Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-12-18

And were friends again.
My dear LENA, y said her mother. ~
don't half like you to see so much of Mr..
Western. He may be, and no doubt Is, a
respectable young man. Bnt respecta-
biljty Is not what we look at; we look
miles beyond that. SO my dear LENA,
give him no encouragement IL ever 1t
should happen that he persuaded you to
become Mrs. Joe Miller it would bring
my gray hairs-no, they are brown, and
not gray yet-with sorrow to the grave. -
Mamma, what q comical ideal Joer'
Let Ii remain an idea, and comical
one, LENA. As an idea only it Is like
cold water triclIling down my backbone.
My dear, If you were to be such fool as
to take Mr. Joe Western, I'd wash my
hands of you. Flying would be as out OF
the question as when the wings are
clipped. You'd stick to the soil. I'll tell
you exactly what 1t would he like. was
once Mt show--a sort of mixed circus
and menagerie-and IL vas advertised
and given out in public that an elephant
was to ascend in q fire balloon. Well, |
sposc pounds was took at the door of
people that went in to see. went in.
True enough there was the elephant, and
there was the fire balloon. The balloon
was hooked on to beta very orna
mental belt 1t was, Of all the rainb wv
colors-passed round the body of the
elephant. There was q catch at the top,
and into this catch went an iron hook
from the bottom of the balloon. Well,
LENA, u fire Of tow and spirits of wine
was lighted in the balloon, and will say
this for the balloon, / believe it did its
best TO rise, but 1t couldn't, because Of
the elephant. 1t could neither lift the
great beast nor rise itself. SO OF last the
cord was cut, and away flew the balloon
without him, and we looked after it till II
was no more than like star in the sky.
But the elephant didn't bulge an inch,
not he. He didn't even look up after the
balloon.n
where did it come down, mammaT'
"Oh, don't know, nor whether it ever
came down at all. They ought TO have
returned us our coppers as the elephant
didn't go up, but you may be sure we got
nothing back. Now, my dear LENA,
true as | stand here, that was u pictur' OF
an unequal match. So never you think
of taking and fastening of yourself ON to
any elephant; you're q fire balloon, and
ordained to rise to be star"
Much about the same time Mrs. Yves
tern was addressing word of caution tC
her son.
She had watched Joe for long with the
anxiety of q mother and the perception
of the loving eye. AT one time he seemed
to be escaping from his silent ways, to
become more genial and sociable; but OF
late his curious closeness had closed over
him again, and had become more con
llrmed and intensified.
Something weighed on his mind. His
mother was sure of that; but what 1t was
she did not at once discover. For time
she suspected that the business was not
prospecting, that his accounts had not
been paid to Christmas, that something
was wrong with the machinery Of the
mill, which would entail heavy outlay
which he did not know how to meet, that
custom was falling off-but she aban-
doned all these suggestions, there was
no evidence to substantiate them, and the
man was able to satisfy her that every
thing went well with the mill.
What was the matter with Joe?
She observed that his fits of deepest
depression occurred after his interviews
with Trip. Nevertheless, she did not ar
rive at the right solution even then; il
seemed to her prepossessed mind that Joe
would never care for any girl who was
not as grave, sedate, and systematic as
himself. That so frivolous, inconsider
ate coquette as Trip should have seized
on her sons heart was inconceivable by
her for long. She resisted the thoughts
she fought against evidence when II
came on her No-Joe was i'll, he was
suffering from some internal malady.
She asked him If he had any Hines:
hanging about him; anything the matter
with his liver? He shook his head anG
answered, 81 am quite well, mother"
Have you been clipping the stones
and the grit got into your lungs, Joe'"
my lungs ere sound" he said.
"And there's nothing the matter will
your hearth" she asked
Then he stood up, shaking his head, ant
went out to his bees.
She watched him through the window
She saw him presently standing looking
at his hand and squeezing it. She wen
after him into the garden.
What is it, JoeP"
"a bee has stung me, that is all.
have drawn out the sting. 1t will hur
no more"
"Will you have the blue bag for it
JoeS''
He shook his head. "No when tn,
sting can be drawn ont the hurt is sooI
over; it is where the sting goes deep ant
remains, that it rankles and aches anC
poisons the blood"
He was not thinking OF the bee. Sh,
was sure of that. He spoke of anothe
sting. Her eyes were opened. She saw
all plain. Then her face became yer,
grave.
"Now, Joe" she said, ''put the though
from you. 1t never can be. She is no
the sort of wife for you; with such an un
reasonable name, too. Triptolema Vel
lowleaf 1t would give me the bronchitis
to call her by It every day."
"Mother-oh motherp'
sit is Of no use your 'fnotherinG me.
can see. / know wbGt Consumes you
You love her because she Is beautiful an,
winning. don't deny all that; but sh,
is not for you. II you had her y0i
would be utterly miserable
81 know it"
eyes, Joe, you know 1t; and yet yol
love her, that is it, Your reason say
that she would drive you mad il sh,
were yours, and make your home hell
and yet you have not the moral courage
to think no moro of her. You think o
her oil day and all night-when yol
work when you pray when Won dream