The Press., 1885-03-12

didn't come. She guessed she should laugh to see her fretting over him. She even hinted, in her rampant loyalty, that p'haps there was some reason folks didn't dream of why he didn't come. Mebbe he'd been given to understand he wasn't wanted.
 One afternoon she came home from one of the neighbors with some news. She had seen woman who lived next to the Stoddards, and Andrew had gone west.
 ''Has he ?" said Emmeline, and went on sewing. "#a
 "You're queer girl," said her mother. She liked Emmeline to be digpifed and reticent about it to other people, but she felt aggrieved that she did not unbend and talk it over with her.
 About this time her sister Nancy was taken sick with slow fever. She fingered along few weeks the fever left her, but she had no strength to rally; then she died. It was hard blow to Charlotte. She had been very fond of her sister, and had an admiration for and pride in her which was somewhat singular, since she herself was much the stronger character of the two. She had seemed to feel almost as much satisfaction in Nancys fine parlor and fancy-work as if they had been her own. Perhaps she consoled herself in that way for not having any of her own, and maintained to herself her dignity amongst her neighbors.
 After her slster's death she began to th1nk that some of these fine things ought, by right, to belong to her.
 Nancy earned 'em jest as much by savin' as Thomas did by workin'," she told Emmeline. "It wouldn't be nothin' more'n fair for her sister to have 'em." But Thomas Weeks had capabilities of action in him that people generally did not suspect him of.
 He was little, spare, iron-gray, inof- fensive-looking man, but he had been small tyrant over his mild-visaged, spec tacled wife, Now she was dead he had definite plans of his own, which matured as soon as decency would permit, aud which did not include his giving his de- ceased wife's sister his fine red plush fur niture. She visited him often and hinted, but he smiled knowingly, and talked about something else.
 Nancy had been dead about six months, when, one afternoon, Mrs. Steadman saw him drive past in shiny buggy with lady. Her suspicious were aroused, and she talked, aud worried, and watched. She found out he had new hat and coat, and was having the house painted, and the sltt1ng-room and kitchen papered. Every body said he was going to get married, but nobody seemed to know to whom. At last it came out. He came to church one Sunday with his bride-a short, stout, sallow woman in middle-aged bridal finery, no more like poor Nancy than huckle- berry bush is like willow saping. She was a widow from neighboring town, and reputed to have quite a snug little property four or five thousand dollars.
 Emmeline and her mother sat just across the aisle from the newly welded couple. Mrs. Steadman had given one startled, comprehensive glance at them when they turned into the pew. After that she did not look at them again, but sat straight and rigid, holding her chin so stiffiy against her long neck that it looked like a double one, pursing up her lips as if to keep back a rushing crowd of words which were clamoring behind them.
 She told Emmeline, when they got home, that it was all she could do not to speak right out in meeting and tell Thom- as Weeks just what she thought of him.
 "I'd like to get right up," said she, "an' ask him he remembered it was hardly six months since my poor sister was laid away, an f he'd ever heerd of such q thing as common decency, an respect for folks memory, an f he didn't think it was treatin' some folks pretty hard to bring another in to use their dead sisters things, when he'd never given them penny's worth of em."
 As far as the results went Charlotte might just as well have spoken out ill meeting, and accused her recreant brother in-law openly. She had always been & woman who talked great deal, and could not help making funerals for all her woes, and now there was not woman in the town whom she did not discuss Thomas's 's second marriage with, and detail her own grievances in connection herewith to-. They all sympathized with her: women always do in such cases.
 She warmed up on the subject to every body who came into the shop. Emmeline kert quietly sewing, giving her opinions on her work when asked for them, but not saying much besides. Her mother did not understand her; privately she thought her uufeeling. Emmeline had not heard a word from Andrew Stoddsrd all this time. For while she had had forlorn hope of letter, but 1t had died away now. Out wardly she was living just as she always had before he had come; but the old homely ways, whose crooks she had thought she knew by heart, were constantly giving her a feeling of pain and straneeness. She was not imaginative or self conscious she
 lever really knew how unhappy she was, or she would have been unhappier. She kept steadily at work, and ate and slept and went about as usual she never dream. ed of Its being possible for her to do any
 hing else, but the diterence was all the
 ime goading her terribly.
 Her mothers fretting over the affair had disturbed her actively more than anything
 ,lse; she was almost glad now to have il turned into another channel. And this new one threatened to be well worn indeed before Mrs. Steadman should leave it. She scolded and cried in it. She was divided between grief and indignation. y.,..
 Poor Nancy's few articles of finery ran Sled in her mind more and more. She pilgrimed up to Thomas's house evening after evening to see if there was light in the best parlor; reports said that they used 1t common now. She came home trembling there was one. .s.. ''To think of their usin' poor Nancy's best plush furniture like that!" she said 'settin' in them stuffed chairs every even in jest as if they was wooden ones they won't last DO time at all An to thinl : how hard she worked an saved to get 'em an how choice she was of 'em. Thel | thars all them tidies an mats an rugs, an that beautiful hair wreath made out of m, folks hair !' .e