Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-12-19
REUNITED.

below the eye. "Ohn' exclaimed Mrs.
Goble in shrill staccato, as she flung the
Ratchet vindictively from her, and rising to
her feet she danced about in vivacious
manner without time or tune, with both
hands held to her bruised and disfgured
face. When the first pain and smart had
abated O little she made her way into the
house and sat down in q rocking chair the
very picture of disconsolate woe After
awhile she summoned up courage to go to
the cupboard and hunt for her bottle of
arnca and opedeldoc, and when found she
rubbed the hurt with the lotion The tears
were running down copiously. Mrs. Goble
was plying herself
1t was certainly very hard that woman
Of her age and no stronger than she was
should have everything to do for herself in
addition to the quilts which she quilted at
so much per spool for other people. And
when she was too tired to work any longer,
and her eyes were too weak and weary to
read, or she fell asleep over the most thrill
ing story, there was nobody at hand to
soothe and cheer and pet her, to agree with
Mrs. Goble that it was ''too bad" and a
burning shame" for her to have to live a
life like this.
She couldn't take any pride in her house
work because there was nobody to whom it
would make any difference how many
times over she swept before she busted,
nor in her cooking, for there wasn't a soul
to eat it and say it was delicious and ask
where the recipe came from. There were
great many little comforts about her small
house, for she had the knack of making
surroundings comfortable; but, as she was
accustomed to say, with q sigh: Things
can't make home There must be peo-
ple."
Mrs. Goblc continued to battle her cheek
and wipe her eyes alternately. Time was
when the kindling basket was always full
behind the kitchen stove; when the shed
sheltered pile Of dry wood, split and sea-
soned, that was always replenished before
it had time to disappear; when everything
within and without had been kept in apple
pie order Don't get up too early, DEAR"
her husband would say There isn't any
occasion for it," And then, when she came
down stairs after long morning nap, the
kitchen fire was burning brightly, the tea
kettle singing, and delicious aroma of
boiling coffee perfumed the air. Oftener
than otherwise the table was all set, and
in summer time there was bunch of flow
ers in a pretty vase in the middle Of it.
Then, when breakfast was overland it
never took much trouble to please Jerry
he made great frolic of wiping the dishes
after they were scalded and drained before
kissing her q tender goodby and going off
brightly to his mornings work.
Jerry, of course, was not altogether
paragon Of perfection. The gods love those
who are, and they die young He had a
temper, and so had she. 1t took his a long
time to become aroused, but when it final
ly woke up it was like a cyclone and dew
astated all that stood in the way of it.
As for her, she was querulous, and she
"nagged" him more and more as the years
went by. Then the children came, and as
they grew older quarrels that related to
them grew frequent and increased in fury.
What the last quarrel had started about
Mrs. Goble tried in vain to remember. 1t
ended in divorce. She had been given the
children. One Of them had since died; the
other had run away and gone to sea. She
was lonesome; she was losing her good
looks; she was growing old And only yes
terday she had seen that gay young hussy,
Lucia Myers, making eyes at Jerry as he
drove past in his buggy. Making eyes at
her Well, he wasn't her husband ex-
actly, but he shouldn't be anybody's else!
And Mrs. Goble bristled up Indignantly at
the bare idea.
When they had parted, Jerry had paid
her quite little sum as alimony, but a
woman who has been shielded from care
doesn't always know the best way to man.
age money. She tried to be economical,
but somehow the money seemed to fly
From the time Of their divorce to that of
Cora's sickness and death they had met
only as strangers-for five long years. At
this time, however, he came every day and
helped to nurse the little girl. When she
died, he had seemed almost heartbroken.
After that he fell into way of calling oc
casionally-just in friendly way They
never talked about the divorce, but some
times they reminisced over old times until
they found themselves getting up on dan
gerous ground.
1t had been 10 years since they had gone
their separate ways. Jerry had prospered
He now had business of his own and
smart little house where he lived alone with
only man to cook for him and take care
of his horse. IF it were a woman"
thought Mrs. Goble, IL think I'd throw
vitriol in her eyes," And her own eyes
snapped wickedly. "Not that care the
snap Of my finger for Jerry Goble himself,
only suspect the inside of that house is
sight to see."
There came sudden rap at the door, and
Mrs Goble opened it with her handkerchief
OF hor Whon Torru uatly ed In, eb, fcJ
the need of sympathy and broke out crying.
"Why, what it is, Nelle?" asked he. She
took away the handkerchief and let him see.
why, what a pity. Are you doing any
thing for it? Then, seeing the arnica bot
tie, he put her into chair and began very
awkwardly to battle the bruse. When she
felt his touch ON her cheek and they had
drawn so near to each other, fierce excite
ment entered the hearts Of each of them.
He set down the bottle and put both his
shaking arms about her. Then he whis,
pered hoarsely: Come home, Nellie! Come
home and let me take care of you, and vol,
take care of me-"
And then, though she didn't care the
snap of her finger for Jerry Gohle himself
she threw her arms about his neck and
cried harder than ever as she felt an electric
shock 60 through her at The beating of his
heart against hers.
"I'll try to be good to you, darling-to
keep my temper and never be cross I've
always loved you, my wife," whispered he
brokenly,
And land l." murmured she, which
meant she, too would fight against her be-
setting sin, or that she, too, had always
loved, or both perhaps. Minnie w. Barnes.
Miller in Cincinnati Post.