Telegram-herald., 1890-12-21


e2sas h@es - uzoasx - sAs
sa.s Psxss sEx=snd whick al AApsisess IA
a4rtlst hfs r~veivsa.
"Ffixhtfal in1se1 ~oala il be,~w~
ne psTursE-on q hsF i0nx ls.staFs. 81
! s<sas sisAs vsss psrmssssd 70 ehooss foF
sIthoa. osssaiEzas shs vie
aom u thslr eleisEs. WhAt . he 90 Il
oaE sxp~rasaes. eur sa1a~rinss. ozr ea2r-
TyF1on. L we ua&y ~ p,slns sat ~ eaT
,niazen ne troe pssh - hspplass<y~
-Whas. taass1Ts azSpszssd "a s1rtasat
vslee. and then s<islsd "a spur. All,
nov m2ay q pocr giyi eerves cat for her
-eif uza-sFabis future By al sl-eoasidsr.
s1e eholss aad hassy phsREs into the
DARK gulf u married hfer'
looked fail a. Miss Blythe, Who never
eoiwed a nay words. nor even raissd her
syes frosa the paiiing Ga hsr plsss. As
Tor Tom be ate his in great, shssnt
spooufals. ana ssexned 20 have joined
Ars. Jsllyey IN ons u her ram0lss 70
AfrArs. But my shot wa not wasted.
II scattered. and one slug hit the span
ster. Dark gulf wss good, snd she
briiled ap In minated pride as she sn-
swered
How many indeed But rejoice 20
believe that some husbands are 50 wei
regulated as % have the viii Of their
head both for thsir law and their de-
light Here the old party raisssl her
voice % the confidential pitch. some
where al A above the hue My own
i a proof of my belief. for
next month my niece vii"
Miss Beltoa turned SCARLET only a.
grow more white and limp than ever
understood then that her engagement
must have been arranged and Affairs
hastened since her return; but the al
lnsion seemed peculiarly painful to her
"Auntyl aantyl' she cried. rising.
shall We not order coffee in the parlor''
As we rose from the table the old lady
took my arm and led me 70 tina post Of
honor. the corner Of her special sofa be
side the great fireplace. The others
grouped about the room, with the defiant
pnrpose 10 be agreeable, but it was not
written thar the talk that night was 20
be pleasant 70 them. The aunt would
give me, at her highest confidence pitch.
the details Of her strategy 10 surround
Goodwin, the enemy, ard of her cam
paign 20 crush incipient mutiny in the
White Mouse contingent. That casti-
gated branch would vince o. each fresh
sentence, while the conscicus couple
from PiketOn quietly stole glances at
each other and weakly strove 10 turn
the right of our position. But | had
taken a lesson from the team had driven
into the snow bank that day. When the
old ladys slackening pace gaye symp-
toms Of tagging, not the gray himself
could have pulled more furiously for
ward than /; when she gave faint evi-
dence Of q bolt from the road, not sorrel
Jalap could have pulled more sullenly
backward. j felt vicious in that atmos-
phere of deception. as the beasts had In
ls cold air. and reveling in rhapsody
spitc felt il delicious TO launch out
singing little sarcasms as they had their
heels.
Coffee over, ! became what would
have been unendurable, only Tom and
his lady love seemed strangely uncon-
scious Of the force Of what said. When
| was rather more spiteful than usual,
my tone rather than the words made
them look wonderingly at me with what
could not but feel most criminal as
sumption of innocence. Finally the
hypocritical couple strollod 10 a port
folio of rare engravings; the White
Mouse retreated behind the piano top
and played-very well, too-some of
Mendelssohn's dreamy, moonlight-on-
the-snOw masic. Still the grandaunt
droned her monotone about marriages,
gave me minute narratives OF all her
family's in the past. and, when my jeal-
ous spite was rapidly yielding 10 sleepi-
ness. came back to her pet theme of the
White Mouse. l had gone through al
the variations OF the fact that she, yield
ing to the ancient's will, had become
contracted in formal engagement tc
tho man OF twenty thousand a year
bat now | heard for the first time
that the marriage was TO take place the
week aftes Christmas!
And there Is n serious reason, my
dear sir. % outweigh all sentimental
nonsense IN Anna's case. AS YOU say
sir. 80 Justly. there can be no happines:
without an income-none, sir" The old
one laid her hand upon my arm; she was
becoming so confidential she absolutely
yelled, What becomes Of love and sen
timent and all that trash. ! should like
70 know. when bakers and butchers bills
begin 70 come inf'
"YOu are right, madam thousand
times rightT grew fervid: | glanced
at Jones. Tho engravings had ceased e
turn over now; his eyes were 6xed ful
upon his cousins. and his lips moved
but inaudibly 70 me. His gesture
,hongh. wns strong and irnpassioned
and even as [ looked those faces came
very close together. At the moment ri
was turned from me. but hers assumed
deep earuestuess. the eyes filed and
gazcd bcseechinglv into his: then hi'
band pressed moment the rose tlppe-
one that rested on the pictures.
Gioi forgive me The bitterness thsi
crept into nv heart then. hut i' wsr'
herd 20 safTer more tbsn I di1 a. 'hsi
glance When I spoke nv voice sound
e. through the dead silence of he room
hsr-h and grating even - my own ears
Yes. it - moro than nnaduess. II Il
crime Tor any nan 70 drag WON n
down f1 divide less thsB one oouic
starve upon with ieco7cy.
Tom bal not ore penny heyood ha
nav. ard that stipend fruEn toe fostevinI
government he was permitted 20 fxht
bleed and de for snaounted % nszTi'
seventy dollars prr month I DID ~