Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-26

| Oorons fortune might now ~ any moment be-
come theirs; Discovering that her husband
was plaoated BY such words - ''Oh, tomorrow
We may Be wealthy" she used them with an in
creasing abandonment Of good breeding. II
was like doubling and TRIPPING the dosss Of
opium !. for p,i.-.sung Patient formerly II:
have seemed to her brutal and in the most
shameless taste. But today and through .
series Of morrows the vulgarity Of the process
clad itself in callousness. Their very children
lessly. ANY day We may BE- rich, OF, "When
| Uncle Ayndherst dies We shall have Thousands
and Thousands Of dollars"
But the years dragged themselves along and
stu Uncle Myndherst did not die. One day,
however, the head Of the Van Veckten hrm
died, and - there was no successor Of the name
and % the>two partners were well on in years
| the firm underwent dissolution.
This was blow to Martha, for she feared
| that her husband would refuse to seek other
| employment now that . certain long delayed
event seemed on the verge Of happening, and
| in that case his mental state would surely not
profit BY the change. She was right; he merely
| said: I'VE must get along without any salary
| after this. It can't be % very long now"
Still it would be very hard to get on without
the salary, Martha concluded, even II only for
| year or six months. And 80 in secret Ghe
went down to the old State street house and
begged Van Doren to increase the allowance he
was making them. He refused with an ireful
sneer. He looked, indeed, the typical miser,
that day, with his bent form clad in . faded
ragged dressing gown and the shabbiest Of little
black skull caps on his bald head.
Poor Martha went away heavy hearted What
was to be dons2 The children must not be
brought up like paupers, though already they
were not on social level with other children Of
like perentage and position. But soon there
dawned way out Of the difficulty, though
| scarcely one that might be said to beam with
| relief. Old Samuel suddenly died and his wife,
stricken BY the shock Of his loss, hardly sur
| vived him . month. Van Doren was now quite
alone and at times markedly feeble. He con-
sented that Stanfeld and his family should
| come and live with him in State street, which
money enough for even a frugal household
wherewithal was hard work enough; and 40 for
| his consent that single yard of new carpeting,
| single pint OF new paint should repair in his
| abode the augmenting blemishes Of time-this
was an achievement. beyond human suasion.
Dignity and distinction had been ciphers be-
fore now in the Stanfeld family circle; but now
they were worse than enthusiastically had
been brought to life again in the sense Of tray
esty and parody. 1t got about that this dis
| NAL menage had been formed and pitiless jests
| ensued. Luckily Martha heard none Of them
Perhaps If Stanfeld had heard them he would
not have greatly cared.
Martha's life had now become q martyrdom.
She blessed the public school for it's wholesome
helping OF her boy and her girl. They both
ID.
All that was sweetest in the womanly wisdom
and hardihood Of her character she lavished
upon these two. Again and again she found
herself hoping that the bright, innocent faces
OF Alfred and Gertrude would move the mulish
tenacity OF their greatuncle. But no; Van
Ooren doled out just so much each week for
expenses" and no more. The meals there in
State street were almost like those in some pri-
waite prison, where five convicts daily assem-
bled at the board. Everybody's clothes grew
rusty and pathetic. The big house, though
gier desuetude.
As for Stanfeld, his features, his walk, his
voice had all notably altered Though un-
conscious of it, his drawn countenance be-
trayed look OF constant mingled WEAKNESS
ana expectancy. To his wife he was like man
wnom some stealthy insanity keeps enslaving
with subtle and greatening thraldom. Often he
would show in his eyes q hungry eagerness
which was like nothing 30 much as that of an
eavesdroopper crouched at the keyhole of
door when he hopes to hear tidings of ire
mendous import. And now to Martha a new
and distressing quality became manifest in his
behavior This was a seeming sympathy with
his uncle's deplorable meanness. As the months
amassed themselves into years he showed a
tendency to talk with Van Doren on the SUBJ
1ect OF investments in bonds and mortgages
and rents All day he would either aimlessly
wander the streets or else hold converse with
his kinsman Of just this coldly mercenary kind.
In vain Martha demonstrated; in vain she
tried to rouse him from the intoxication Of his
hard materialism He would soften toward
her for few minutes. Don't get out Of pa
thence with RE-" he would say. I'm q little
while you'll find me ouch different man; he
eant hast much longer. Don't you see? He
hardly eats anything as it is He scarcely ever
even stirs out Of doors. Why, it's touch and 60
with him; fool could see that
Martha would shudder. Touch and gor'
And ne was now long past eighty. Stan6eld
himself had become 9 middle-sged man; she,
MS Ms ~i,e. was no longer young; ths'ohildrsn
One day, in his eighty-fourth year, Van Doren
| was taken violently ILL., 1t was winter and
many cases Of pneumonia inflammation of
the lungs" they still called it then, in the year
1851, had broken out and proved fatal. Against
ms VIII physician was summoned and the
verdict given his nephew was against his living
| twenty-four hours longer. Martha attended
him with all the skill Of trained nurae. At
this time her husbands conduct Mortified her.
He hung about the door Of the sick chamber
with that eager look accentuated in his wan
face. There was one day when it seemed az il
Van Doren might at any instant breathe his
last. During this period fits Of delirium as
sailed him, In which he raved Of money, money,
nothing except money.y
On the morrow he was surprisinply better
Soon afterward he began to recover and within
| fortnight his health was more vigorous than
before the seizure occurred. For days after
ward 1t tortured Martha to observe her hus-
| bands face. =
And this" she thought, ''was the strong.
clear-headed, high-principled man married
Whoever first said that money was q curse hit
| on the most pregnant Of truths"
The years went on. At lightweight Van
Dcren was feeble, bowed in figure, very dim of
sight and yet entally as keen and alert as he
had ever been. Perhaps he Rugged his money
| little closer and made those about him little
| more discounted in consequence.
Martha felt only too acutey now the Rhastly
contagion that her husband had caught. He
still waited, but his waiting had become a hid
| eous mockery. What could he do with the
money, now, even if he survived his uncle?
| Nothing, except hoard it as Van Doreu was
doing He had grown old before his time; he
was prematurely wrinkled, and into his fea-
| lures had crept q stringency a pallor, d covert
| ferceness. which meant Unsuitable greed.
Night after night he now did what, to his
| wife, was.a revolving thing. The game of soil
taire which Van Doren had been wont to
play with his gold coins, had now become
game in which his nephew Joined. They would
| sit together for holrs and move the little yellow
piles to and fro ON the table before them in
some curious manner which they two alone
understood. They would laugh and joke to-
gether rs this queer amusement progressed.
Stanfeld's laugh had grown cracked and thin
like his uncle's. Martha would turn sick as she
watched them sometimes through crsvice in
the doorway. She kept her boy and girl from
witnessing the sight They both loved her and
obeyed her least wish. 1t was horrible to her