Evening star., 1886-09-11

| 1t made -Jake--jt made him feel like the con.
/ loundedest, siliiest fool that ever was born on
| thls here planet. 1t wasn't t0hdt she said, so
| much as hOW she said ii, her weak voice ana
/ iler gentle manner and that smile of hers, that
| touched Jake. But his throat begun 10 iiil up,
| ana his eyes begun TO water; and ii he hadn t
| brought the lever down mighty sudden, he'd
| nave boo-hOoed right out, like iirst-class baby
| But he didn't. He took a good big swallow.
| and gritted mis- teeth, and Don't mention it,
| ina'ain, says he, as light and easy as he could
| manage.
| That, sir. was the whole of their first conver-
sation; and seeing how little there was to it, you
| might have thought he'd have forgotten all
| about it in the course OF time. But he never
lid; and To this day, SIR be remembers It just
;'s plain and just as clear as though 1t mad only
| been yesterday that IL happened.
Wei after that she and him, they talked a
! good deal together. Whenever JAKE wasn't
| her in the sick room. sometimes they'd just
| stay quiet and say nothing. Sometimes she'd
her at her request. She liked to be read aloud
| TO uncomInonly. But most generally they'd
| talk. And they talked about pretty much
1 every subject under the sun except one, and
| that one her. She never said nothing about
| herself; and Jakc-though don't deny ne was
| CuriOu>-he never asked no questions, not even
i her name. lie thought to himself whatever
| she wanted him to know about her sue d tell
| him OF her own free will, and what she didn't
| tell him, he considered, was none of his busi-
| ness. But Mrs Riley, she felt different. She
| ieit That she had a right TO know the woman's
name, anyhow So one day, Jake being pres
'.Exeusc ME, ma'am,7 says Mrs. Riley, .but
| would you be kind enough to tell me and Jake
here your Dame?'
! The sick woman. sir. she sort of started and
eoioied up; but then she says, very quiet, says
| she. ''Ny nime is Henrietta"
| Henrietta WHAT" asked Mrs. Riley.
] Henrietta she waited a moment, and then she
/ answered, "Ienrietta Madge"
| Which seemed to satisfy Mrs. Riley, because
| she said nothing more, and pretty soon she
| went OFT.
| rietta after Mrs. Riley gone.
| Well, time passed along and Hetty. she got
enough 10 sit upa lew hours every day in Jake's
! big easy-chair, by the window. This in
| April; and shed sit there by the window and
| sun herself Then gradually she got still
| stronger, so that she could sit up there in that
chair pretty much all day. And then before
| long she could move about little on her feet,
from room to room. And finally, one bright
| day toward the first of May, the doctor says TO
Jake, ''lt would do her heap of good to go out
and take ii little walk in the fresh air, says he,
the only trouble being about her getting back
upstairs
"Ishaw,' says Jake. There needn't be no
trouble about that. I'll carry her. says he.
And that's what he done. He carried her
down; and they walked IA little in the sun, she
il-iettliinS ON his arm, ana most ready to jump
out OF her skin for the pleasure she took in
being clear OF the house, and he feeling uncom-
monty happy too. without exactly Knowing the
why nor the whereiore-they walked. as l say
litile i'll the sun; ami then AXE, he carried her
back upstairs again. 1t made his heart beat
lIhe Il s!cd@e-fia;nnier to- hold her that way,
close against him in his arms; but he kept hlS
OWE counsel, and She didn't appear to take no
notice W 1eh thty reached Aef room, she SAID
that she felt rather tired, and she guessed shed
lie down Il oil. Jake fetched shawl To cover
her up with; and Sue went to sleep, whilst he
sat near bS and watched her. and thought how
pretty and sweet sine looked, and wondered
whether sine WAS dreaming, and ii what
about, and kind of hoped, You know, that it
might bc about himself. And then by by
she opened her eyes and woke up.
For II while she laid still, looking at the CELL
ing, and saying nothing. But presently, very
Soit. Jake. she calls.
YES suys Jake.
flake, Says she, show shall I ever thank
you ANA Mrs. Riley enough Ior all the kindness
that You two nave done ior me?" says she.
"Ou, says Jake, that amt nothing"
Il was thinking OF that, jake says she
because now that I'm strong enough to walk
outdoors, must get ready to so away"
Jake, he give Jump. ''Go away!' says he
Go away! " hat do you want TO go away
for?''
