Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1895-03-15

night she would often creep away, leav.
ing the brother and sister together, and
mount to tho attic (Which Bella had in
sisted should be made into n nursery,
because there one can't hear the little
wretch crying'o. to sit with the child in
her lap-the ugly. clish, troublesome
child. doomed to disease and weakness
from its cradle-and wonder with an
agony of pity how it would fight through
life, or whether, after all, Gods mercy
might not be best shown by taking it
back again out of a world where nobody
wanted it, and into which it had never
asked to be born. A great mystery,
which none can solve.
She and Bella were always friendly,
even affectionate, in a sort of way; but
nevertheless she often felt weary, SO
weary; like a person who had to speak all
day long in n foreign tongue. At least
such was the moral effect of her sisters
companionship. The two women might
have been brought up in two hemisphcres.
Their views of life were so altogether diff
ferent that they could not understand one
anothcr's language ut all. Still, this must
be borne; and it was borne. Things might
NuVe Deen u great deal worse.
Only when she head her husbands rest.
less call for her all over the house, and
noticed a nervous irritation in him when
ever he was left long alone with his sister,
Silence began to wish for some sign of
their suspense being over. Evidently
both husband and mother had discarded
the runaway wife, either on her own ac-
count or that of her brother with whom
she had taken refuge.
We row i'll the same boat now, Rody,"
Bella said one morning, when the seventh
days post had gone by. II don't care; do
you! Clearly you will have to adopt as
waits and strays both me and the child.
I'll call it after you, 'Roderica,' or per-
haps Silence"
mo, not Silence" he answered, hastily.
II beg your pardon, but there can be only
one Silence in the world for me-" taking
lovingly his wife's hand. advise with
her, Bella; she will be sure to sugges the
wiscst and best thing"
But when the sisters-in-law talkedthings
over, which they had full opportunity Of
doing, for q deep fall of Christmas snow
shut them in, and made Blackhall i'm
pregnable even to more courageous and
less luxurious folk than Mr.. Alexander
Thomson, they came to no satisfactory
conclusions. Though strong on the ques-
ton of her wrongs, and her correspond
ing rights, Mrs. Thomson seemed to have
a very feeble idea of her duties. To any
course which involved the slightest
trouble, or exertion, or self-denial, she
always offered innumerable mild but in
s%urmountable objections.
Its all very fine to tell me that if I
cut my husband adrift, and refuse to live
with him. 1 can't expect him to maintain
me, and must maintain myself; how can I
maintain myself? 1t isn't genteel for
women to work, and it isn't pleasant,
either. You talk of independence and all
that, n the comfort my child will be to
me; but 1 don't like children; and I'm
sure, Silence, 1 shall never enjoy being
poor. You know"-she glanced round the
old-fashiOned room, and helped herself
with an air of exemplary condescension
to the best dish of that meal which had
been considered dinner, but which she
always called lunch-"you, my dear, who
have always been accustomed to that sort
OF thing, may find it easy, but I should
not"
No" said Silence. absently. She was
thlnklnS, not of herself, but of her hus-
band-of his long, Woodworking days
spent at the mill, amid surroundings not
TOO pleasant and with the perpetual whir
OF machinery in his ears: and to sensitive
organizations inccssant noise is of itself
Il torment almost indescribable, though
uncNplainable to those who do not UNDER
stand this. lie did, and felt it, too, vet
lie never complained. Even now, as 81
lence watched him come up the brae, with
somewhat tagging steps, she knew he
would enter with n cheerful face, and
when he had put off the mechanic, and
put on the gentleman" as he said, laugh
ing, II day to Bella, be his own tender
self to both of them. For the common no.
ton that a man may justifiably rent all
his business worries on his %womankind
ut home did not seem as yet to have occur
red to koderick Jardinc. Whatever
vcNed him out-of-doors, indoors he was
always tho kind, pleasant master and hus-
band-always, under all circumstances,
the gentleman.
"yes. l like my work." lie answered,
when his sister inquired about it, which
she rarely did, evidently considering it
n topic which had better be ignored. "And
1 like working. Once, Bella, l was a great
idlcr, and she has cured me of that. If
1 had ten thousand IL year even, I could
never could be idle any more.
ITO be continued.)
Necessity of Composure.
One thing that, if not q necessity, Is
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