The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-01-27

| Jue poor SOut. DtCduSt 4 III DurQ
| the house down over your head sooner than
have you in it another night And mean
| what say, Bel"
Look here, now, that's bad talk; and
before witness, too. You never heard me
say anything half so bad as that. If Bel
| wasn't good-natured fellow
| Hes too worthless to livev' cried the
| wife, turning to the lawyer, who sat aghast
before his client. II oughtn't to let him
live. II ne goes on this way, | shan't be
soon may begin to feel as if twas no more
harm than IT is to step ON spider, or any
| other vermin"--
| And you church MEMBER said Bel,
with slow and vast reproach.
| but MS lace had grown very white. ThlS
| was the second time within fifteen minutes
that she had made him feel his life in jeop-
ardy.
This is getting dangerous" said Bel to
| himself"
He stood up, shaking and stretching his
legs, and looked through the window as well
| as he could, for its CRIME and cobwebs.
Come" said he; II never knew the thing
had gone so far with you, II you nate the
man you swore to love, honor and obey
Honor and obey you'll" said Mrs. Hetty.
"Wby. don't know but I'll clear out of
the way, after ALL and leave you quit OF me,
if you do the handsome thing Settle on me
| ali the Valley Ford farms, say, except the
| Duneagle and the upper county wood-lots
| Itha railroads going to do something there),
| and the stores over in Millville, and execute
a writing to pay me quarterly the income of
| the government bonds
ii sha'n't settle on you one cent more than
the law compels; but I'll agree to let you
| have such an allowance as Lawyer Keene
| thinks proper, on your written promise to go
away from Duneagle Farms, and stay away
| forever.
"Foreyer?" said Bel, looking at her with
! a smile, a smile that had done damage in its
| day.
Mrs Hetty looked steadily at her gloves.
Forever said she.
well, for a heartless woman-agreedw
he cried suddenly. "Pll not be the first to
wish hadn't"
And so Mrs. Hetty's will was drawn up
legally and in due form; and, that done, Bel
executed similar document, giving and be-
queathing all and everything of which he
died possessed to his beloved wife; and in
the event of her decease previous to his own,
then to her beloved nieces, Imogene and
Juliet. The paper relating to the income
having been completed, and his own promise
to withdraw having been signed, sealed and
delivered. Bel said
''Well, suppose we may consider this. to
all intents and purposes, the same as divorce
papers,"
Then Mrs. Hettry drew out her wallet, and
asked Mr.. Keene what sum she should pay
him for these various services.
About twenty-five dollars" said the law
yer; r. -
hours work Twenty-Five dollarsl Why,
at that rate, you'd make fortune out of our
quarrels. l don't know about this, Bel"
she said, appealing to her husband, as she
had often done before the divorce took place;
lis this fair charger
about the right chalk, | guess" said
Bel. ''You see, YOU'RE pretty tough GUS
toner
But Mrs Hetty had laid down two gold
eagles and half eagle. with an apologize
"a WOman 6qapiVal Inv -
she said, suspects all other men,"
She then stalked out OF the room with her
documents. There was some shopping in
the village, in which for brief space she
might forget her troubles.
An hour afterward, the gaunt figure was
sitting in Mr.. Keene's office once more.
II wanted to have a talk with you alone
said she; .'now he isn't there. Is 1t possible
for me to make another will and leave him
out?"
sit is possible" said Mr.. Keene, "but use
less The law, have told you, gives him all
that, anyway"
just at that moment the door creaked, and
Bells long figure and smiling face obtruded
Thought ] should find you here" said he
"How are you going to get home? Mares
mine. you know, and she's clipper too"
Il shall go in the stage" said Mrs. Hetty,
"All right. Want to do the polite thing
Bel does. Going to celebrate freedom day at
the tavern with some friends. Round for
my things tomorrow, Love to the girls If L
don't see them again"
He never did see them again. The mare
that was clipper, finding herself, towards
the small hours of the morning, ia very un-
steady hands, took the bit between her
teeth. Just like the jade at home," said
Bel, with drunken laugh, trying to regain
the mastery; and before she yielded, her
owner lay below the steep cut of the precipi-
tons road across Old Morning, where he had
been thrown, and died without gasp.
Mrs. Hetty came out of her pantry, where,
on the well-filled shelves, rows of glass jars |
sparkled,- these ruby red with lucent plum
jelly, those golden with orange marmalade, |
where her cherry bounce made deeper color
yet with the sunbeam that fell through it,
where her herbs for diet drinks hung in neat, |
fragrant lunches, where everything was |
fair and orderly, and no more to be disturbed |
by Bells nefarious fingers. Mrs. Hetty |
came out of her pantry into the great kitchen |
where the young girls were sitting with |
their dear heads close together, over the mat |
that they were braiding.
ITO think" said Mrs. Hetty, "that we
shall never be pestered by that registering,
Just then the heavy. stumbling steps were
heard bringing in all there was left of one of
the registering, disorderly crew-of the win
ming, graceless, scampish Bel.
Poor Mrs. Hetty! You have seen child'S |
house of cards blown on and toppled over by
a rude breath. SO this cold, rude breath, |
that came in at the open door with the men |
bearing that burden, shattered all her trivial |
joys of neatness and order and quiet. The
living Bel was of the earth; but, in a |
moment the dead Bel had become transfg-
ured and was of the stals. She threw her
self beside him with loud, quick cry. He
was again her ardent lover; she his willing
bride. In losing him. she had lost, too, for a
time, all that made life worth living.
''Oh. he sacrificed himself to meP she
cried. He tried to be faithful. l drove him
away. He couldn't change his nature-hls
gay, bright, beautiful nature. Oh, how can
/ live without him"
The girls went about on tip-toes. Hush
reigned but for one mourner's sobs. NO
widow ever wept in deeper Grapes; and If,
en- Sunday, the pastor could find no text to
preach from exactly applicable to Bel, and
had to content himself with blessed are
they that mourn, for they shall be comfort
ed" Mrs. Hetty did not realize it in the
eloquence of her own memories.
"His last thoughts we're for us; his last
words were, Love to the glrls, she SAID, as
she stroked down her bombazines. after the
long veil was folded and laid aside at home;
land he had just made his will in my favor.
Oh, the house here is desert without him
a tomb! broke his heart, know did,
his great, generous heart,-for the sake OF
my girls"
Calling to her side the wondering children.
who had never thought TO see this ado for
Bel, she stroked their soft hair as long as
she could see it through her tears, and re-
solved that they should never know what
her love for them had cost her.
But human nature is strange, inconsist-
ent thing; and have never quite explained
to myself why Mrs. Hetty, with her cultiva-
ton OF the memory of her husband only in
the light of his projections, found it neces-
sary for his sake, to violate portion of her
religious dogmas and beliefs. and every
night, when she said her prayers, to add to
them the intensest prayer of all. prayer for
the soul of Bel.