The Indianapolis journal., 1893-12-10

Done IN her throat and her knees loose IN
how could she ask? was IL not written out
with dreadful explicitness? She remeul-
bered now-people that owned land had to
pay taxes, and she owned land, and she
had never PAID any taxes-and this was the
way the government took to punish her,
instead OF putting her in prison or taking
her land from her. But why hadn't Dave
told her about it? He knew she hadn't
a cent of her own, and he knew when he
gave her the land that he would have to
pay the taxes himself. And then he was
the soul OF promptnesS and honor, But
perhaps he didn't have the money either.
CIhe road supervisor had not been careful
about pointing off his figures, and / am
not certain that Mrs. Queenie would have
Deen mucn wiser If he had: at any rate.
She tnougnt the amount due was $l39-) Per
haps he mad gone into debt to buy the land,
and perhaps he didn't want to worry her
and perhaps that was why he looked SO
tired and thin before he went away, and
dreadful thought perhaps perhaps-O,
could II be that he had run away as the
This, with a terrible self-condemning that
such a thought could for ar instant have
dear Dave.) But how could he have let
things go till they came to this. that his
the public road with pick and shovel to
work out her tax? He must have been re-
minded again and again to pay II. before
they would do so cruel a thing What could
it, could IL, mean?
Not that the poor woman's thoughts
came in even as coherent shape as 1 nave nave
other without any beginning, middle or
end the feelings which contended most for
mastery with her own self-pity peing lsS1s Irlsns
having absconded would keep thrusting IT
self before her; even when she thougnt sne
had quite stamped II out, Sne WOulu start
to find herself shaping excuses for such a
Then there WAS the dreadful practical
issue to meet. Both of her parents were
dead and she had no natural adviser ex-
cept her husband, and the day appointed
in the notice came before his expected re-
turn She couldn t(do as she was ordered
here she found herself sobbing over the
picture that rushed to her mlnd, OF her
small self trying to dig with a heavy spade,
surrounded by rough men; and her i'm
aeination even carried ner so far that one
kinder than the rest was helping her, when
her mind went off again at q tangent, with
the thought that she would take the
strange notice to her minister and ask his
blocked. Dave had never failed in busi-
ness promptnesS before-should she take
this time when his back was turned to
expose his first failing? II for no other
reason than to do penance for the treason
able thought that had flashed across her
mind about bank cashiers, she would stand
by him and his reputation. There surely
was some good reason-he had sent the
money and it had been stolen by the mes
senger-he had failed to get former notices
there was some reason. Dave was not,
could 0t be, to blame for this cruelty to
her.
they take away the land for which her
husband had paid not only his hard
earned , savings IN but MS legacy nesoesi !,
should she should she, do? 1t was O'Clock
before, exhausted and i'll, she crawled into
hoping that her one more day of grace
would make some course of action plain
And so it did With sunlight came re-
newed courage and a clearer head. Her
though IS ran in this wise: II must stand
by Dave; neither the men at the store, or
any of our friends, or even the minister,
shall ever know that he didn't pay his
taxes, or that he let such hateful notice
bravely swallowed--"and must hold on
to TIE land he worked hard to get, and
our dear little boy"-here another sob. and
a squeeze and convulsive kissing Of the
baby-"and so must manage somehow to
bear the penalty that has fallen upon me"
here her own heroism became quite too
much for her, and she went off into a
spasm of crying that frightened the baby
into crying too, so that she was obliged TO
control herself to attend to him.
Then came the descent from her lofty
resolution to the practical details .,,, neces.
these she now set herself with will, and
before noon her plan Of action lay clear
before her.
Dinner was simple matter, with only
her baby and herself to provide for, and
by half past II they were both dressed for
the street A line of cars that passed only
a block away ran to within a few rods
of the place on the road indicated in the
notice.
it. feeling that now. the die was cast. 1t
was a long ride, and she had time 10 lose
and gain her courage good many times,
but she clutched it's departing skirts IS the
car stopped. and walked bravely to the
nearest house and knocked at the door. A
yoGns woman opened IT: ,.s. -. at,
evening, to be called for tomorrow morn
ing? l don't think the stores deliver goods
beyond the end Of the street-car line"
Mrs. Marvel spoke in a voice which she
strove to keep from shaking, her conscience
meanwhile wincing at the prevartcation of
which she was guilty But the young
woman evidently suspected nothing, and
answered with a good-natured Certain
ly;;'' and Mrs. Marvel and her baby were
back upon the same car that brought them
before it started for its return trip.
Things had now begun to assume
committed now to her plan of action,
together with its somewhat dramatic
character, united to renew her courage.
Upon reaching town she rode on past her
home t0 the business center and alighted
at a large hardware store and ordered-in
what sh tried to make matter-of-course,
business-iike tone-a pickax and a shovel
to be sent Immediately to the address of
the house she had just left, the locality
and description of which she had written
on card as she rode.
Then came another short ride to the
house of young girl who was in the habit
of engaging to act as nurse in emergencies.
Maggie the girl, was at home, and prom
ised to be on hand at o'clock the next
morning and to stay all day, IL necessary.
"Be sure and come as early as q. said
Mrs. Marvel, for am going out of town,
and shall have to start early.
Mis-. Marvel rejoiced that her to-morrow's
destination lay few hundred feet beyond
the city limits, thus making this statement
quite true; for her idea of truth telling,
although very rigid in its way, was of the
amusing kind that would have made it
quite impossible to say "out of town if
she had intended stopping one inch short of
the boundary lines, but which did not pre-
vent Der desire that Maggie should be led
to imagine her speeding off on an early
morning train TO the farthest point to
which IL was possible to go and return in
day. But Maggie had little interest in
Mrs MarvelS mental processes as the
woman to whom the tools were consigned,
and repeated the desired promise without
noticing anything out of the common in
either look or voice; then, taking the baby
from Mrs Marvels arms, helped her back
on the car which to take her home.
Her arrangements now were ell complete,
even TO the thinking out of her dress for
the morrow; for her plan included a dis
guise-she would not, she said to herself,
be at such pains to save her husbands
reputation and disgrace him after all,
To the authorities, she reasoned, she was
as vet but name in list. and thus she
would remain. She would meet their de-
,oapdS h1rt Sa diSg1liSed that no one could