Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-07-30
WILL q ! }. !! GLE IN

n. VILLA Y \. AGE s. AM
do not believ i, q said iii Nj. Gran,
mphaically
ut B what every body says must 81
true, 8 persisted Mira. Jeffrey.
no paeans, Z \ said Helen Grant
SOnce erybody said the earth W,
hat, now We 81 know ii i round. y 4.
Speak for yourself, q retorted Mrs,
jeffrey. 81 don't know it : round,
b 'l13 I'm willing to believe ii on good
evidence Thank heaven, I'M not So
stubborn that / won't believe. I'm one
ct the q, ]. sort that can be convinced .of /.
thing even il Z don Il see II. Is.
ne Mrs. Grant flushed 4 little and tear.
came into her eyes 55.3.
She il my friend, and / love he,
dearly J, she said She has faults
every one can SEQ that; but this wick.
go, shameful story simply can not be-
lieve it. oh, Mrs. jeffrey, can YOU not
see that it is q matter Of conscience
with me as well as with youp'' J:
4 Mrs. Jeffrey, little ashamed, but 81
the same opinion still rose to 20.
/ II the matter is brought up in the
church, you viii then hear all the eyii-
dence. After you see the letter YOU
may change your mind. $3.50 Il IS Il
Pine Falls was conyulsed over its
first scandal. The. tongue Of censure
that had family reproved when Abram
harris had carried his mother off to
the poor house, and indulged in audible
criticisms when Laura Cowles had been
baptized in the river, in mid-winter
during a church revival and died of in
t1ammatory rheumatism week AFTER
ward, had now broken silence and
carried the story from house to house
until 1t was on everybody's lips.
A mania for visiting seemed to have
broken out among the ladies. Halt a
dozen could be seen any day with a
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 ex-
plain, if opportunity offered, that she
had promised to show Mrs. So-and-so a
new stitch or pattern, Or she had been
intending to take her work and ''run
i'm to see Mrs. Such-a-one for six
months or more. It was really shame
to neglect ones neighbors so.
Mrs. Jeffrey and Mrs. Martin were
seated on the back porch of the Jeffrey
mansion, engaged in earnest and con-
fidential conversation. Overhead in
the apple tree the robin sang unheard.
On the floor mischievous kitten play
ed with Mrs. Martins ball of zephyr,
tangling> the thread UNDECIDED, while
her crochet work lay idly in her lap.
"She always did seem frivolous to
me- remarked Mrs. Jeffrey. mo
care of her house, no interest in do
nestle matters. There's great deal
said in these days about a woman's
hiding a God-given talent under a
bushel, and smothering her genius I'M
der domestic drudgery; but I've 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 so conservative as her neigh
Dor, 'there is a great deal of human
nature in women as well as men. Most
Of them take IAN interest in some one
thing besides housekeeping. With
some it is painting, with others music,
others fancy work or religion. I've
known women who were really dissi-
pated, you might say, in religious work;
they carried it to such unreasonable
lengths. You and /, not being gifted
in any of those directions, have gone
on in plain, quiet home life. But we
must not, on that account, find fault
with those who see life from a different
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, -
returned Mrs. Jeffrey, wrathfully,
when woman behaves herself, she
won't be talked about. The most
| shameful part of the whole affair is
her assumed innocence. I saw her
myself walking along the street with
Mr.. Cotton only last evening, as cool
as you please If there's a man in this
village that pity, it's Jack Downs"
"
The next day. was Sunday, and the
minister, Mr.. Snow, looked around
at the rapidly filling pews with feel
ing of calm oomplacency. Everybody
belonging to the congregation was
there. Every face wore look of
keen expectancy, and when Jack
Downs entered with: his pretty wife
significant looks were. exchanged and
la suppressed sensation was visible
! throughout the audience. :.
Youthful and pretty, she added to
these attractions by = taste in dress
that was simply perfect. As she came
slowly up the aisle twirling her fan
nonchalantly . whispered comments
| passed from one to another. p. =
How brazen! Did you ever see
such effrontery2'' murmnred :. Mrs.
Dorr to Mrs. Cowles. zlat.25. II -, ( :. l.