The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-03-13
FAIR EATHER'S FANCY.
Chicago Tribune.

SLicaSo 1IlDuue.
"You needn't laugh, Martha" said
the little reasoner, and her eyes seemed
to shine more co%nrageously as she
spoke. She was sweet OF voice and at
tractlye in person-Martha must surely
have admitted this much-and she had
more daintiness about her than is COM
mon to the average wife of q dozen
years. standing. But then Martha had
come of late to asense of her own grow.
ing Importance. She had made an ex-
cellent marriage; her husband was a
merchant anda deacon; her new house
stood a mile above that of her brothers
on the hill, and had plate-glass windows
her barn had agolden peacock; she had
had six dresses to every one
of her sister-in-law's. She could,
therefore afford to smile on, despite re-
monstrance from the little woman who,
u dozen years before, had become her
brothers wife, and so the possessor of
tho sobriquet "Fairweather's Fancy"
This latter had been an orphan, self
supporting and a student at the acad-
envy where Richard F%airweather had
shortly before been appointed profess
sor of languages. Fancy Fuller had
been considered a very good and am
bilious. minded young woman: she had
taught music and dona plain sewing to
pay for her board in q respectable fam
lily. She had thus worked her way
through school with the avowed desire
of adopting some profession; she had
been suspected of only one delinquency
q leaning towards advanced thought.
This had been coupled, however, with
q most inconsistency lady-like, and
modest demeanor. She had been thus
in a measure an enigma to the village,
the solving of which became hopeless
endeavor when she had capped the eli
max by accepting, after the brietest
courtship, Professor Richard Fair
weather. Resigning her briuian
dreams of professional fame in the
"wide. wide" outer world. she had gone
with evident delight to reign as mistress
of q n story and o half frame cottage
on q POLITICALLY lonesome hillside over
looking the village.
Some n had said she must have
loved him devotedly.
The professor in question was an
amiable man of 40 odd; a slow, consid-
crate man q man of immense culture,
of rare linguistic attainments, decidedly
o scholar. He was said to be prepnr-
ing a book of his own for publication.
He was, at the same time, o man
with the good, old-fashioned notions
of woman's sphere, namely, to marry
and prove herself q good wife and moth
er. There were no children in the case,
but Fancy had been a model wife, her
advanced ideas to the contrary notwith-
standing. She had kept her home a
CHEEKY place, herself a dainty, young
hearted creature; she had decided to
remain Fairweather's Fancy.
The only weak point Martha Martin
had succeeded in establishing in her
sister-in-law, after all these years,
was "Fancy's ridiculous notions about
women" For herself, Martha had no
thought that was not worldly wise, no
delight more vivid than a brand new
dress, no hope beyond her status in vii
lage society. She held her intellectual
brother in affectionate contempt for his
bookworminess; she rldiculed her sis
ter-in-law to her face.
1t was, therefore, three against one,
such times as Martha and her red-faced
deacon-husband took tea with the Fair
weathers. Always Martha must bring
up the subject upon which she so we'll
knew Fancy's ideas; always the noisy
laugh Of Philbrick Martin rang through
the room ct some stale smartaess of his
own. Martha's shrill litter of wifely
admiration was suret to follow; and lastly
Richard, with his deprecating smile,
must say:
"Now my dear, you see they have
COTTON the better of you'll"
But Fancy never lost her temper.
Her cheeks might flush and her eyes
glisten, tall her words were courteous.
And it must have required great self
controlnot to show irritation at Martha's
manner.
Mrs. Martin spent occasionally an
afternoon with her sister-in-law. chiefly
for the purpose of exulting in semi
! bcisterons fashion over that amiable
creature. She had always something
new to d~escribe--it might be a bonnet
or it might be a carpet-sweeper. Her
latest acquisition was a horse and buggy,
with which she drove to the village
twice each day, taking her husband
down to his business in the morning
and going after him at 5 o'clock.
The day Of which I write was one oc-
curing in all the nid-magniticcnce of
October. The atmosphere was warm
and hazy; the foliage of the hillside
woody spaces bore the hectic bloom of
death. Through the open door of Fam
cy's sitting room one looked out upon q
garden of late fowers-dahlias, asters,
m~ignonette and portulaccas. Inside
there was an air of unspeakable peace
a serenity of tasteful arrangement and
harmonious influence. I
But Martha Martin knew only the
pleasure Of the scotfer.
"You needn't laugh" Fancy had said,
looking absolutely pretty Us she spoke
If Martha had given it thought at the
moment. Marthashowever, had prompt
ly proceeded to refute the assertion.
ooh, yes; I've got to laugh, Fancy.
You never ought to've married and set
tied down; you ought to've been a fe-
male lecturer. You're chuck full Of
woman's rights ideas. And it seems 80
funny! Such q tin'rous. insignificant
little thing as you As Philbrick says,
If a mouse should run out and, y
"What Phiibrick saws has nothing to
do withlt, Fancy responded. Resides. if
you introduce a subject as you lid this.
Martha, you must expect me to say
| ,rhat I think Ishall alu.arr@ maintain