The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-05-29

bermen, so that by the first of April she
had saved nearly enough money to
make the first payment on the home.
Only this morning she had been quite
ch erful over the prospect, until let
ter had been brought to her from Ter
native village in Illinois. II came from
a former lover. who was now engaged
TO be married to her sister Ruth Frank
Dennison was wealthy young mer-
chant, who had once sought Hannah
McLean's hand in marriage. When
she refused him and married Dick Bar
ry her father had refused to speak to
her, or see her. DennisOn had heard
OF Hannah's poverty, and how hard she
toiled. and now had written a letter of
friendly advice, suggesting to her that
it would be wei for her to leave her
husband and come home for n time at
least. He was cautious in the wording
OF his letter, yet tie tone of il panied
her. She read it carefully and then
put it away out of sight, in her work
box. She was angry at its patronizing
/ tone, and womanlikc wished to spare
Dick the unpleasant feelings the read
ING Of 1T would occasion his proud nat
urc. Therefore she intended to treat it
with quiet contempt and to speak of it
/ to no one.
/ II at evening when he came home
/ she left him with the child, while she
stepped into a ne ghbor's upon an cr-
/ rand Dick went to the work-box to
/ find a pencil to cast up his accounts
with his employer, rs he had been at
! work for several days. Seeing Den
nison's letter living there he, of course,
read il. and wondered why Hannah had
not told him Of it before. He was in
4 90 oh -,
/ came from a suspicion that his wife
had been influenced by it and intended
to act upon its advice, else why should
she have kept it from him? He knew
all her loyalty, her goodness, but his
lack Of fa Tn was i'm himself, in his pow
or 10 keep her love since he had ia led
To make the happy, comfortable home
for her that he had intended to when
| they were married, yet he was fully
conscious that buried beneath a mass of
| faults and weaknesses there was man
/ illness. nv. Il over of self-sacrifiCe for
/ those he loved that DenniSOn, prosper
Gus and pompous, was utterly incapable
of even comprehend nc.
This was a new blow, and Just as he
began to take fresh heart in the spring
I weather and was maturing plan which
babe fair to succeed plan that would
place her in pretty cottage amidst the
/ flowers and trees of some genial eli
mate-he meant to surprise her with
this. 1t depended upon the answer his
employer, a capitalist and owner of n
ranch in California, would give him
within the next three days, and now,
perhaps. she was cOldly thinking of
leaving him
She came in looking quite cheerful
and smiling kindly. He had folded the
letter. placing it carefully ack in the
box. Richard sat with bowed head,
scarcely looking up as she came in, and
Hannah rocked little Jack to sleep
looking wist.ully at her husband.
you are i'll. l am afraid you are
. working too hard before your strength
has returned. That attack of pneu-
monia has left YOU weak she said.
He made no reply. Then hoping TO
beguile him from his sorrowful mood.
she continued cheerfully: Il am so
glad spring has come. AS soon rs we
can find time let us have the garden
plowed; / mean to have a fine garden
this summer.
II don't think we can make any
plans, Hannah, for the future. You
were foolish to marry me, and 1 was
wicked TO ask you, but l loved YOU.
All! well. better leave me to my fate
take the boy and go home"
He said this, more in the hope OF
hearing her denial of any such thought
than really meaning it. But her loyal
lOng-suilering heart was stung TO be
thus dOul ted, or it was possible she
thought that he really was tired of her
oh, that was n cruel, maddenino
thought, She loved him, vet he must
not think she would weakly cling to 4;
man who did not care for her, who
would not also cleave to her through
every storm and trouble. She claspeC
Jacks lutte sleeping form to her heart
and paused moment before replying
She did not choose that he should fine
her voice trembling.
80 Very well, but / supposed YOU haC
more independence and pride than t
allow your wife to go back to those wh'
would insult yOU."
Dick. whose head seemed tOHe on fir,
and his heart like ice at this their frs
quarrel, arose abruptly and left tn,
mousse. 1t was late when he returned
and the subject was not renewed. Han
nah found he had prepared his owl
breakfast and gone away much Garlic
than usual the next morning.
Ii was late when she awoke from
troubled Sleep. All that day she wen
over in her mind their brief marric
life. Poor Dick had worked very har,
but they had labored under great dis
advantages, beginning life with almos
= nothing. Then she remembered HOY
he looked that day when the horses ra
, away with the mower and he had save
her life. She feared she had been wron
i'm not frankly showing DennisOn's let
! ter to him, then tearing it to pieces he
! fore him ana reassuring him of her dc
> vOtion, of her SCorn of any proposal t
leave him. Thus she rcprOached heI
self full of tender contTitiOn.
+ Late that afternoon, her work over
the room i'm order. she dressed herse
> i'm dark meriuo that Dick had Away
liked to sec her in. 1t was her on
! good dress and her eyes sparkled wit
quite the oldgu luSter as she though
, how kind she would be to Dick when h
! came i'm. After all love was enoug
she thought, and if they but worked o
together with hope and courage, forum
: could not fail to come, some day.
, Papa will be here soon now" sh
s said railv to Jack, taking him in he
8 arms to the door and looking up tn
7 lonr stretch of road towards the wood
and the planning mill.
! 4 man was running towards tn
, house. 1t was Neal Peterson, one {
, the workmeu, not Dick. He came II
I brcathleSsly.
..Oh, Mrs. Barry they sent me to tie
r you lie paused. A rough, kind
4 Norwegian, he dreaded to tell the III
, conscious woman. his sad message.
\ She waited-all the blood ebbing bac
e to her heart.
b Your husband, Mrs. Barry. Il
Z went down into the new well they al