Why" says she, "rve been a burden upon
that I'm able, must so away, and not be a bur-
deu To you no longer
he says, Excuse me. 1 didn't mean to be
rough. Aud then he asked, as calm as he could
Keep, Where are you going tor
II don't knOW,' says she.
'Dun't know!' says Jake, losing his calmness
"Ihen you sha ant 90 at all.'
"Oh, but must, Jake" says she.
"Must or not, you sna II L." cried Jake. 81
mean that can let You. 1 can't live without
You. Ii you go, follow. Ii you go, I-I-I-"
down.
She, sir. she looked sort of surprised, and she
little trelnDie, and ''Oh, jake, she says, "don-t
talk like That, Jake; = and Sue burst out crying
as ii her heart would break.
Jake, lie hurried over to where she was lay
ins and he tried hard To bring her around. He
tod her that lie never meant to hurt her feel
ings, nor To make her cry and he begged her
To ioTSlVe him his common ways; and he said
how lie loved her and loved her and how it
would break him up like dynamite to have her
go away. tie said he knew he was no great
shakes, being nothing but compOsitOr, ANA :
she - Senu-wine lady and yeI, said he, he loved
her tenderiy, he oid, aud he couldn't help ask
in. her be his wife. And then he went on
a-Iry in, To sootiie her, and stop her CRYING
which she had 1een doing steady ever since she
first started III At it.
We'll, at last she stopped. She StOpDed her
crying. and she looked up at him with her big
eyes; and Jake" says she, you're good
awful bad. a. though mad been deceiving you
But now, jake, must tell you the honest truth,
and Tue Whole of ii, says she; land then you'll,
see 'iiiil !on don't want none such AS me for
your wife, Jake, and You III agree that it's better
FOR lne To go away. Are You ready to listen,
'.uo ahead. I'm ready" says Jake
And She begun.
Wnat was it that she told Jake? Never you
Jake, lie sas still, a-driving his halls into his
he-.', anu agrinding his teeth till he nearly
bione EN-, he sat stiii and listened; but what
She ioiu MIN he never repeated to a living
being, ana You take my word for it, he never
viii but when she'd got done, Jakes eyes
was as wet as water; and Jake he rose to ms
ieet ana he bent over, and he put out his hand
and took hold uf hers with il, aud he guided
Gown something that was sticking in his throat
ana says lie, "Hetty," says he, and then he
stoppGu lor another sulp and then, "Hetty,"
says he again, -Hetty, there's bigger scoun-
drtis III tins world than Fdever have believed
trough L knew ii was pretty bad. That's ali
We got Ia say, Hetty. except this, that love
Oh IL thousand times better now than did
before you begun 10 speak, Hetty, and ask
yo.s again to be my wiie.'
10 cut 4. long story short, sir, in the morning
OF lac 21st day OF May, 1858. Jake and Hetty,
with Mrs. Riley Ior bridesmaid, they went TO
tnc cnufch around in Houston street, ard they
Was married.
We'll, SIR, the drst few months of this married
Iiic ska away as smooth as IL they was oiled.
JAKE earned Az cents ~ thousand i'll the Trumpet
Office, ana ON that they managed to get along
right cCmiortabIe. They calculated that they
might :ts wcu nave II home TO themselves: SO
tney bdde S0Oei-bye 10 MIS-. Riley. and they
hireu a HOor over ON Second avenue, near 9Th
street. and they set up housekeeping. Jake ne
bought some furniture with the money That
he'd saved-for mustn't forget to tell you
about that there doctor. that IL turned out as
how hg hud been a-doctOrng for the good OF his
ueititu alter all, leastwise when Jake started
settle with him, at first he swore black and blue
thtt he wouldn't charge nothing, nor accept
nothing, ana fhen finally lie give In TO the ex-
tent OF taking Sl5 ior the whole business: SO
that JaLe was left with about SIS in his
Pochet-Jake, he bought some furniture. sec.
ond-!and Dut solid; and Hetty, she done the
houscwork, though I'm not ashamed to saw
tnat Jake used 10 whip OH his coat, when he
Vas To hoine, ana help her with ii; and on the
Wholc, they was Us happy ciamS at low tide
ain got the time To tell you all the d differpnt
thlngs they done: but I'll Just remark that IL
uluiI matter mucn what they dOne-sO long
as lhey done IL together they found pleasure
Ia IL; Now, ior instance, You might think