The Hope pioneer., 1886-10-01

.AA,S ~ caO sSA0GAIiS-IOOiu RrdCe, IL WdS
blazing and cracking cheerfully among
the fresh Goals, and Fanny could not
resist the temptation OF pausing a
to warm her chilled fingers,
and watch the greenish purple spires
OF flame shoot merrily up the chimney,
until she heard her husbands voice
calling her imperatively.
"Fanny, Fannyl what are you do
ing?"
"Oh, dear!" thought the wife, as she
ran upstairs, ri wish Frank wouldn't
beso cross. He's always in a hurry"
Little Mrs. Chickerly never stopped
to think that the real reason was that
she, his wife, was never Sin a hurry"
The needle threaded, the thimble
fitted on, an appropriate button was
next to be sele cted.
"Oh, dear, Frank, haven't one the
right size!'
''sew on what you have, then; but
be qui,kp'
But Fanny was quite certain there
was the right button somewhere in her
work-basket, and stopped to search
for it.
"There, I told you sop' she cried,
triumphantly, holding it up on the
end OF her needle.
t'Well, well, sew it on quick!" said
Mr.. Chickerly, glancing at his watch
nervously.
"That's just your worrying way,
Frank; as if anybody could sew a but.
ton on we'll in a hurry. There! my
needle has come unthreaded."
ooh, Fanny, Fanny!" sighed her
husband, fairly out ofpatience at last,
"why didn't you do it last night, as
begged of you? shall miss the train,
and what little chance we had of a
place in Aunt Elizabeth's will will be
sacrificed to your miserable habit OF
being behind hand"
Fanny gave him the shirt and began
to whimper little, but Mr.. Chickerly
had neither the time nor the inclina-
tion to pause to soothe her petulant
manifestation OF grief. He finished
his dressing, caught up his valise with
a hurriedlv spoken "good-by." and
ran downstairs two steps at time
into the street.
'"There he goes" murmured Fanny,
"and he's gone away cross with me,
and all for nothing but q miserable
button! I wish there wasn't such a
thing as a button in the world!'
A wish which we must misdoubt,
many another wife than Mrs. Chicken
ly has echoed, with perhaps better
reason"
Mrs. Chickerly was sitting down to
her little dinner, with a daintily
Drowned chicken, atumbler of currant
jelly, curly bunch of celery range d
before her, when, to her surprise, the
door opened and in walked her lord
and husband.
"Why, Frank, where on earth did
you come from?" cried the astonishcd
wife.
"From the ofice,' very coolly an
swered Mr.. Chickerly. .
"But I thought you were off for
Scenersville in such a hurry"
II found myself just five minutes
too late for the train, after having
run all the way to the depot"
ooh, that was too bad"
"Chickerly smiled little as he be-
gan to carve the chicken"
eyes, l was alittle annoyed at first;
it did seem rather provoking to be
kept at home by only shirt button" "
"What are you going to do?"
"Why, shall make a. second start
tomorrow.
"Ill see to it that your breakfast is
ready this time, to the second, and all
your wardrobe in trim," said Fanny,
rather relieved at the prospect of lie.
trieving her character.
"You need not. I have engaged a
room at a hotel near the depot. ]
can't run any more risks
He did not speak unkindly, and yet
Fanny felt that he was deeply dis
pleased with her.
"But, Frank
"We will not discuss the matter any
further, my dear, ifyou please. Ihave
resolved to say nothing more to you
about reforms. seeit is useless, and
only tends to foster an unpleasant
state OF feeling between us. Shall
help you to some more macaroni?"
Fairly silenced, Fanny ate her din
ner with what appetite WAS left her.
Three days afterward Mr.. Chickerly
once mere made his entrance, just at
dusk, valise in hand, while Fanny sat
enjoying the ruddy light OF the coal
fire and the consciousness of having
performed her duty in the mending and
general renovation Of her husband s
drawerful OF shirts-a job which she
had long been dreading and postpon.
ing.
"Well, how is Aunt Elizabeth?"
questioned Mrs. Chickerly, when her
husband duly welcomed and greeted,
had seated himself in the opposite
easy-chair.
"Dead," was the brief reply.
"Dead! Oh. Frank! OF her old enc.
my, apoplexy?"
"Yes."
"Was her will made?"
cit was. Apparently she had ex
pected me on the day she herself ap
pointed; and on my non-arrival on
the only train that stops she sent for
the village lawyer, made her will. and
left all her property to the orphan
asylum in Scenersville, with % few bit.
ter words to the effect that the neglect
OF her only living nephew had induced
her, on the spur of the moment, to
alter her original intention of leaving
it to him. She died the next morn
ing:,' gn, .,.,,
"Oh, Frank, how much was it?"
"Tcn thousand dollars.''
There was a moment or two of 81
lence, then Mr.. Chickerly added, com
posedIy:
"You see, Fanny, how much that
missing button has cost me-"
Mrs. Chickerly sat like one condemn
ed by the utterance OF her own con
science. Not alone the one missing
bu ton, but the scores-nav, hun