Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1889-11-06

L
laugh. 81 shall love her too dearly
to allow her TO commit suicide by
inches"
ut is right" That and her sweet
laugh were her only weapons. The
Trenches might fume, or rage, or
laugh with savage insolence at her
proposed reforms; but there she stood.
calm. immovabls, an inhexible pur-
pose animating every atom of her 500
little body. and giving meaning to her
pale blue eyes and gentle laugh.
In year she had proved her power.
Deviled lobster. with all other highly
seasoned and expensive dishes, had
vanished from the Trench table, and
had been replaced by cool and cheap
masses compounded by Annals own
deft fingers.
at was not right that so much "
their moderate income should go to
pamper their stomachs." lit was
right that when Bob was the chief
| bread-winner of the household Bob's
wife should buy the bread" She
never put this last maxim into words,
but into gentle. memorable, incessant
practice.
Grandma in secret cried bitter tears
OF longing for her hot curries, for her
novel, for the gossiping visits of the
neighbors, for the impromptu games
and dances of the young people, in all
OF which the vivacious old woman de-
lighted. Anna, with her pleasant
laugh, had decided dances and games
to be as irreligious as cards. The
neighbors soon found that their run
.nings in and out were regarded by
Mrs. Robert as a sad waste OF time,
and ceased to come. Anna, who liked
to hear her own voice, inaugurated a
series OF evening readings on science
and history, to which the family
listened with covert yawns and re-
bellious spirits.
Kate, though the twelve months had
measurable cowed her, ventured on a
vigorous protest.
Mother" she told Anna, "always
made our homo pleasant when we were
young in order to keep us in it. This
was gay, hospitable house; every
Trench loved it, She tried to do the
same for Nelly's children when she
brought them back to us fatherless
But it is no longer gay nor hospitable,
and the children are learning to hate
their home"
81 understand you, Catherine" said
Anna, smiling; "but dances; and other
silly wastings of time, l regard as
wicked"
But we do not so regard them.
Surely Nelly herself must judge for
her children.
There can be but one right and one
wrong" said the smiling little woman.
81 am right"
1t was Anna who criticised poor
Josey's oil paintings. Josey was a
cripple, and her one amusement was
to paint impossible valleys, hills and
beaches. But Anna showed her how
false was her coloring, and out of all
rules her drawing. ARTISTS would
only laugh at your pictures, dear
Josephine" she said. "Why was te
your immortal time in pursuit for
which you have absolutely no talentp"
"How could you be so cruelp" Kate
cried, with angry tears, when Josey
went out of the room. She suffers
constantly. She can never look for
ward to the life of other women. II
her poor little sketches give her hap
piness, why should you rob her of
itP"
at is not right to even tacitly aid
in deception" said Anna Besides, /
wish Josephine to embroider an altar
carpet. Why should she not give her
time and labor to religionp"
Josey that night, pale and red-eyed,
burned all her sketches.
"Why did you not tell me they were
worthless daubsP" she said to Kate,
bitterly. ''As for altar carpets and
chenille work. that is not religion. /
will have nothing to dc with them!'
But in a week she was at work upon
the carpet.
"Bobs wife shall never interfere
with my life," Kate boosted, holly.
Yet it was Anna who called Bob's
attention to the fact that young Whit
ing had been hanging around the girl
for months.
His salary is mere nothing and
his health is not good" she urged.
"Kathy has something Of her own,
and IL she loves Billy she may wish to
nurse him back to health" said good
natured Bob.
ut is not right that her life should
be sacrificed to an invalid"
Really, Anna, ] can not interfere.
Kate is old enough to judge for herself
as to the right course"
Dear Robert, there can be but one
right course! I have told you what it
| is"
In consequence of this and many
other talks Bob treated young Whiting
with such GOODNESS that he left the
house one evening deeply offended.
Soon afterward he emigrated to Cali
fornia, there to grow healthy and rich
and in time to marry girl who re-
sembled Catherine Trench.
Kate is still unmarried.
Grandma Trench died in the second
year of Annals reign. "She was un-
accountably weak" the physician
said, land unable to resist acute dis
ease" He told his wife that he "sus-
pected Mrs. Roberts dietary was not
OF nourishing kind; and the old lady
belonged to large-bodied, hungry
race who required rich food and plenty
of it,"
The poor old woman crept into her
grave with dull sense OF starvation
in her mind and heart as well as body.
She had been Methodist in her youth
and would gladly have gone to that
church in the last days of her life and
have joined in passionate hymn or