Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-10-29


say but there was not detail of Tacy's
housekeeping which was not subj ct to her
sneering criticism as often before Harry az
another. Tscy had not taste that she did
not go out of her way to cast slur upon il, and
Taoy had not a fri nd that she did not assault
with perennial malice, not 90 much from
malignity toward those individuals, appar.
emily, as toward Tacy herself. Retorting at
first, at last the victim took refuge in silence,
and the silence spurred on Mrs. Beardsey
more than the retort. Whether she cared for
what was said or not, it was all very upset
ting to the nerves Of the young wife and
always after the departure Of the enemy Ia
cy felt Is il she had done a hard days work.
81 saw Adele Freemantle o.day," Mrs.
Besrdsley said, untying her bonnet strings.
~ declare she looked about as fresh as she
did those days when Harry used to go with
| her."
HE never did go with her !" cried Taoy.
in hot forgetfulness of her silent system.
Didn't he3 Look here, lacy; husbands
don't tell their wives everything. Wives
have to take it out in despising the other par
ties when they suspect anything"
II think such talk is disgraceful and de-
grading"
"Such actions are. As for Adele, how do
| you know who goes with herr At any rate
she's monstrously fresh and pretty. It's
strange how time goes by some women and
never touches them-you've begun to look
mighty peaked yourself, lacy. Your face is
all yellow with moth, and thin enough to
split the wind. l declare l shouldn't want
Harry to see the difference between you and
such blush-rose 81 she is, though do be-
lieve she paints; such color at her age cant
be natural, and that do say"
Harry would love me Just as well, no
| l. I III
I'm glad you think 80. often say, II
women only knew what their husbands said
and did away from them, they wouldn't rest
at home quite so easy. When people reach
my time of life they know the world, and
| they don't believe in the best man alive
that they don't. / guess il Harry Haverman
carried a glass in his bosom, 80 that you
could read his thoughts, you might sing a diff
ferent song. But I'm not going to make
mischief, and I'm glad you're 80 confident
| Did you see Queenie Munro'S bonnet last
Sunday She might just as well have worn
| Queen Victoria's crown. or all things l do
despise middle. aged women making believe
young. You're getting along yourself, Tacy,
but you don't put on any airs about 1t,
though you'd be justified if you did, for ev-
| erybody knows how Harry likes young wo-
men aud stares at pretty face"
And when she went, Tscy burst out crying
! aloud Was it true that she was looking old
and yellow, and getting middle aged, and that
Harry preferred young girls, and had thoughts
| in his breast which she must not read And
did he really have any old feeling left for
| Adele And what did Mrs. Beardsley mean
by saying she didn't believe in the best man
alive? Did she know anything about Harry
that she herself did not know was there any.
thing for her or anybody to know and was
| it possible that all the world was looking al
her with pity, aware Of she knew not what
With all this, life began to be more of bur
den to her than even Mrs Beardsley had be-
fore known how to make it,
But when Harry came home blithe and
gay, and took her in his arms, all her doubts
few to the winds, and she cried again to think
she had been 80 wicked as to suffer them
Add then Harry reproached her for being hys
terical, and at that she feared he did think
her getting silly and tiresome, and cried the
more, and cried so hard that she had to go tc
bed at last with q sick headache, and Harry
went to the monthly concert alone, and, as
Mrs. Beardsley afterwsrd remarked, goodness
only knew who he went home with
Here, after a season of depression that task
ed all Harry's good-nsture, Tacy resolved tina
she would not oondescend to let Mrs. Boards
ley NEEDLE so with her happiness-thRt, il
short she would quarrel with her if that mus
|
herself whenever Mrs Beardsley came in sigh
of the window. And then one day the HOUSE
that Mrs. Beardsley lived in burned to the
ground, and what should Harry do but brinl
the woman home in his arms
II know she's terror, he said, but wha
else Is there 10 do 2"
Mrs Beardsley fortunately did not heal
him, being entirely unconscious through
smoke and shock. 1t was another of the oc
casions of her dying and going to heaven, ant
she made Taoy the object Of loud reproachel
for calling her bAck-Tacy, who worked owe
Mrs. Beardsley all the more indefatigably fo
being guilty conscious Of not caring if he
efforts proved Intellectual.
"When person has really got through will
life and reached the other shore, it's nothing
but cruelty and cold curiosity that calls then
back through the deep waters again." criet
Mrs. Beardsley. "And you ought to know
we'll enough, Tacy Beardsley-I mean Haver
man, but somehow Harry is such frivolous
inconstant sort of husband that l never fee
as if he t0dS a husband, and your name al
ways seems to me to be Beardsley-you know
we'll enough that heaven isn't a country 81
easily reached by every body that, when yo
do get there, you want to be dragged out an,
knocked down in this way. II you'd seen tn
visions l saw-the wings, the faces, the gold
en- streets, and all that-you'd feel just as
do. les great privilege and setting spaI
that I've been given 80 freely to understan
my place, and should think, Tacy, 'twoul
} make you give heed to your mother t
know"
ITO know you had an epileptic or a oata
leptic fit, with bright lights and colors befor
your eyes"
/ "You terrible child This is nothing shol
! of blasphemy! l guess l know where
went, aud guess l was brought up to kno,
3 what heaven is like, and tell you l went I
t heRven-and that's where you will never g
while you throw such doubt upon the place
nor Harry Haverman either, unless he mend
his ways!" And at that Harry in the nel
room roared so heartily that the interrupte
4 seraph refused to speak to him in his ow
house for several days.
= Poor Harry had now. little other cause
/ laugh for, as the days went ON and Mrs.
a Beardsley's pleasant converse with them, an
lacy listened and brooded, he grew awar
from day to day of his wifes eyes followin
: him with a strange, logged Questioning
Q them that gave his true heart a perpetual III
rest. To cap the rest his business had b.
Q come seriously involved, and he had not
dollar of income, aud was forced TO cut shO
. Taoy's usual allowance. 'Its no more tina
!. l expected, said Mrs. Bsardsley, looking
a Tacy's old winter suit-the low state of Il
Q family finances having continued goo
while-'tO see you going so shabby. mu
i say it looks suspicious. husband who low
n his wife wants to see her looking her bes
}. wants to see her we'll dressed, and takes b
4 pleasure in it, and raises the money by hoe
!, or by crook to bring it about. And when |
doesn't, then you may be sure he is just
a indifs rent to her as he is TO the wind tn
n blows. Aaron always wanted you to be we
n dressed, but must say Harry never seems
) know what you have on. Men don't stint Il
d women they love, aud that's a fact"
It don't know why this was the last straw
+ the oamers burden, but Taoy broke dow
t. while Mrs. Bsardsley was talking, cried