Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-18


| toihome burrows. In her secret soul she be-
lieved that no other woman had ever been loved
as she was loved by her husband. Rose was
| modest enough about it. 1t was not, she had
| hundreds of times said to herself, because she
was SO much more charming than other girls
but because no other man whom she had ever
seen or imagined was capable Of loving so ar'
IDENTIFY and SO evenly and so long as Tomlin
Dresser. The sustained, unfaltering power Of
his will, the awful self-obliterating humility Of
his love-though poor Rose, who had little
enough education, could not have analysed
| Enlightened her whenever she thought Of il
soberly. Now she could not help q tremuloui
fear within her. II Tomlin Dresser really were
jealous, what might he not do?
Supper time came. The baby was very glee-
full, and Rose played with him with good deal
Of noise and demonstration, but Tomlin paid
little heed to it all. Not once did the dark looh
smaller and more sullen than Rose had ever
seen them before. But she sang about the
house as though everything was a. usual, got
the baby to sleep and then sat down beside the
| lamp and sewed.
Tomlin Dresser took up Newspaper and
read it for q while. Then he dropped it and
looked into the fire; for the evening had come
on chilly and they were glad to gather around
the kitchen stove, through the open CRATE Of
| which the Goals showed cheerily.
| After little he rose and began to pace slowly
| about the room. His wife was humminR some
rafting revival melody. At last she said:
| Lin, you mako me as nervous a. . dsh,
walking around SO. You're swfully poky to-
night Why don't ysr sit down and keep
still?''
"rn 60 out If disturb Won, he said, huskily,
and taking up his hat he strelled cut into the
night.
There was bright moon. almost full, and he
roamed around in its light for an hour or more,
| first out into the barn, where the horse and the
COW were naturally surprised TO see their mas
ter at such IN hour, and then into the field
where he had been ploughing during the day.
1t has often been remarked that things put on
that which they assume in any other. Now, as
Tomlin Dresser wandered aimlessly about, his
| whole life looked to him very different from
what IL had ever looked before.
When at last he went in and sought his bed
he found Rose and the baby fast asleep He
his place. The moonlight made the room
almost as light as day. He could plainly see
Roses pretty face Is she slept.
| For hours he lay there wide awake. The
moon sank low, and still he could not sleep.
The slow devouring fire within him was burn
| ing more and more 6ercely.
shes sick Of me-" he was saying over to
himself. in his sure, deliberate way. ''shs 70
| sick Of me. At first she was contented with q
hard-working man, who didn't care for anv
with me and Dick, but she's getting sick Of me,
| can see. She'd rather have that Gale Truax,
with his curly mustachs and his excuse me- -
and all his palaver."
Tomlin Dresser mathematical the hand
some stage driver with hot, reiterated impreca-
| tons.
We'll, he went on again in the same strain
OF simple reasoning over which he was going
| again and again-''well, if she wants him, I
want her to have him: want her to have what
she likes. If was out Of the way maybe she d
| have him.
1t did not occur to Tomlin Dresser, in the
anguish Of his soul, that the course of reason
ing which he had adopted might do his wife an
injustice He did not think of the lack of char
acter, OF stability Of purpose, which he was
| unconsciously attributing to her.
In his simple unsophisticated mind she had
always stood unquestioned, like q goddess.
Now she stood uhquestioned still. She had
talked with Gale Truax in a way which showed
plainly to her husband that she loved the hand
some stage driver-the Adonis both of Vine
| Lake and Doremus. He was glad enough to
have her smile upon him Of course. Any man
would be, thought Tomlin bitterly.
| She was not to blame he saw the matter
| now; at least he did not blame her. though he
heaped fresh maledictions every hour upon the
head OF the dapper youth who had stepped be-
tween them.
When Tomlin rose in the morning he was nm
| refreshed. He ate his breakfast in silence and
went out again to his work. He had planned
to 60 of to distant lot today, for he had
plowed as FAR as he meant this year on the hill
side; When he was ready, however. he could
not bear to leave the vicinity of the house. He
stopped again. There was a little more plant
ing that he might do in the garden. He would
do it today.
The stage came along early It stopped.
Rose went out to the gate with the baby on her
arm Again there was a merry dialopue be-
tween her and Gale T-uax. and again she gave
him an GRAND to do for her in the village.
| lomlin Dresser ate his dinner as if he were
| In dream. He did not speak Rose was saucy
and INDIFFERENT The stage stopped again at 2
! o clock and Gale TruaX gave her a parcel
| When Tomlin came in to supper Rose showed
| MIN little fancy bon bon basket.
| See here" she said, with a fresh desire to
torment him. Gale brought this to Dick from
Doremus. He said that l could have some of
the candy If wanted to. OF course he knew
wouldn't let Dick eat it. Wasn't he good? Nv
| husband, maybe, doesn't care to speak to me.
bat, luckily, everybody doesn't dislike me SO
| much"
She tossed her head, ate some of the candy
and threw piece Of it toward Tomlin. He let
1t fall to the floor. Then he picked it up-it
would save her trouble for him TO pick il nm
and threw 1t into the fire. His somber ewes
were more lightless and wretched than she had
ever seen them. Besides he looked very cross
| eyed.
| Rose went on mechanically with song which
she had begun Now and then she stopped in
| a conspicuous way to enjoy her candy
| About clock she yawned and remarked
that the baby was "a good deal better company
| than somebody else that she might mention -
| Then she went off to bed and was soon asleen.
Iomlin Dresser sat moodily before the fire or
paced up and down the clean and pleasant
kitchen. He was filled with only one thought
| now. He wanted to get away--to get aWay
| from Rose and Gale Truax and Doremus and
| all the people whom he had ever seen. Every
| thing seemed warped and unnatural to him.
de feit as though he were crazy. Perhaps he
\ was
At last he took ink and pen from a shelf
and found sheet of paper in table drawer.
Tomlin was not ready writer, but he had COM
posed before long q legible if not an elegant
letter. It said:
| DEAR RosE--I am going away. I shall
probably never come back. There is money
IN the bank. The book is in my desk in the
parlor. Use it all you want. There is a little
more ploughing and planting to do. You will
have to get somebody to do il. I can't Good
bye l want you to have a good time. LIN"
Not a word about the baby What did he
| care about the baby? His heart his mind. his
| whole being, were full of Rose only Rose. He
went into the bed room and looked at her asleep
in the moonlight Her baby Law upon her
breast. Tomlil Dressers powerful frame was
| shaking like a cluster Of green hop blooms in
| the August breeze. His heart hammered ham
mered against his ribs with a force which
seemed to him greater than the force of his
strong right arm but he managed to creep ont
| again into the kitchen. Then he looked into
his pocket book to see il he had money enough.
1 n vaiiaa md pv Id Il: