The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1895-02-14
CHAPTER XII-Continued.

A week afterward. coming bach from
meeting the postlnan, which he always
did. though few letters ever came, ana
never those which. his wife could see. he
missed and looked for still, Roderlck
threw down before her a heap of notes.
1T never rains but it pours. Evidently,
as old Black says. the hale %countrie has
fallen in love with young Mrs. Jardlne.
-Four invitations to dinner and one TO Il
Understanding over three weeks, ana
an area OF fifteen square miles. 10 ac-
cept them would take half our quarterly
income, in carriage hire. etc, and to re
fuse them. why. six Caleb BalderstoneS
could scarcely accomplish that feat
She read and laid the notes aside. with
a rather sad face.
"You would like to go: Well, then, my
darling. shall we don our purple and hne
lincn-We have a few rags of %splendor
left-and fare sumptuouSly at our neigh
bors' expense for four days? We can
starve aftcrward for fourteen; I'm will
ing if you are"
"Roderick,'
"Eisc-wc must get up some excuse
you must have a cough. and be unable 10
go out evenings"
But | am ~able-they may see me at
church every Sunday
Most literal Of women! OF course it
is a big lee'-as Black would call it,. But
any lie will do: the bigger the better. since
we can not possibly tell the truth"
"Why not?"
The question was so direct and simple.
yet so perfectly natural, that it staggered
him. He laughed, though not very mirth-
fully, and made no reply.
why not tell the truth Silence re-
peated. st would be much the easiest
way. Why not say to everybody. what
everybody must know. or ~lll soon, that
we are not rich enough to keep a carriage
or give entertainments. but that we up
preciate our ncighbors' kindness. and
will be glad to meet them Whenever chance
allows. Shall | write and say this: No
body could be offended, for il is Just the
simple truth. And surely the truth is bet
ter than even the whitest of lies
He had lived beside her and with her
for a whole year row-this woman so diff
fcrcnt from all other wonen he had ever
known: and yet he seemed always to be
finding out something new in her-some
divine simplicity which made all his world
~ wisdom useless; some innocent courage
which put even his manlincss to shame.
But he was too truly manly not TO own
this.
"My darling" he said. not laughing
now, II did not propose to tell a lic-not
seriously. But the truth must be hid
sometimes. when il is an unpleasant and
humiliating truth. Come. then, shall we
make a great effort. and appear at all
these fine houses Ell grande tenue, and in
a carriage and pair BLACKS. perhaps.
borrowed for the Occasion), and make be-
lieve.' as children say, that We are rich
people,"
Would not that be acting a lie, which
comes to the same thing as telling it? Did
not your father once say So? And you
once told me that if'-she paused Il mo-
ment-''if YOU had boys you would teach
them exactly as your father taught you,
that either to tell or act a lie was abso-
lutely impossible to a gentleman and a
Jardine!'
You little Jesuit"
"Dou't call me that" and her eyes filed
with the quick tears, which, however, she
rarely allowed to fall--shc was not Il "cry-
ing" woman. II cannot arguc, | can only
feel and think. Dearest, ! sit and think
al SISstl utdl-iltGt tll,ln III all lily llit IL
fore. l ought. you know
Her head dropped and a sudden flush
came over the sweet young face, firm
through AL its sweetness, much tirmer
than even n little while ago. Her brief
eight months Of married life had made a
woman of her. And there were the long
lonely hourS-alonc, yet not alone-whcn
a wife ever so young. cannot choose but
sit thinking of what God is going to give
her; Of the mingled JOY and fear, and
solemn responsibility, stretching out into
far generations. Well, indeed, may she
say. even as the holy woman of whom il
is recorded, "Behold the handmade of the
Lord. I've it unto me according to thy
word"
Something of this-cXpresSing what she
never said-waS written in Silcncc's face.
Her husband could not quite understand
it-no man could; but he saw the soft,
tired look tired, but not w~cak-thcrc
was nothing weak about her: and he put
his arm around her very tendrrly.
My darling, speak; you know | will al
ways listen to YOU, even thoug', | may DIFF
fer from YOU. No two people can always
thjnk alike. But | want Il wife. Il couu-
sclor | did not want Il slave"
She laughed; still she paused Il little
before answering. 1t was hard to 20
against him-l,ard to put into plain. ugly
words the fact that she, Il wife, dared to
think der husband wrong. Dear as he
was to her-thiS passionatcly loved Rod
erick-tllcrc was something in the other
love. di,nly da"ning, growing daily into
q MYSTERIOUS yet most absolute" reality,
which made, her at once clcar-Sighted and
brave. with the courage that all women
ought 10 have when they think of them
selves. not as themselves, bat as the
moti,crs Of the men that are to be.
"Eudcrick"-hc was startled by the
swee. s"lclulity of her ione--"this seems