Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-07-04
I A MERE SCOCNDREL.

Not the humble circumstances which
poetry and the stage render picturesque
but the dead level of lower middle class
life. The hero, and less heroic hero
never brsaJhed was-dare tell Its-Serv
ing behind a CheesemunGpr : counter He
WAS young. tolera5ly gobd- looking lazy,
unprincipled and dishonest There make
hero If you can out Of these qualities
And vet two women loved him, nav. three,
but II Is only with two that We need con
Germ ourselves now A. If It had not been
for these women Couli | ever have at.
tempted to tell the pnur weak s.nunirrI' =
story? They were two Of numerous
class OF young ladies employed hS a large
draper in one of the northern
suburbs. and were not di~tn-
Eui>hed by heaiuy or refinement from
tEelr companions. Perhaps they glGGlrd
little .es> and talked less perrIntcluu~Iy Iy
about their own affairs while customer
was waiting II be served ~ a rule
young Ladies' IN shops. magazines. or ru
PorIums. are chiefly remarkable for doing
their hair ia the very latest fashion. call
ing each other dear lnCeSSantly and hIv
iuE an immense number of secrets To con
fide Mary Hodges and Ruth Stevens
were little more staid and reserved than
most of their colleagues. This was ac-
counted for IN volatile minds by the fact
that Mary WAS - If she WAS day, and
that Ruin was too much under her infiu
enve to he quite like other girls They
We're Grca, friends Mary felt kind ot
protecting affection for the timId, reIIrrn-
g,rl who WAS almost alone in the world,
and Ruth conceived an enthusiastic de
vouon for her protector and guide.
l.
her friend invited her home to tea
one Saturday evening 1t WAS also
the brl,Inniug Of all her misfurtunes.
but that she did not know then. and
perhaps never believed. Ruth went to
her own lodgings and changed the black
frock she wore IN the snop for pretty
grey one which wIs her best and then tuc
Im" young women trudErd through the
Wet. dirty streets to Mary home.
perhaps your brother Will be veNcd at
your bringing me" qurried Ruth ever
ANXIOUS TO speak OF that wonderful
brother nf whom Mary had told her 50
often
"DIck' Hr'll he more than pleased, |
can tell Won. lie fluids il dull at home
with only me 10 talk 10. That's why hr
goes out 80 often
Il seemed anything but a dull home t.
Ruth as they entered the little parlor,
which. with Il couple of bed rooms. formed
the dwelling place of Dick and Mary
Hodges. IL was only small room. with
horsrhair chairs aud sofa. faded red cur
taus and weil-worn carpet The only at
teHptS at aesthetic decoration Were a few
stuffed b.rls in a case and a wBX water
lily on p.eCe of glass. But TO Ruth ac-
CUstumed to dIngier and lonclier
apartment, il looked positively luXu-
rlOus. Besides, was it not adorned
by the being of whom she had heard
aud dreamt So much that she had lost
her foolish little heart without ever
having seen hImf He, Dick, did the Hffahle
host as well ~ he knew how. He was
not always in the most amiable TEN
per. Tor when things went wrong, and
tEey generally did go wrong. he WAS
sUr.y and irritable. But to night h,
W.Is in "A heavenly frame OF mind lie
h..Pcd Mary get the tea ready. he cut the |
Lead and butter calling Oh MISS Stevens !
To- admire ms domestic qualities. He |
ChaH-d her about her young man, OF course I,
el'giG-g vigorous protest that she should |
never marry.
no could care about girl with red |
hair and such an ugly name27 she asked |
Wherrupuu Mr.. Dick declared her hsir
was Il lovely color, and that Ruth was his
faVorlte name, became il remind "a him of |
a Young woman i'll the Bible who was
such an uncommonly loving little party |
she had two husbands" sighed Miss
Stevens. Il don't think any woman ought
To have that"
Not at the same time" said Dick
Which remark provoked a blush from
Miss Stevens, and the conviction, admir-
iuGly expressed, that he was very
wicked"
Altogether. to Mary's great sat
istaCUlon, the brother whom she
a., red, and the friend for whom
snr felt such a warm affection, seemed
10 get on together wonderfully. When =
o'clock struck, and Ruth expressed her in
tentiun of going home, as she didn't like
10 De out late, Dick told her she might
Just as we'll sit down for another hour. as
Il wasn't likely he was going to allow a
pretty young lady to go home by herself
after dark Then he mixed some hot
whisky punch, and insisted on each of the
girls having wine gassfuL And when
Ruth refused, declaring she never drank
anything but water, he took hold of her
round the waist and forced her to drink;
until, what with blushing, choking, and
lau Ching Ruth's little pale face was as
red rs a peOny, and she Altogether a differ
eut girl from the demure little person
VITO stood behind the counter at the drap-
cry establishment
What an eventful evening that was,
What a walk home when her escort in
sisted on going the longest way!
How he pressed her hand beneath her
CLOAK! aud - crowning audacity - with
what cool self possession he kissed her
flushed cheek rs they stood together on
the doorstep! No wonder that Ruth felt
as if the turning point in her life was
reached No man had ever kissed her be-
fore. No man had ever pTofessed to find ,
beauty in the colOrless face and eyes and t
pale red hair.
That was only the first of many walks
these two took together, until Mary hoped
and believed that her brorher was going
l. give up the faults and follies of his
youth and settle down into a respectable
married man
At this time Mary's feeling in regard to
Dick were undergoing a change She
hardly knew, and certainly would not
have owned il, but her belief in him had
received many and severe shocks of late
Ever since she could remember, she, two
years his senior had assisted him in every {
way; with advice, which was appreciated
tOo little, and with money, which was ap-
preciated too much. But recently she had
observed in him a callousness, a sort OF
brutality which filled her with surprise
and apprehension He will be all right
when he is married" she told herself,
not daring to face the question whether
Ruth was the sort of woman to gain intiu-
ence over him, or whether she would be
borne down by the force of his will and by