The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-09-11

| The next morning they debated as to
whether they should go to church and
finally decided in the negative. 1t would
| look too marked just to go to see him,
though they did not say So Neither did
they speak of going to the woods OF down
| by the river on their usual Sunday ramble,
They sat at home all the morning, the sow
ing all put by. Susan dressed her mother
with, great care. She even put an extra
| touch to her own appearance, she could
hardly have told why. She was glad of the
homework which kept her busy But the
widow sat silent with her hands clasped
and that bright expectancy in her eyes.
Judge Magnus was to give the Senator a
| grand dinner on Monday. How would he
| find time to think of poor Jane Human
and her broken fortunesi But he did find
time to think Of her. 1t was just four
| O'Clock when stranger clicked the little
| gate. He was tall and rather imposing.
with a square forehead, a square chin and
powerful jaw. He wore square-toed
| boots and even his watch-chain was com.
posed of little cubes of gold. The iron-gray
side whiskers gave him an air of distinc.
ton he had not possessed in his younger
| years, but his eyes wero of a steely benevo.
| lence, without humor. Humor was the one
thing Ben Fielding had always lacked.
| Susan hastily kissed her mother ,~hen she
saw what was impending, then dasned out
the back way. She slipped through broken
picket in the dooryard fence and crossed
Mrs Hodges garden, and by winding ways
reached a back street and made for a shady
| spot by the river She sat down on the
| ground among the ferns and let her hat
| fall back, and with her hands clasped about
| her knees lost sight of every thing before
| her eyes in her intense sympathy for her
mother. He had come to make friendly
| call, of course but Susan did not believe it.
| She know that widowers, when their heats
have healed by the first intention, always
/ how ItatA =.
uous members of the human race Sheyas
| thinking of Jane Hinman and the WioN
| Bowen and the dark ways they had tav
eled as mother and daughter, when sbelad
borne the laboring oar; and tide of ,ity
and love seemed to sweep her aNay,
mingled with the excitement of this strage
romance which was touching her mCheT
again in the afternoon of her days. Ssan
never knew how long she sat there on the
river bank among the ferns. She foud it
growing dark when she took her way hme
Her mother met her at the door will her
eyes full of tears and quivering wittsup-
pressed emotion. She put her arm armnd
her daughter and like Ruth and Nomi
they chung together for time.
80, you can't think what he said It's
all the same as if l hadn't grown old. He
wants me to be his wife. He came hop on
purpose, Susan, to ask me. He says b has
money enough and everything, an, he
don't care if am ever so poor and ont
know how to appear" she went on title
incoherently.
Susan put her mother down in the rcker
and smoothed her hair. "You must ,uiet
yourself, or you will have one of yom bad
headaches. But just tell me- if you lave
promised to be Mrs Senator FieldingP
How could promise" she returned, re-
proachfully, without talking with youl
1t all depends on you, Susan, and the rery
thought of it makes me dizzy"
Il shan't stand in the way, mothe; 1
shall never trouble him"
Susan Bowen what do you mean?'
HE can't be expected to marry the
whole family. He has come for his old
sweetheart Jane Human, and not for
Susan Bowen, clumsy old Susan"
you want to make me sick,' breaking
into sobs; ''that is just what you want to
do.n
mo, don't, mother; but l can't deceive
you. We have always been one, you and
l, but it can be so no longer. Jane Human
was born for another fate. And now sic is
coming into her kingdom. But Susan
Bowen was made to endure hardness, to
live alone and eat the bread of labor He
would not like my influence over you He
must rule alone; can see it in the square
set of his jaw"
That's just it, Susan; he amt changed a
bit. Such men never do change. l can
new velvet. He didn't have his way with
me when he was young and he wants to get
it now he is old. He let it drop that his
God must be my God, and it was so like old
times it made me SILVER"
Il guess his God is made in tha likeness
of the Senator" said Susan bitterly, but
this was all she would say to influence her
mother who kept insisting that he was
generous and kind and wondrous conde-
scending to the poor Widow Bowen. She
felt it q grievance that Susan would not
Join in these eulogiums, but maintained a
logged silence. Her sturdy, strong soul
felt a sorrow Juggling at her heart strings,
such rs she had not known in all her years
of toll and privation. The splendid pros
pect opened by the visit of the great man,
though it dazzled the widows eyes, brought
no real joy to that poor house. Before
going to bed Susan told her mother she
would depart early the next morning by
the train to take home the finished bundle
of work and leave the coast clear. The
Senator was to receive his answer that day.
She did not sleep until near morning, and
then it seemed that she had just fallen into
her first uneasy nap when nervous grasp
was laid on her shoulder.
Il can't. l can't" sobbed poor Mrs.
Bowen, brokenly. give made up my mind
l won't have Ben Fielding if he is to sepa-
rate us. What do | care for his money and
his position. and his honors, compared
with my child9 And Just as like as not he
would despise me if | didn't bow down to
him. l won't see him again. You must
stay and tell him the whole truth. There
never was such one to speak tho truth as
you are. And will go to town with the
bundle of work"
Susan felt that her mother had risen to
the height of the moral sublime. She took
her in her arms and gave her tremendous
hugging as she laughed and cried. Mrs.
Bowen did go to town and Susan saw the
Senator, and they had rather bad half
hour Fielding lost his temper, and ac-
cused Susan of influencing her mother
against him to her great injury. And
Susan lost her temper and maintained her
right to her mother with pertinacity. And
when the Senator went away he congratu-
lated himself on having escaped such a
dragon of daughter-in-law. And Susan
for her part hated the overbearing man
worse than any one she had ever seen.
Many can rise once in lifetime to a
height of the moral sublime, but few can
maintain themselves long at such a level.
When the two poor women took up life
again in that shabby tenement, things
were changed. Perhaps Mrs. Bowen as is
the way with dependent impulsive minds,
secretly regretted at moments all she had
given up for Susan, while Susan for her
mother and was wretched. But one day
there came to Susan Bowen an official
document which announced her appoint
ment to a 1,200-dollar clerkship in the
treasury. Though she hated Fielding, he
had done her this great good turn because
that generous streak in his nature was
marked