The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1888-06-14

"Uh, ma, how very genteel he ISL
said Abby Jane, all in a futter OF ad-
miration.
"a very nice young man, indeed"
responded the d%eacon's wife.
And the very next week Abby Jane
came down to the Leeds farm house.
"Have you heard this news about
your Eliza?" she asked of thefarmer's
wife in a mysterious whisper.
"Eh?" said Mrs. Leeds.
"She's nothing but a play actress!'
said Abbey Jane, nodding her head
until the stuffed blue bird on her hat
quivered as if it were alive. "Mr. AL
phonso Trudkins saw her himself in
the Great New York Combination
Troupe. She was acting q woman
who was married to Cuban, andlost
her pockethandkerchief, and was at.
terward choked with the pillows of
the best bed. Desdemonia her name
was, I think"
"Well, and suppose she was?" said
Mrs. Leeds, who was too good a Gen.
eral to let the enemy see what havoc
had been carried into her camp.
"What them"
"What then!" echoed Abby Jane,
Well, I do declare, Mrs. Leeds, I am
surprised" .
II don't believe a word of til" said
Mrs. Leeds, defiantly.
"But Mr.. Trudkins saw her with his
own eyes!" cried Abbey Jane, flushing
scarlet with Indignation. He knew
her the minute he looked at heryes-
terday in church. Elizabeth Ellesmere
her name was, he says, in the adver.
tisements, and she danced a dance
with a yellow scarf and q lot of roses,
between the pieces, making herself out
to be q Spanish mandoline player.
It's enough to make ones hair stand
on end to hear Mr.. Trudkins tell
about it,"
ut don't do to believe all one
hears" said Mrs. Leeds losing all
count of the eggs she was breaking in.
to a china bowl, in her CONSERVATION.
"And Stapleville does beat all for COS.
sip"
"Well, you al ask heryourself, and
see if she dares deny It'll" said Abby
Jane, exultantly. "Here she comes
now. Ask her-only ask herr"
And Eliza came into the kitchen,
with the spice-box in her hand. Mr..
Villars followed close behind, tanning
himself with a straw hat.
II have come from the men in the
bayfield," said he. "They want an.
other jug of cool ginger and water,
with plenty of molasses stirred in,
Aunt Leeds. Good morning, Miss
Clark! I hope the deacon is quite well
this morning?"
Abby Jane turned pink, and smiled
her most seductive smile.
"oh, quite so,' she simpered. IL
only came on"
els it true, Eliza?" Mrs. Leeds
asked, sharply. "Have you been de-
ceiving me? Are you play-actress
all this timer"
Eliza's large eyes turned slowly first
to one, then to another of the little
group. She did not blush-it was not
her way-but the color ebbed slowly
away from her cream-pale cheek.
II have been deceiving nobody"
said she. II am not an actress now.
1 have been one. But I did not like
the life, and SO I left it. If any one
had asked me, I should have told
them about it long ago."
Mr.. Villars came forward and stood
at the girls side, as he saw his aunt
shrink away.
"Well," he said "even taking it all
for granted, where is the harm?"
"Charles! Charles!!." cried Mrs. Leeds,
putting up her hands with a ges-
ture of warning. Remember poor
Alice!"
"It is because I remember her that
',speak thus" said Mr.. Villars, calmly.
II had an elder sister once" he added,
turning to Abby Jane Clark, "who ran
away from home and became an &C
tress. She had talents far above the
average, but my parents were old
fashioned people, and their ideas ran
innarrowgrooves. They disapproved
of the stage, so Alice left us. Whether
she is dead or living we know not, but
wherever she is, l am sure that she
can not but be good and true and
pure"
Abby James eyes fell under his calm
glance. She was a little sorry that
she had chosen to come hither and
bear the news herself.
Somehow, Mr.. Villars had taken it
in a different spirit from what she had
anticipated. And Eliza's soft, lam
| guidly-modulated voice broke on the
constrained silence like drops ofsilver
dew.
II have been an actress, and per-
haps I should still have been on the
stage" she said, chad it not been for
circumstances. My father dealt in
or M rpororfIac o~I 1,o 4, lr1,,r1+
up to the business, but still I never
liked it. But II can not easily step
out of the path where ones feet have
been placed, especially if one is a wom-
an.
"However, the turning point came
at last. Our leading lady fell sick OF
a contagious fever, in a lonely village
where we had stopped to play one
night. The manager packed up every
thing in a panic, and bad us all to be
ready to go. I told him I could not
leave Mrs. Montague alone. He said
that if I left the company thus, /
should eve return to it."
"Well, what could I do? The stage
was my living, it is true, but our lead
ing lady had no friends. It would
have been inhuman to desert her, so I
stayed behind and took care of her.
She died, poor thing, and it swallow
ed up all my earnings to bury her
decently.
"And then I tried here and there to
arm my living as best I could. Twas
not always successful. More than
once 1 nave been hungry ana home
less; but heaven be praised I have al
l Hnxra f1a.nl Go.aln leeaa