The Red Cloud chief., 1892-07-22
CHAPTER xvii.

Chhl'IEN ANlI
THE HEAD.
Once more the primrosesh had unrolied
their soft crinkled leaves and opened
their yellow stars in the hcdgc-banke
of Eastmeon. Once more tho spring
scents rose from the earth. and April
sprinklcd the velvet mosses with sun
beams and glittcring tears. The trees
were budding in the old Savoy church.
yard; the grass and ivy, newly washed
with gentle showers. had put ON tho
freshest green and Olive thought Of
quiet country places far away. Good
news came to her from the little VT
lage among the downs. Jane and
Aaron were to be married in June, and
both were wonderfully happy and well
contented with their lot. The free mir
of his old home had driven Aaron's clouds
away; u grave and quiet man he would
always be; but u great deal of his
.awkward shyness was gone. lie WIS
prospcring; old Bartlett relied upon
him as a son. People had learned to
respect him and have confldenoe in
his judgment. Michael had been
horn for the city; but Aaron was a man
who needed the simple influences of
rural life.
Michacls father, the drunken black
smith, had possessed n battered cottage
and n piece of ground in Eastmeon.
The cottage was n mere ruin, and the
bit of garden was so small and unpro-
ductive that when the blacksmith died
IL was difficult to find another tenant.
Michael could not afford to repair the
dwelling, and was glad to let il to the
first person who was willing TO 1.-Two in
1t, n man well stricken in years and very
poor. Busy with his own grand
schemes young Chase seldom bestowed
a thought on his sorry little property ut
Eastmeon; but n day there came a
letter from n lawyer, saying that n
client of his desired to buy the land and
build n house on 1t. When this letter
came to Michael IL afforded him n faint
CLEAN Of satisfaction.
Mrs. Michael Chase, after Whiting
many n day, had married beneath her
rather than remain single. Michael was
II rising man; he was extremely useful
to her brother; he had u shrcwd head
and knew how to take care of money.
Moreover, he wa good-looking and had
the art of adapting himself to the
society into which fortune had thrown
him. His vulgarity was of that subtle
kind which only bctrays itself on rare
occasions; he had no coarse tastes; no
love of vice. On the whole, he was n
wonderfully ~prcsentablc specimen of
the young man who had made his own
way: and Miss I}attersby was not un.
willing to follow her brothers advice
and accept him Us n husband.
But 1t is an i'll thing when the wife
holds the ~moncy.bag and the husband
carries an empty pocket. Mrs. Michael
had Il temper, and felt that there was
no need to control it. She did not deny
herself the pleasure of reminding
Michael Of her generosity in keeping
him well supplied with cash. She set
her foot upon his neck every day of her
life.
70, do him Justice Michael bore all
with exemplary patience. In giving up
Olive lie had given mp the best thing in
his life. The chance offered him by the
Battersbys had been too splendid to be
thrown away. and so he had parted with
his pearl Of price without hesitation.
Olive had developed absurd fancics;
she was disposed to undcrvalue him; it
was best to bid her good-by. Ncverthc-
less, he had not been wholly uncon-
scious of her worth.
Sometimes when Mrs. Michael had
been q little more cxn3peratinT than
usual he world call up II vision Of his
old love, with her soft eyes. her gentle
voice and her tender hands, all ready to
do his bidding. Once In his life he had
been loved and he could not forget it.
81 Wien the lawyers letter came to him
early In the spring he held up his head
and talked loftily of his little property
down In Eqstmeon. Mrs. Chase was sur
priscd and treated him with d slight in.
crease of respect. lie decided that he
would go and look at 1.-THE property
himself. In truth he needed change of
air and scene, and the thought OF re-
turning to tho old village thrilled him
with a painful kind Of pleasure. Only
n little while ago he had hated to hear
the place mentioned, but now that his
ambitious desires had been granted he
could afford to revive old memories.
The sight of familiar scenes and the
scent Of the flclds would be pleasant TO
a jadcd man. The wear and tear of an
eager life had told upon him Of late.
lie had consulted u doctor and had been
gravely cautioned against worry and
overworls; but this is n worrying and
overworlSing age, and he did not sup
pose that he was feeling any worse
than most OF the men he met every day.
Loves keen eye would have detected
serious symptoms. but love did not
cross Michnel's path nowadays. Once
or twice Edward Battcrsby had care
lcssly remarked that he was ''looking
sccdy," but no one entrcated him to
take care OF himself, nor saw that he
was often unfit for the
duties. lie had never realized his own
delicacy OF constitution - never once
suspected that his fragile body could
not meet tho demands made upon 1t by
a strong irnpcrious will.
Even after the doctor had spoken he
steadily put his ailments out of his
mind. Surely they were not worth
many Thoughts. A breath Of country