Evening star., 1885-06-06
OUT OF A FAMILY JAR.
BY EMILY WHEELER.

| that, whatever we saw or heard at Letty's, we
| would hold our tongues. But when the next
| time came, and she went into Mysteries over
Rob. and declared he cared nothing for her.
and never had. we couldn't help nodding &C
| quiescence to q friendly neighbor who sug-
| gested that our sister-in-law was extremely
| sensitive and high-strung. Then 1t went back
| TO Lefty that we said she was bysterical goose
| and absurdly Jealous OF poor Rob; and then she
| declared that we had no more feeling for her
| than a stone, and always had looked down on
| her because she was a poor girl, and she should
think wife had some rights, If she didn't bring
/ her husband a fortune, as all the Graham girls
| would TO theirs, II they ever succeeded In get
| ting any. And so there we were with the pret-
tiest family squabbie possible on our hands.
| The worst of 1t was, 1T was such an old one.
We should have learned wisdom by experience;
but though We knew Lefty was . weak little
| thing, and all her tondness for Rob taking the
shape of absurd jealousy even of his own family,
sweet little creature when he married her soft
| eyed and low-voiced, and meek as lamb,
appealing to us over everything, from the wed
| hadn't really minded 1t that she was poor, for if
the Grahams We're rich now, twenty years ago
| they were not, and If Rob had been brought up
/ like a prince, as heir to the factories and the
stores and the rows OF tenant-houses, we, his
three elder sisters, had known something Of the
| other side Of the tapestry in the hard times
when father laid the foundation Of that fortune.
And though We lived in big house now, and
I
| society, in a way, In the little town we never
meant to put on airs. think, indeed, we were
Ss
| out of her mind, and was supersensitive to
any reference to her former condition. We had
married her, picking her out of mill accident
| the first week she went there to work and fall
ing in love with her at sight, and taking no end
of trouble to get her widowed mother into
something nice and quiet and profitable, SO
that Lefty need never go back to the mills.
;. dOwager of the home to which he took Lefty,
and that was the beginning of the mischief
Mrs. Dent was twice as suspicious as she, and
never let her shut her eyes to the family dis
dain of Cophetua's choice, She was small and
slight and low-voiced, this queen-dowager of
said, though why there's anything unwemanly
| in hve feet 81 X and avoirdupois to correspond,
as our Pamela had, is more than know. But
notice that little women always lay the fat
tering JUNCTION to their souls that superiority is
/ in inverse ratio to size.
| jealous she had Mysteries and after DR. GREY
I hinted that something was the matter with her
| heart, of course we were always anxious. She
was very delicate, that was true, and when she
was herself she was as sweet and affectionate as
possible, and we all petted and spoiled her.
] And then Rob would walk home from choir
| meeting with the soprano NEARLY old enough to
| be his mother), or sing duets with May Flem-
ming land she engaged), or pick up tired mill
and the house shut up, and the doctor sent for
and Mrs. Dent on guard, and Rob on his knees
for sins he ] never dreamed Of, and we indignant,
| ished from the sacred sick-room. or course.
being all she had, Mrs. Dent was very fond OF
poor Rob had life Oft.
1T "Thsrel ell II be no peace the family till Mrs.
Den. r des arTsd sald ramsaa nassa our rh, eldest
hope of one as the other. She's fair and forty
better chances Of liie than you Or l. Pam"
would never leave Lefty. If she would would, there @
would be some hope for Rob; and he's such a
dear good fellow, If they didn't expect impossi-
bilties; for. because She don't care for music is
he never TO go to concerts or come over here for
an evening of singing-he with the best tenor in
Rockdale? oh, It's all very well to say it's be-
cause she's ailing, and I'm sure hope it will be
better after the baby comes; but don't think
it's nice prospect for Rob-"
hardest" Annie said. "It's just excess Of affec.
tion on her part, you see. She loves him so
much thai she can't bear his loving any one
gets something else to love-"
But If it was better for q rapturouS month
the loveliest young mother in the world, and
Rob adored lis Madonna, clasping his boy with
an ardor that satisfied even Mrs. Dent But
and the babys medicines, and the baby's
clothes, and the baby's nurse, there were chances
enough OF disagreement between the proud
grandmother and the prouder maiden aunts.
we were homeopathic and Mrs. Dent insisted
on an old-schoOl allopath whenever the baby
seeing the shelf of medicines he was accumuIat.
Ing, that twas mercy he had the Graham con-
father, good Scripturai name that had alwavs
been In the family: but he had to be Harold,
straig out of novel Lefty had read. And
Princeling, half to avoid that detestabIe name
half because he was SO sweet, Lefty declared
that we despised her and her baby and he wasn't
worthy, she supposed. to be the heir Of the Gra-
hams unless he was called Mark, and presently
we were as badly Off as ever. 1t was
trifies that made our miseries: but it was no
trif1e when, with only block between u.s. she
wouldn't let Rob come to see US Tor a month 1t
ended In our going down to the mills mornings
when he was there, and 80 getting to know the
new superintendent. Presently Pam asked him
had toward friendless people Of ali sorts and
conditions. She never thought that he was no
match for our Annie, the youngest and pret-
maid actually only twenty-five and not look.
ing that. But when she saw what she had done,
though nothing had yet, for Frank Truman was
as proud as he was poor she put the blame
where it belonged-on Letty's shoulders.
should never have known him. S never re before Ms
knew superintendsnt-socially, mean"
Is don't i6a 11v know that it's its SO depSrable" said
look his poverty, since he's really very much OF
a gentleman, I'm sure" And smiled at Lefty,
for we were reconciled now, and She had run in
to show US how the baby was learning to take
steps.
nushing. and taking 1t wrong, as might have
known she wOuld-"tO Annie mean-that she
is only following in her brothers steps: but
should think, out OF regard at least to him, and
courtesy to me"
Why I never meant to reflect ON you, II cried.
1--WE never disapprOved-"
"Iou never had a chance; and it wouldn't
have done the least good if you had, she cried,
NO, indeed, !" Pam said. coming to NV rescue.
Rob was too thoroughly in love to mind If we
had talked % all day at him. 1t was clear case
I'm much obliged, I'm sure.v LEFTY said
picking up Harold "but if you mean TO init,
mate that tried-that we tried-to capture my
II only meant to intimate" Pam said, sweet
ly, that You were then, you are still, SO very
pretty that Rob"
..0h. then, I've nothing but my pretty face
wv hich baby has inherited put in. IRE
day OF his lifen '
Hes the image of his father" cred Lefty.
him II he was not. And you know you only
say ne resembles me to tease me.''
m. nna. was perfectly absurd, for the child was
Dent an over, nore's the pity; but you might
as we'll have tried to reason with a turkey-c0ck
Just then She swept up the baby and was out
of the house while We were laughing at her
Sehemence. We never could get into Letty's
feeling about 1t, suppose. We Thought by this
time, married two years and sure of onr afIac' fee
ilon, she ought TO take things more lightly. hnt
III was plain she did not. For She talk ed 20 tn
i.oo about the certainty of marital shipwreck
IL ~ ricn woman married a poor man-thou9h
that he made 1t his duty to discountenance the
whole thing. He sent Frank Truman off To tho
west Tor II few weeks to look after some hnsi
ness for the firm, and in the meantime he
TioIsit aown ola Talbot. senior partner In the
iuckahoe mills, where we had third interest
10 console Aunie. / shOuld hav fbDurht r a..sss