Wichita eagle., 1886-08-18
A VILLAGE SCANDAL.

Il 90 not Delleve IT, said MIS- GranC, en-
phatically
But what everybody says must be true"
persisted Mrs. Jeffrey.
"By no means" replied Helen Grant.
"Once every body said the earth was fat,
now we all know it is round"
Speak for YOURSELF" retorted Mrs JEFF
! frey. IL don't know it's round, but Pm
willing to believe it on good evidence
Thank heaven, I'm not so stubborn that
won't believe I'm one of the sort that
can he Convinced OF thing, eve # l don't
see it."
Mrs Grant flushed little, and tears came
to her eyes.
"She is my friend, and I love her dearly"
she said "She has faults-every one can
see that; but this wicked, shameful story-I
simply can not believe it. Oh, Mrs. Jeffrey,
can 20 not see that it is a matter of con.
science with me as we'll as with you."
Mrs jeffrey, little ashamed, but of the
same opinion still, rose to 60.
IF the matter is brought up in the
church, you W II then hear all the evidence
After you see the letter you may change
your mind"
Pine Falls was convulsed over its first
scandal The tongue of censure that had
family reproved when Abram Harris had
carried his old mother Off to the hoor- house,
and INDUCED in audible criticism when
Laura Cowles had been baptized in the river
in midwinter during church revival and
| died Of infammatory rheumatism a week
afterward, had now broken silence and car
| ried the story from house to house until it
| was on everybody's lips
A mania for visiting Seemed to have
broken out among the ladies. Half dozen
could be seen any day with little bundle
of knitting Or crochet in hand, going to
make informal visits or calls at the homes
of their intimate friends or near neighbors.
To be sure, each lady was very particular
to explain, if opportunity offered, that she
had promised TO show Mrs. So-and-So new
sultcn or pattern, or she had been intending
to take her work and run in" to see Mrs.
Such-a-one for six months or more. 1t
was really a shame to neglect ones neigh
bors SO.
Mrs Jeffrey and Mrs. Martin were seated
on the back porch of the Jeffrey mansion,
engaged in earnest and confidential CONVEX
sation. Overhead in the apple tree the
robin sang unheardL On the floor a mis-
chievous kitten played with Miss Martins
ball of zephyr, tangling the thread I'M
needed, while her crochet work lay idly in
her lap.
She always did seem frivolous to me"
remarked Mrs. Jeffrey. NO care of her
house, no interest in domestic matters.
There's great deal said in these days about
q woman's hiding God-given talent under
bu"hel, and smothering her genius under
domestic drudgery; but Eve noticed that
the women who are domestic and take an
interest in their homes are not the women
who figure in scandal cases or Opponents
"Perhaps," replied Mrs Martin, who was
not quite so conservative as her neighbor
There's great deal of human nature in
women as we'll as men. Most of them take
an interest in some one thing beside house
keeping. With some it is painting, with
others music, and others fancy work or re-
lision I've known women who were really
dissipated, You might say, in religious work;
they carried il to such unreasonable lengths
You and l, not being gifted in any of these
directions have gone on in plain, quiet home
life. But we must not, on that account,
find fault with those who see life from diff
ferent standpoint or call them frivolous be-
cause they take an interest in things we
don't care for Mrs Downs was always
fond of dress and fancy work, but until
this story came out everybody seemed to
like her."
"Well, you can say what you please" re-
turned Mrs Jeffrey wrathfully; when a
woman behaves herself, she won't be talked
about The most shameful part OF the
whole affair is her assumed innocence
saw her myself walking along the Street
with Mr.. Cotton only last evening, as cool
as You please II there's a man in this vii
lage that pity, it's Jack Downs"
The next day was Sunday. and the min
:ster, Mr.. Snow, looked around on the rap
idly filling pews with feeling of calm COM
placency. Everybody belonging to the con-
gregation was there Every face wore
look of keen expectancy, aud when Jack
Downs entered with his pretty wife. sig.
nificant looks were exchanged. and a sup
pressed sensation was visible Throughout the
audience
Youthful and pretty, she added to these
attractions by taste in dress that was sim
ply perfect As she came slowly up the
aisle twirling her fan nonchalantly, whis-
pered comments passed from one to an
other.
slow brazen! Did you ever see such
effrontery." murmured Mrs Dorr to Mrs
Cowles
~She's plucky little piece said Mr.
Martin to his wife in O tone in which sur
prise was so evidently favored with admir-
alton that his bstser-h half bestowed upon
him glance Of whitening scorn
~What audacity." said Mrs Brown to her
daughter Cora.