Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-08-18

Ned Anthony's feelings toward Mrs.
Beverley had undergone considerable
change during the months that had
elapsed since their introduction. The
barrenness of his nature alternated with
very practically titled fields, and the
only rill of sentiment that had ever
trickled through it was his love for the
child whose name Mrs. Beverley bore.
The soil being adverse, this little stream
had been powerless to irrigate to any
great extent either the barrenness or the
cultivation, but it had never been choked
with the refuse of other sentiments, or
absorbed in any stronger stream; it had
simply trickled on, wearing a channel
for similar but mightier current
Having, by some process that was moro
than instinct and certainly less than
reason, come to an identification of the
dead child with the living woman, An
thony began to realize that the little rill
was rising, increasing in volume and
strength, and that the channel it had
worn was filling with II stream whose
power he could not gauge yet, and only
vaguely understood.
After their meeting in the cemetery
his visits to Mrs. Beverley increased in
frequency, until there appeared justice
as well as acrimony in Miss Cornelia's
complaint that he was in or about the
house from the rising of the sun until
the going down of the same, and after.
The old lady's position toward her I'M
welcome neighbor remained unchanged,
and appeared Interchangeable save in one
direction, and that was increase of Bit
terness. HE rubs me all the wrong
way" she explained fretfully, when
Mary pointed out that he had changed
his tactics and was trying to be polite to
her in a rough and bearish fashion. 81
dislike his attempts at courtesy quite as
much as | do his natural rudeness. l
dislike him altogether. He rubs me the
wrong way"
In spite of the fragrant injustice of
this, Mary was fain, in her soul, to yield
assent. She took his part from sheer
kindness of heart and love of fair play,
and she made excuses for him to herself
and others, but in her heart she con-
fessed candidly that he was n terrible
irritant When he was out of her sight,
| she could recall and dwell with pleasure
on his really fine qualities-his ambi-
| ton, energy, intensity of will and pur-
pose, his lack of false pride, his real, if
| circumscribed, kindness of heart and
| his liberality. She could ticket them all
off on her fingers and give to each good
| trait its need of admiration, when their
owner was at q distance; but when he
was beside her they faded into the back
ground, leaving prominent the conscious
| ness that he rubbed her the wrong
way" also.
1t was pity; for no really was far
| from being q bad, or stupid, or Il brutally
offensive man. His genius consisted,
not in saying and doing wrong things,
but in leaving unsaid and undone right
ones. Mary was self convicted of lack
of generosity in liking him with reserva-
tions, and yet deprived, by the very
| feeling the absence of which she de-
| plored, of the comfort and certainty of
| her aunts position He is truly insup-
| portable, which is his only defect" that
| lady announced. with decision. and
| after that never wavered.
| "Why do you cumber yourself with
those old niggers?'' he questioned, sud-
denly, after he had told Mary all about
the materials which had come for his
new house and the plans he had made.
There was an architect, n friend of his,
coming from New York to undertake
the work for him. and no time OF
trouble or expense was to be spared in
making the building perfect.
Mrs. Beverley looked across at him
but made no answer They were alone
in the parlor, as Miss Cornelia seldom
troubled herself to appear. "He doesn't
come to see me" she said, land he doesn't
want to see me. | wish he didn't come
to see you so often" And Mary was be
ginning to wish so herself.
you'll have to support EN-, you
know" he proceeded. "They are toe
old to work, and they haven't anything
to live on, and of course they're going t.
live on you. You might have known
that when the old rascal persuaded yor
to let him move over here"
} 81 did know it," Mary replied quietly
Il had then moved over for that pur
pose They are old family servants, ant
we have supported them always. Theil
children are dead; and they have no one
else to look to for assistance, and no
where else to CO."
Anthony whlstled. That's all done
away with" he said, land mighty
good thing for the land owners too
Every tub stands on its own bottom
now. They are as free as anybody, anc
ought to look out for themselves. Yor
amt bound to support them any longer
AS to a place to go, there's the pool
house, if they can't do any better. W.
all pay taxes to support that, and i
would be unreasonable to expect us tx
support the paupers of the community
outside too"
Mary knew that the feudal feeling
the sense of mutual dependence, which
had been so strong a tie between he
own class and their humble retainers, il
the nature of things was nonexistent il
his class, and possibly beyond his com
prehension. She cast about in her minC
how to make him understand withou
reminding him ungenerously of thei
difference of caste.
"These old people are sinGnlarlv dAA