Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-12-04

w Ii
denying herself all but the commonest
necessities of life, that her husband
might not be handicapped in the great
race. Her children went, one by one,
back to the God who gave them, CON
scious, perhaps, that they were but
stumbling blocks In his pathway, and
then she was left alone. After while,
when toll and self-denial became no
longer necessary, they had grown in
TO fixed habits with her, and she was
almost uncomfortable without them.
She had narrowed and cramped her
own nature that his might be widened
and expanded, and now the growing
season is over. The husband, the
hero-is he one?-nas reached the
zenith of his power. The world grasps
his hand and asks him to dine. He
is impatient and ashamed of the hum
BILE foolish woman who dwarfed her
own nature, stifed her own individu-
atty, and expended the best part of
her life on the kettles and economies
of his lordships kitchen. And for
this: the disdain of the world, the
contempt of her husband, and the
blessing of her God! Perhaps after
all the reward is worth the struggle,
the suffering, the contumely, and the
wasted life on earth. 1t is what you
and I will never attain, Mr.. Pennoyer.
In Heaven, if we are deemed worthy
to enter there, we shall sit at that
woman's feet?"
Herbert Pennoyer was very pale,
and also little bewildered, when she
finished.
Il acknowledge that I presented a
wrong view of the question. I shall
try to remedy the error" he said at
last in a low voice.
I'm the next number2" with little
ominous note in an even tone. Then,
without giving him time to answer,
she continued: "Do look yonder
through the trees! 1t is like a wee bit
of old Connecticut Settlement picke2
up and transplanted bodily to the
heart of the city. Are you surprised9
Yes, [ 1--we there. have just como
from there, in fact. We moved to
town soon after you left it. Perhaps
you have heard Of the coal mines de-
veloped there some years ago? They
were poor papa's-they are mine now.
[ ana returning in short time and
shall be charmed to be the bearer of
any messages you may wish to send to
your old friends and neighbors. By
the way. I should like to know your
wife. [ have heard so much that was
good of her from the people back
there. They call her Mary Lyddy.'
1t sounds SO quaint and pretty to me.
h fc + To- ,%
Herbert Penneyer muttered a hasty
farewell and turned somewhat abrupt
ly away. Had he been a woman he
would probably have tainted; being
man, [ think he swore.
Mary PennOyer was simple and ai-
rect in all her actions and reasonings.
She did not stop to argue in regard to
whether Or no it was exactly honor
able to investigate Herbert's papers in
search of information she might have
had from himself. Instead, she went
straight to the study and opened the
desk by the window. There were a
great many scraps of paper with notes
and illusions which she did not in the
least understand, but none of them
seemed to be what she wanted. The
capacious waste-b basket was interview
ed next, and at the very bottom she
found few crumbled sheets contain
ing an epiteme of the sketch; and,
worst Of all, and most conclusive, the
significant words scrawled idly across
it: MY own experience to Tp'
Mary Pennoyer pushed the waste
basket back again with foot that she
was conscious added another pang to
her burden of misery. She had walk
ed SO many weary miles in her round
of household duties that a No. shoe
hardly afforded the requisite degree of
comfort. She spread ner ten ill-shap-
ed, stumpy fingers on the green felt
writing-table and looked at them
gloomlly. 1t was quite true. She was
constitutiOnally ungainly. Perhaps
she did not put it into those words, but
she felt it just as keenly. Taen she
wondered miserably if every one rec
ognlzed her as the ignorant wife Of the
story-the wife who was sinless and
faithful merely because she was too
dull and devoid of sentiment to be
otherwise! 0, God! that it had come
to this! That she had crucifed her.
self without a murmur only to be neld
up to the derision of the world for the
price of case of wine Or a conv1-
vial dinner to boon companions at the
club!
She turned and gazed daily out of
the window. A dashing little phae-
ton whirled past with two women
richly clad, dimpling with laughter,
happy, apparently, as the butterflies
that hung over the flaming flower
beds down in the park. They were
women whom the respectables affect
ed not to see.
There was a mirror in the room, and
Mary went to it.
Il am too old and ugly for even
thatP' she said aloud, turaing away
again with a hard smile ON her face.
Ia an open drawer of the desk lay
Herbert's revolver. Why had he left
it there's Why had she found it, Was
thJo the Of o11