The Penn's Grove record., 1884-01-26
A LESSON AND nov rive LEARNED
1T.

II.
Betty sighed. Now why she should
have sighed at this particular moment,
no N on earth could tell. And it was
all tie more exasperating because John
had just generously put into her little,
shapely hand a brand new ten-dollaI
bill. And here began the trouble.
"What's the matterl' he said, his
face falling at the FAINT sound, and his
mouth clapping together in what those
who knew him but little called an
obstinate pucker"-"now what is itP'
Betty, who had Just began to change
the sigh INTO a merry little laugh, riPpl-
ing all over the corners of the red lips,
stopped suddenly, tossed her head. and
with a small jerk, NJ ways c~oneiliating,
sent out the words, you needn't
nsinuate that I'm always troublesome!''
81 didn't insinuate-who's talking of
insinuating?" cried John thoroughly
~inceDsed at the very idea, and backing
away a few steps, he glared down from
his tremendous height IN extreme lrrlta-
ton. "It's you yourself that's forever
insinuating, and all that, and then to
put it on me-it's abominablel"
The voice was harsh, and the eyes
that looked down into hers were not
pleasant TO behold.
"And if you think, John Peabody,
that III stand and have such things
said to me, you miss your guess-that's
ALP cried Betty, with two big red
spots coming on her cheeks as she tried
to draw her little erect figure up to its
utmost dimensions. Forever insinuat-
ing? l guess you wouldn't have said
that before l married you'll Oh, now
you can, Of course,"
Didn't you say it first, I'd like to
know" cried John in great excitement,
drawing nearer to the little creature he
called wife," who was gazing at him
with blazing eyes of Indignation; 81
can't endure everything"
"And if you bear any more than l
do" cried Betty, wholly beyond control
now, why, then, I'll give upland she
gave a bitter little laugh and tossed her
head again.
And here they were in the middle Of
a quarrel. These two who, but a year
before, had promised to love and protect
and help each other through life.
Now" said John, and he brought
his hand down with such a bang ON the
table before him that Betty nearly
skipped out of her little shoes, only she
controlled the start, for she would have
died before she would have let John
see it, "weT have no more Of this non
sensel" His face was very pale and
the lines around his mouth so drawn
that it would have gone to any one's
heart to have seen their expression.
II don't know how you will change
1t or help it," said Betty, lightly, to
conceal her dismay at the turn affairs
had taken, "I'm sure, and she pushed
back. with a saucy, Indifferent gesture,
the light waving hair from her forehead.
That hair that John always smoothed
when he petted her when tired or dis
heartened, and called her ''childie."
Her gesture stuck to his heart as he
glanced ut her sunny hair and the cool,
Indifferent face underneath, and before
he knew it he was saying: "There is
no help for it now, l suppose
ooh, yes, there is" said Betty, in
the cool, calm way that ought not to
have deceived him. But, men know SC
little of women's hearts, although they
may live with them for years in closest
friendship. "You needn't try to endure
it, John Peabody, if you don't want to.
I'm sure l don't care"
"What do you meant" Her husband
grasped her arms and compelled the
merry brown eyes to look up at him.
81 can go back to mothers" said
Betty, proyokingly. "She wants me
any day, and then you cal live quietly
and live to suit yourself, and it will be
better all around"
Instead of bringing out a violent
protestation of fond affection and
remorse, which She fully expected,
John drew himself up, looked at her
for a long, long minute, then
dropped her 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 establishment enough
to utter a sound.
With a wild cry Betty rushed across
the room, first tossing the ten-dollar
l. savagely as far as she could throw
and ainging herself on the comfort
abl old sofa, broke into a flood of bitter
tears-the first she had shed during her
married life.
"How could he have done it-oh,
what have I said-Oh, John, Johnln
The bird twittered in his little cage
over in the window among the plants.
Betty remembered like a flash how
John and she filed the seed-cup that
very morning, how he laughed when
she tried to put it IN between the bars.
and when she couldn't reach without
getting upon a chair, he took her in his