Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-02-11

and she had tried to bear all the de-
ceased Mr.. Morley's ill points as n
good, true wife should. In fact, she
had succeeded SO we'll that, when the
poor man finally realized that he had
to die, he honestly confessed that he
had been most wrong in his past
treatment of her and died with hal f.
finished, penitent sentence of praise
for her on his white lips.
However, Mrs. Morley all at once
woke up to the fact that there was
just hint of relief in the realization
that there was no longer craven
minded, coarse-bodied man to scatter
discord along her whole pathway of
life. She was deeply ashamed of her
self when she finally recognized this
disloyalty, and cried half the night in
sheer fear and doubt for her future.
Nevertheless, by the time that her
lawyer had brought order out of the
chaos of her husbands small means
and had graciously informed her that
grim starvation stared her in the face,
she had arrived at the point where
she could swallow her last sob, give
her pretty, tired eyes farewell dash
of tears and set her snowy little teeth
in firm determination.
But what should she do? She didn't
know typewriter half SO intimately as
she did a sewing-machine, and she was
as completely Ignorant of the latter
apparatus as girl of twelve. She
could manage house, it is true, for
hadn't she presided at the head of the
late Mr.. Morley's stormy household
for the last five years? However, af-
ter she had answered the advertise
ment OF gay young bachelor who
smiled altogether too fondly, and
called to see a crusty old widower, and
found that she was supposed to play
mother to half dozen irritable, neg
lected little sons, she gave up all
hopes in that direction.
She even contemplated selling tape
in large store, but after she had
watched poor, harassed salesgirl for
few minutes she gulped down u
choking sensation in her throat and
forswore that as n possible opening.
Her best pair of gloves were ont at the
tips; she had had to eschew sugar in
her tea last night, and, taking it all in
all, poor little Mrs. Morley, for the
first time since his death, began to
feel rising indignation towards the
man whose unfeelin9 selfshness had
left her SO thoroughly helpless.
1t was raining sharply, and the de-
mure-mouthed young widow had
drawn her curtains close, extrayag-
antly heaped her last coal on her toy
like fire, and settled herself for her
lonely tea, this time not only lacking
IN the usual sweetening accessory but
hanked by only half-share of waters.
Suddenly there came most per-
emptory knock on her outside door.
Instantly all signs of lonliness vanished
in the face of this new calamity of n
visitor when she was so unprepared,
While she few into her next room and
made frantic toilet before the tiny
mirror she gave sigh of reliet when
she realized that it couldn't be visi-
tor on such a stormy evening and Just
at 9 o'clock.
SO with brave front she threw
open the door, and the look of per
plexity on her dear little face gave
way before a gasp of alarm, as her
visitor proved to be handsome, wealthy
james Orr, tho man she had rejected
years before for tho apparently su-
perior charms of the then dazzling
Mr.. Morley.
There was nothing to do but to ask
him in, and when he was seated before
her miserably meagre fire it was hard
to tell which face wore the more puz-
zled look-hers, why he had come, and
his, how this dainty, lovely woman
managed to subsist in n rented parlor,
where the carpets didn't reach the
north wall by six inches and where
the one pitiful lamp was gruesomely
pale.
"lt's raining. isn't it?" began she