The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1893-12-13

then she was undecided whether or not to
institute proceedings against me in the
courts, and for days l lived in mortal ter
ror of policeman with n blue paper.
The next Abigail was not so bad, al
though when Walter saw her he advised
me to put his razors under lock and key
and to guard my bedroom door until he
came home-newspaper men, you know,
are always at business until early morning
for he thought he detected insanity in
her eye. OF course laughed at him, but
1t was n forced laugh, and his words prey
ed so upon me that really did hide his
razors the first night and guarded my bed
room door too. Matilda turned out to be
very good girl though. In time be-
came quite attached to her and felt sorry
when she suddenly left us to run away
with married man. They have been
coming and going ever since-now good
one, then bad one. Verify the ways of
a mistress and maid are hard to under
stand.
| Oh, the delights of u young housekeeper
and the worryl When l have chops for
dinner, know by the way he looks at
them that Walter would have better liked
q roast, and when he comes rushing in
sure to have it not.
| One night several months ago Walter
| came home to dinner, bringing n friend,
Mr.. Graham, with him. Now, in the first
place, / disliked Mr.. Graham, and in the
second it happened that had prepared a
| tempting little salad made of the daintiest
of chickens; but, alas, just enough for
Walter and myself Taking these two facts
| together, is it a wonder that was in n
pouting mood2 Walter noticed 1t, and l
| blushed when my glance met his, for l felt
| that it was foolish of me to behave with
such childish sullenness. The converse
| tion tagged / could not talk, and Wal
| ter, l thought, was too annoyed to say
much.
"Nellie," he at last remarked, Graham
and I have hit upon a great scheme to
make fortune
Eyes," was all could say in reply.
"Youll have your horses and carriage,
rich furs, diamonds and all that kind of
thing before a year has passed"
"That would be nice,'' said. Had Wal
| ter told me such news upon any other
occasion and associated with any one but
Mr.. Graham, / would have fallen upon
his neck and wept for Joy. But when that
Mr.. Graham had anything to do with it.
well, 1 did not like Mr.. Graham. He was
DIR. Fell in my eyes.
At last the odious meal was at an end.
When the two men had finished their
pipes, Walter had to go to the office, and
Mr.. Graham went with him. That was a
wearisome night for me, and wept more
than slept until Walter came home again.
After the paper had been got out, was
awake.
"Oh, Walter, forgive me-" l cried.
"Why, Nellie, darling, what's the mat
terfp he laughingly inquired, taking my
cheeks between his hands and kissing me-
"You've been crying your eyes out. What
am to forgive you for?''
Then, half laughing and half crying, l
told him}sit about 1t. l knew it was a
smell matter, but thought my good hus-
band was angrg at my behavior, and it
was the first disagreement we had had,
and--well, perhaps l was foolish.
So Che days few merrily on. heard no
more of Walters great scheme for making
a fortune until one night few weeks ago.
| Walter came home before his usual hour.
/ was awake and thought it strange that
he came directly up stairs without going
into the dining room TO partake of the
light supper l always left ready for him
and which he SO enjoyed.
/ "Ne1iieP'
His face was as white MS the cambria tie
he wore, his hair disheveled, and in his eye
there was wild stare.
| ooh, Walter Walterl'' I cried, shrink
ing from him.
| "No, no, Nellie, darling, it is not that.
Thank God, am not drunk"
| "Walter, my husbandp' / exclaimed,
rushing to him as he sank down upon the
bedside, "what is itp What is itY"
'tNellie-the-th thousand dollars, Nell
lie."
eyes, yes" said, knowing that he re-
ferred to the little nestegg we had in the
| bank, and which time and again we de-
| clared should remain untouched for rainy
day. 1.-THE bank has failed, WalterS''
"It's gone, Nellie, gonep' The thousand
| dollars gonel There was the little room
| up stairs which had dreamed Of making
| into q smoking room for Walter, but we
could not touch that money to furnish it
we would have to wait Then there were
better curtains needed for the dining room,
an oilcloth for the kitchen, hatstand
| for the hall, not to speak of pretty up
| right piano we longed so much for. But
| we would have to wait--we could not
touch the nestegg. Now it was gonel
"Never-never mind, Walter" / said.
"You could not help 1t. Tell me all
about it,"
Graham, the scoundrelip he groaned,
and i knew that the bank had not failed,
but that Walters friend had proved false.
| knelt down at my husbands feet.
| sob, Walter" l sobbed, "never mind
the money. We can make it up. Don't
don't be so unhappy, boy. We are young,
and is it not our first adversityP"
| "To think that you, Nellie, have been
saving the money, denying yourself little
things for the house rather than touch ii, I"
moaned poor Walter, land now it's gonep
But we smiled through our tears, and
the thousand dollars are never mentioned.
| II we ever think of the money, we do not
let the thought trouble us, for we know
that the peace of our home life is WORTH
more than all the lost dollars in the wide
world.
A trivial affair--perhaps of no interest
to any one but Walter aud me. Yet such
trivial affairs pull at the heartstrings
of our fellows every day. Oh, the trivial
worries of life make us what we are Sub
NIT to their annoyance, and we are lost;
repel them, and we are happier after in the
knowledge that we have lived them down.
Maxwell Gregg in Toronto Globe.
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