The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1893-06-17
HRS. GRANTS TROUBLE.

such strong flavor Of the ridiculous
uitnal, that no one thought OF the
1seie element il possessed. She was
growing stout She had always
teen prettily plump, but in the fifteen
Fcars which had elapsed since her
sedding day she had gained flesh so
steadily yet soimperceptibly that she
tEd never realized her increasing
seight She might never have done
10 hut for the chance remark of a
rsEr.isss friend, who told her that an
gther acquaintance, wishing to dis
nngnish her from her sister-in-law,
dall spoken 81 her as 1.-THE stout Mrs.
Grant" What, me?n she had en-
eia med, and her friend had remarked
snlingly: We'll, you are little
stoI. you know" The poor woman
made no answer, but when she
reached home she went straight TO
MIR room and studied herself in the
hng mirror Yes, there was no
Esubt of it, she had grown stout
srom that day she began 10 be
zen, tive about her weight, and con.
sequenrIy she frequently heard Cor
thought she did, sighting remarks
about il One evening her hus band
aDld her that il was harder TO en-
trace her than it had been ten years
Sfore, ard her little boy added:
Yes, and mammals chair is getting
zoo small for her, too" meaning the
Entle rocker her husband had given
.xer Oh her first married birthday,
Somehow the remark stung her, and
.hr the first time in his life the child
vas told mot 10 talk 50 much. y
Roth husband and child were s,lr-
Y1ised, for how could they know how
lEe suffered every time her growing
kiLe was mentioned? Not even the
2uIsg which She, in common with AL
lskr seN, had felt when she first heard
ayrself spoken OF as "still young
mad been half so sharp as this later
We Another time her least little
girl, the baby, hearing her aunt and
gyxuiGa discuss the subject
N her mothers absence, asked
tar; lis you goin' to
tc big ike Aunt Sukcy (the colorcd
uushcrwoman), mamma" She shed
Bitter tears over that innocent qucs-
lion; and when, her drcssmaker, who
asl fitted her ever since She had
TO;'n loEg dresses, told her that she
7rasu't rs easy 20 fit as she used To
NJ" something very much like de-
spgir entered her soul. She was full
1s NE. strong. we'll and only SO, yet
she iclt herself relcgatcd To the ranks
u the ''irumps' every time she
thought Of herself as stout And
there was no hope for her Of course;
hCr grandmother had died at the age
Of : } years. but she had been an un-
EisIdy burden 10 herself for the last
awe aty years OF her life. To be sure
t,Gr form was still good, her skin
1rcsh and sweet, her hair abundant
and glossy, and her hands and feet
slender: but then, all these charms
would go, OF course, and she would
grow red-faced and clumsy.
Sho felt as if her heart would
trc,Jc Once she limited something
d her trouble TO her husband, but,
I!an-iikc, he laughed at her for
making mountains out Of mole
hills" and his ridicule hurt her SO
ngch she hardly noticed his atfec-
Souate assurances that she was not
sBally too stout at all. With her
mother il was the same, and even
tisc family doctor told her he thought
4 was constitutional, and he could do
little to help her, even If she grew
IN need his assistance, which at pres
snt she did not. Then che tried
dieting, bu. she only grew weak, and
hor wedding dress (Which she had
ta'icd on regularly ever since she hal
Begun TO worry over her size) still
refused TO meet. much less fastcn.
And when her last hope had failed,
She shut up her trouble in her own
heart and--grew morbid.
by degrees she took lees and less
nUuhe with her personal appear
1nco, for what did il matter how she
booked or II her clothes were stylish.
rhcu she grew stouter every day.
Then her sunny temper fed, and.
ssiough she never became actually
N tempered, she was often sad and
unlike herself. The children began
70 be silent IN her presence, and her
husband went oftener to the club
iiEhts, Ito get some one 10 talk to-
te said. All these changes she laid
ss the door OF her "cruel deformity."
n she bitterly termed it. and life
seemed TO her to havelost nearly all
Ris joys Even the pretty. soft voice
which her. friends had so enjoyed
md gloried in did not seem the
sxme. for she continually thought OF
ne iast-coming time when it would
grow husky. and she would have
trouble with her breathing. Be-
xides how could she stand up and
sing for people when she knew they
re-e smiling at her large waist
Soon she ceased to go into society at
al. and people did indeed talk about