''Great Jupiter! why you willtire your
fingers over that coarse stuff? I'd rather
! wear ragged stockings to the day of my
death than to have you! protest /
had, DEAR and with that he was gone.
The smile that tried to come into the
wife's face died away in the corners of
her lip to scornful curve. She did not
- intend it should but she had heard a
great deal of such trash when other
people were listening. He never wasted
tenderness on her at any other time.
:. Hes just an angelr' Della said,
when he was almost out of hearing.
- Con tin wheels her friend added
jestingly; and they went on with the.
r. reading. But one at least was not
!, thinking of Pickwick. ,..,;-,s.7.s'. u
= Mrs. Russell had great deal of gen.
uine wholesome common sense, not a
particle of story book nonsense. She
would not have wanted him to be an
'H angel, but no more did she want him to
y ibe-a sham one, and that was the very
; heart OF her trouble. He was devotion
itself to her in public. People said,
4 pityingly, that she didn't seem to appre-
ciate his attention, sand he was SO at
fectionate!" They were afraid his mar
rage was not so happy ascending with
asigh and a sspoor fellowr' In private.
he was not exactly a tyrant; he was
simply forgetful of every body's comfort
except his own. ~, p
! ], would not have you think that Mrs.
Russell complained. She accepted things
as they were and made the best Of them.
merely wondering to herself little
q sometimes if he really was q contempt
BILE hypocrite, or if the springs of cour-
tesy in him had their source SO high up
that private life could not affect them.
nothing save the HIGH pressure of the
public eyesight. She could have borne
the private indifference bstterif the pub
lie devotion had not been overdone. She
never railed'at matrimony.s She did saw
! once, hall bitterly-she had been digging
in the garden at the time Of wear When
those great white worms turn into
., pee5ies, and vas y: crawling little at the
( like marriage, for all the world. They
don't live any kind OF, life down in the
ground, not quarter of life, but once
out OF it they run the risk of humping
saer brains out against wall. Of being