The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-04

4 out i
shall never know that she isn't the apple of my
eve! She is good if she is little
hard and will die before | will bring disap-
pointment and humiliation upon her! ridden
Ious2 No il isn't ridiculousi Many man has
married woman further apart from him in age.
and lived happily with her all his life-as
might have done had you not GOMEZ"
You talk as if were TO blame, said Phoebe,
piteously
EIvira could hear him walking. with long
strides up and down the room; she had
bruised feeling as If each step crushed her
.'Of course you mustn't desert her. but O."
There a strangling sob in Phoebe's throat,
and of course young man, no matter how
strong were his VOWS, could do no less than try
to soothe her.
Elvira went softly but heavily up stairs to her
Its jest the way it always was! No
body ever cared anything about You but jest for
what you could do for eml She said twas ridick-
erlous I expect it wasl It never seemed to be
anything but ridickerlous for me to love any
body" she had dropped into chair IN the
dark room, and she pressed her hands
over her ears, as If TO shut on. all sounds II
declare my heads whirlin SO / can't seem to
think l shouldn't think Id suffer sol should
think I would have got used to fndin' out |
want of any account to folks! Seems if the
Lord hadn't ought to have made woman that
nobody could ever care anything about KNEW
l was too old for him, but he declared feeling
that / want that was the only woman in the
world for him, and l declare, Elviry Perkins,
You fool. if you didn'E think heaven had come
right down, and you was goin' to be like other
folksi How hard I was irwin to get youngt
was even thinkln' of colorin' that white lock,
though it did go agin me so to do it! If she
hadn't come! He said so, and know II! And
/ had much faith In him that | didn't SO
much think of it. I've seen it lately.
amt blind But I wouldn't own it to my
self, much less listen 10 Marillys hlntlng. But
it made me feel numb to see him look at her
whsr she tried on that white bonnet If she
hadn't come he might have lived happy with me
all his life! / believe that's true. / could have
done for him she can't and wouldn't. I've
got money, mo rem what he knows of. I've been
Jest as tickled as a child thiEkn how 'twould
surprise him; he thinks sight of it and he
hasn't any faculty to get it, and when he's so
poor that he hasn't bread TO eat, how much will
he think of her youngness and prettinessl 1t
will be gone, to; it amt stuff to stand poverty.
and then there won't be anything but vanity and
selfishness to fall back upon. IL she hadn't
come. Well. she shall go back again! Strange
you didn't think of that at first, Elviry Perkins,
hard as you be. He said he wouldn't desert
me. and he shan't! I'll hold him to his word!
He'll livs to thank for it. And as for her
we'll. she's got the kind of heart tharll stand
sight of breakin' and cementinH"
She arose, now. and paced the room with de-
termned steps.
IL won't let em know but what I'm blind and
deaf buEIll make excuse to send her home!
You've been trod on jest about enough. Eiviry
Perkins; now you're goin to stand up for your
rightsw
The door-bell rang out an imperative peal A
moment two afterward Marilly came in
search of Elvlra, who had hastily lighted lamp
and assumed an everyday demeanor.
''Its sandy Completed man, fayors your
cousin Enoch, but declare my eye-sieht is SO
poorw remarked Mariily. It was in the privacy
of the kitchen that she finished her sentence.
but amt stun blind and ii she hadn't been
cryin' her eyes out never see nobody that had!
Well. see the way The cat jumped long ago.
see how twas a-goin' TO jump before ever that
presky little cretur begun TO look sideways at
him. And it amt for want of my speakin' my
mlndi Well If the Lord has got patience with
fools, you had ought to have, Marilly SDrowl!"
Elvira was plying feather duster vigorously
over her show cases the next morning, when
Phoebe enterd the shop.
''Magloire has come back" she said. with her
back turned to Phoebe
"Come back" echoed Phoebe, with startling,
confused vision of ghosts rch-yards, and
spiritual manifestations
II amt never said he dead, have I7' said
Elyira, sharply. Il expected he was of course.
with his health better to live in New York. Be-
sides, 1 hate folks's talkin'. I'm goin' to leave
the shop you. I'll let it to you reasonable,
and you pay for the stock on inStalments.
and expect you'll do well. IL you don't it'll be
your own fault. It's first-rate business sight
better'n what | expected when come and ex-
pected consid'ab The French name done
good deal of it, and they We got t2-comLa'
from all the towns round they'll keep comi1 If
will bring crowd ii the first place, and if you
have got faculty it's for trimmin'. You'd bet
ter get married" Elv1ra turned and faced
Phoebe for the first time. and Phoebe's eyes
dropped-''to somebody that'il know how to
keep the books and run the business"
''I-I-Abram wouldn't know how STAN
''Mebbe you can find somebody higher home
that will" Evira said.
ADRIAN would feel dreadfully if I should
marry anybody else" said Phoebe, declining to |
meet Evra's gaze.
well, somebody's got to feel bad Seems to
be part of the scheme of things. But some |
laughs last Mebbe Abram will live to laugh" |
said Elvira, Griy
Phoebe was meditatng too deeply to observe |
Il have heard you say that he--that Clarence |
hadn't much faculty. I'm afraid we should be |
poor" she said. "Aoarm is smart if he had a
chance"
'Land!" cried Elvira. and pressed her hand to
her heart with eroan ITO a. done it for
nothing But you amt jest found Elvga
Perkins, that dolls stuffed with sawdust~
''Are you talking me?" said Phoebe, wonder
ngly, and with a little suspecting dignity.
Il was kind of talkin' to myself, like Mari1ly.
You needn't be afraid but what you'll make out
with the business; that's what goin' to say.
You're that understands arithmetic. is you
couldn't learn it to young onesl And shan't be
hard on you if you don't pay prompt. don't
want anything said to Clarence about Maglorss
comm back till after I'm gone I've got to work
hard settlin' up things to-day, and to morrow I'm
B goin."
''It's-it's very sudden" fatered Phoebe.
when their husbands health is dependn'
olks has to step round. Besides, it's kind of
m barrassin. Some folks will think I've been |
ecevIn'. and it'll be just well to lake EN- a
resent of my back before they set to gossipin'.'
Phoebe felt dazed by this sudden change. Now
NAT all obstacles were removed she was not |
luite sure that she wished to marry Clarence
3urbridge. She remembered Marilly's proph-
scies which she had deeply resented. that he
would never set the river afire," and vision
occurred to her, which had often solaced de-
pondent moments, of Abram drawing a great
rowd in fashionable city church. and herself
weeping the aisle. the observed of all, in a
easkin sacque and hat with long feather.
the dress had varied somewhat, with varying
ashton, but the vision had never ceased to be
Clarence would, however. be a husband who
ould be kept under ones thumb. a marked ad-
antage over Abram. and the shop, aith oueh only
milliner's shop, did hold out golden promise.
evident that Elvira offering very
God bargain and Phobe's mind all times
pen to the advantages of good bargain
You'd better get married right away" was
1lvira's parting advice to Phoebe. You're TOO
Dung to have him here BACKYARD and for'ard all
De time, without maxim talk. You can leave
Madame Maolorai on the sign lookS conSid-