Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-05-30
i;'77;1;;.,I

W. wv ilVIl'llA WYNN NlN ltN' hhHAAh
ted TO unrightcOusness or TO tyranny.
what fierce little woman this isl" he
whispered, with Il smile, 81 never could
have believed II Of her!"
"Oh, forgive me! 1t is because | am so
happy 80 happy that can understand
whit II must be to be miserable"
But Bclla's misery, however deeply It
had moved her sstcr-in-law, did not seem
to have overwhelmed herself. She began
talking over all her affairs, youbly and
freely; silent endurance was not her gift
Once having got her brother to agree with
her In the opinion which, ut any rate, she
held today, though 1t might change to-
morrow, she became quite cheerful, and
planned her future life rs II widow be-
witched' with an eagcrness that little
ostonished Silence,
III mamma would only give me some
money could spend the summer in Swift
2erland, the winter in Paris always
wanted to travel abroad for awhile; and
to be travelling without him, able to 20
where | liked, and do what | wanted.
Oh'-a sigh Of intense relief-"Rody,
you must try and persuade mamma to
give mo plenty Of money"
You Forget he began, brayely.
"Dear me, yesl | had forgotten all
about It, But never mind, Rody dear"
In coaXing tone; cant you put your
wrongs in your pocket, and write to her
for me; You always wrote such capital
letters; and she would listen to you when
she listened to nobody else. Her only son
worth all her daughters put together
at least she thought so. COme-do it.
This morning | objected to her being told
where was, but now see it must be.
You'll save me the trouble of it by writ
ing to her yourself"
Poor Bella! She was always ready TO
lay her burdens upon anybody who was
willing to bear them. He knew that and
yet when he looked at her, and heard her
familiar caressing voice, the good brother
felt again like the little boy who had cur
ried his big sisters parcels, flowers, gar
den tools even her doll sometimes, when
she got tired Of it.
IL cannot write to my mother" he
said, with n sad earnestess; "but will
telegraph to her in your name, saying
where You are, and that you wish to stay
with me-you really do wish it?-till
something can be settled between you
and your Observation-Disclosures or, if
it must be, separation"
Separation-Only that; she says So"
cried Bella, always ready another pecu-
liarity-hOw strangely, cruelty clear they
all came out nowD-ready and eager to
lay the responsibility of her doings and
opinions upon somebody else.
"What i say is," Silence answered,
chat IL your husband is as bad as you
aver, and if you have that hatred to him
which you profess to have, there is no
righteous course for you but separation.
But you must not wander aboUt the world
as you propose. Live simply and quietly.
Be real mother and take care of your
child You can never be quite desoIate
with a child"
Bella shrugged her shoulders. "YOu
have the most extraordinary ideasI But
you Nre a good woman-a very good
woman. shall tell mamma So 1t shall
not be the worse for you to have been
kind to me, my dear" she added, with Il
certain touch of feeling, and then plunged
back into her own affairs, which absorbed
her 50 entirely, and which she expected
every one else to be absorbed in too,
Far into the night they talked, for Mrs.
Alexander Thomson, who never rose
early, was accustomed to sit up, late; and,
besides, she seemed to take II certain sat
isfaction in discussing her misfortunes.
1t was like Il person with an ugly wound,
or remarkably severe illness, who at
last comes even to take sort of pride in
the same. The self-respect, the retiGence,
the silence of n broken heart, was not
hers at all, though unquestionabIy she
had been cruelty wronged woman TAX
ing advantage of her folly, worldliness,
and love of wealth and position, her hus-
bands family had married him to her,
Just to shift from themselves the burden
of him--a man who, as she truly said,
wanted keeper" rather than q wife.
She had walked into the snare, open-eyed,
but it had been snare nevertheless; and
Roderick, as he heard her revelations,
felt his blood boil with righteous indigna
ton, that instructive chivalry in defense
of the injured and weak, which If every
strong man felt as he ought to feel there
would be no need for feeble women to
vex the world with clamors about their
rights on their wrongs. The truly noble
of either sex never care to put forward
either the one or the other.
While Bella talked, Roderick and his
wife were almost entirely silent; and
when, afterward, day after day passed
by, and no answer came to the telegram,
or to second, which, weary Of waiting,
she sent after it, still they made as few
comments as possible ON what now began
seriously to perpleX them both.
Mrs Thomson did not seem in the
least perplexed. She made herself ex-
tremely comfortable, without much re-
garding the comfort of other people, eX-
acted great deal of attendance, and
amused herself with suggesting many
Injuries hitherto unknown at Blackhall.
mo, there's no fear of my husbands
coming to fetch me-" she said one day, in
answer to a question of Roderick's. "He
is Richerden man all over-hates the
country; would never face Highland
pass in winter, and if he came he would
run away again. You haven't big enough
rooms or grand enough dinners for him.
By-the-by, Blackhall is rather cold
house, Silence and little gloomy, you'll
allow You ought to keep up good fires,
and | think, if l were you, | would have
entirely new curtains and carpets before
next winter"