Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-09-01
from the railway stationa Do you mind lending

yOlsF pony CARTHAGE IL WOuI0 not nave looked
so much ike a vehicle which belonged Just as
much to him Is to me.
Mrs Shute was tan, pale, hnguid- booking
woman OF eight and twenty, with fair halr-which
was by no means all her own-and dull, blue
eyes. She spent most Of her time on the sofa
II do 80 wish that we had little bit Of
ground at the back Of our house." said Mr.
Shute one day to my wife; 'if it were ever 80
small. My poor wife never gets out; she can't
sit in our garden, for it is 80 near the road and
being so much in the house is so dull"
Having said this, he locked anxiously into
her eyes to see how much Christian charity she
possessed.
My wife, poor dear woman, was taken by sur
prise, and replied. Il wish Mrs. Shute would
use our garden sometimes-when my husband
Is not working in 1t, l mean, for when he is
busy he likes to be careless about appearances"
"Oh thank You. How truly kind!' exclaimed
Mr.. Shute. "Then we will have a key made.
You know there is door from our back yard
into your garden, and we will have key made
for it at once, unless you have one you can lend
u.s."
And now my poor wife knew what she had
done, for, of course, 1t was out of the question
for an invalid like Mrs. Shute to walk all the
way round by the lane to the proper entrance.
and yet, if she had key and could come and go
when she liked, all my pleasure In my garden
would be gone. You won't go when my hus
band is at work." she said In desperation to
Mrs. Shute and then trusted to her deiicacy.
What poor, weak thing to trust to!
They got the key-they used it. Mrs. Shute,
who was not strong enough to 60 round to the
proper entrance, meandered for miles along our
gravelpaths and lawn. l could always trace
her presence, for she plucked every flower she
fancied, and flung it as quickly away. and saw
my slaughtered innocents living bruised and
withered in the sun. and could have slain her
In turn. Mrs. Schultz might be the creature Of
impression. but the flowers were the creatures
OF impression, too, and bore the marks Of her
ridiculous high-heeled shoes as she crushed
them down in her indifference and passed on
For some little time she respected my feelings
and never entered the garden when was at
work. Soon, however, she came when she
chose; and frequently !, hard at work in my
gray flannel shirt. would see sylph-like form
arrayed in spOtless white glide toward me,
which planted a camp-stool withina yard of me,
and seemed determined to enter into pro-
lOnged conversation. If l moved away Mrs.
Shute was certain to follow me. It was best
to try not to mind her being there, aud let
her sit admiring her pretty feet and open
marks.
She was always affable. 81 see, Mr.. Peveril,
you are quite an bout des doiyts with all your
fowers!" said she one day, most kindly.
Him." replied. eyes, like flowers"
$50 do 1! I worship them! I even admire a lot
OF great ugly ferns we have in our own garden!"
Thus did the creature of impression speak of the
lovely rare ferns which l had sacrificed to the
tenants who We're to help me pay my rent.
Don't you like ferns?'' ! said. half inclined to
make an effort to get them back again.
"Well, yes, In the woods; but like Pelar-f-
rgOniums in gardens, nothing looks better. II
had plenty of money I'd just put hundreds Of
them in front of our house. What a thing
money is, MIR. Peveril! and there are actually
some people who are so crowded with it that
they don't know what to do with it but make an
OstentatiOn OF it,"
Il am very sure I should know what to do
with mine, il 1 had little MORE" was nv
thought-fOr was forced to endure this lady's
company for want OF miserable forty pounds
year.
She perhaps found me unusually dull. for she
said she would 'strOll about bit and. hastily
knotting up "guinea switch Of hair which
was rolling down her back, she went away
Presently she returned with the Grosvenor
book which was looking forward to the treat
OF reading when my work was done. She had
obtained it by thrusting in her arm at the open
window and removing it from the table where
1t was lying awaiting my return. She and her
husband too were extremely fond of possessing
themselves OF whatever they happened to want
She borrowed a book in this nefarious way. He
came in panic-his wife was ill; would we let
him have half dozen bottles of old port? Or
he was suddenly seized with admiration of one
of our water-coors We had three good ones.
but he was not satisfied with anything less than
our Turner and asked if we would not allow
him to take it to the Cottage for an hour or two
and place it on an easel near his wife's sota-it
would help to while away the weary hours, and
she was the
Rather than hear him say that she was the
creature of Impression I fastened away to get
the picture for him. His wife did not care for
pictures; why did he borrow them for her? She
did not care for books either. She was entirely
uneducated; and though possibly Wilmot of
Taunton, she certainly was not lady She
wished to be pleasant, though, and was very
fond OF sympathiZing with me whenever she
happened to observe certain small green insects
which she called nasty afrites"o on nay roses.
Had she been reading "The Persian and Turkish
TaIes?" l wished an il-disp0sed afrte would
carry her off-but nothing ever did carry her
away from my side but the sight Of the gardener
going toward the kitchen garden. Then she
said in moment, Dear Mr.. Peveril, Edward
and are so fond Of fresh vegetation. may 90
and ask that man to cut Off some little trfe for
the Cottage?" and ], rejoicing at the momen-
tary good fortune always said. "Oh pray do"
And she went and commanded him to bear to
her abode caulifOwers and peas. Iettuces april
cots. or whatever else was agreeable to the pal
ate OF creature OF impression For my part
should not have cared what went to the Cottage
So long as nothing came from Ito sit by INV
side, mean. But my wife said too much went!
They had new-laid eggs. milk. cream and more
butter than we could well spare, and they did
not pay as they got it, but let the account run
on.
BE patient" said /: don't complain and
don't offend them We should have been very
hard up without these Shutes for / have spent
more than ought on the house and garden,
and 1t Ia an Immense comfort to have such rich
tenants. They must be rich. for those pictures
On their walls are worth thousands Don't let
us think OF the Shutes. Let us enjoy our hap
piness'
Our dear daughter had got lOver-not de-
ciared one, but one who wus evidently in earnest
He was thoroughly conscientious, upright
man, and had small estate which had been in
his family for couple Of centuries. Our jOy
about this made US tolerant of the Shutes The
young folks met constantly and the more we
saw OF MIR. Ducie the more we liked him. Per-
haps 1t was lucky thing that Mrs. Shute liked
sitting on my lawn better than driving with nv
wife. for II she had used our pony carriage my
daughter would have had to stay at home. aud
Dir. Ducie would have had fewer opportunities
OF seeing her.
One day, after irritating me BY calling nv
penstemOns antirrhnums. when should have
dsliked to hear her bestOw such an appellation
on my snap dragoons, she. who knew moth
ing OF our secret hopes, suddenly exclaimed:
''Mr. Peveril, don't you think that Mr. Ducie
who comes to your house is very charming
young man? We have asked him to the Cot
tage and he Is coming! Thereare great many
nice young men In this nefgtlbOrhoOd! l am
going to invite my sister to come and stay with
me-she Is such nice girl, and so beautiful"
could see the connection OF ideas. She was
going to invite her sister to the Cottage In the
hone Of her facciOafin0 anna ann-xnrst