The evening times., 1895-09-03
n Tale of a Promise.
(By Emma N. Wise. }

An her life long Jennie Morton's actions
had been bampered by promises to dead
people. The first of her relatives to lay
aside all earthly cares and anxieties and
look beyond the veil was her mother. Jennie
was thirteen then. Young as she was, she
was the eldest OF a brood of seven, and the
last thing Mrs. Morton did before crossing
the line was to exact from her sorrowing
daughter a promise that she would look
out for the interests OF the younger chill
dren and be a mother to them SO far as 1t
was possible for her to assume the re-
sponsibiiities of the position.
1t was pretty big undertaking for
such IA little girl, but there was strong
streak Of latent determination in her char
actar, and it served her well in the full
fiIlment of the duties devolving upon her.
When she was twenty the older ones of
her little flock had reached an age when
they could not only take their affairs in
their own hands, but partially relieve her
of the care of the younger members of the
family as well, and she commenced to
breathe freely and take life little as
other girls OF her age found it.
But just at that time her father became
the victim of an incurable aiiInent. True
to the instincts of the Morton race, he did
not feel as though ne could give up the
ghost in peace without first binding some
body By an ironclad oath to do something
uncaIled for and idiotic- The innocent
lamb chosen 70 be led TO the slaughter was
his daughter Jennie.
s.It won't be long till you will be think
ing about marrying he told her when the
doctor announced that whatever he had to
say had better be said on short notice.
4 have anticipated all this before my
Illness, and have had more than one talk
with Byron Hadiey about you. At my
urgent request he has heretofore refrained
from making you a formal proposal Of
marriage, but be will do SO now, as soon
as the proper time arrives / know what
is best for you far better than you yourself
can know. and l want you to promise me
to marry him when he asks You. You
will never find man who will make
you a better husband This is the last
request shall ever make, and know you
well enough to feel assured you Will not
disappoint me-"
OF course she came up to the mark of
daughterly obedience which had been set as
her standard, and gave death-bed promise
No. 2 without a nIurmur Six months after
her father died she was married to Byron
Hadiey. So far as she was concerned IL was
not a love-match in the general acceptation
that trite term. hut in spite of the absence
of the tender passion in its fully developed
state, the union was not an unhappy one. She
cared 70 rhinl as much as the ma jority of
women care for their husbands, perhaps, and
as he was more devoted to her than many
men are to their wives after the glamor
of the honeymoon wears off, the attach
ment averaged up strong enough to steer
them clear of the rocks and reefs that are
struck on by SO many unwary couples.
Just before the second anniversary of
their wedding Hadley was taken seriously
ill and when 1t became apparent that he
could never recover he perpetuated the
mortgage which overanxious parents had
already put upon his wife's life and in
sisted upon her smoothing out his dying
bed with one more promise. He wanted
her solemn assurance that she would never
marry again.
The two years of her wifehood had not
been marked by any especial blessings
that might have come to her otherw Use,
and she promised to respect his wishes,
partly because she fancied it was her duty
and partly because the prospect of a
future marriage presented no pleasures
alluring enough 20 make her desirous of
renouncing her widowhood. To make the
conditions imposed upon her still more
binding, Hadley's will was drawn up
giving her Unlimited control. through
out her lifetime, of all earthly possessions
that were then his, provided she remained
dutifully welded to bis memory But IL
at any time her inclinations should prompt
her to seek another partner the aforesaid
DEGREES relative TO the disposition of prop
erty in her favor should be revoked and
the minutest collateral of his fairly re-
spectacle bundle of wealth should be
wrested from her possession to be trans