The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1895-02-16


John Forbes had never married.
Her old mother was alive then, and
every one knew she would have liked
the match. John Forbes had come
back grayer and older than he had
gone away, but he was richer and even
more able to afford wife.
Time had not gone very well with
joan. She was thin and small always,
and she had had hard life of work.
Her sparse drab hair was beginning to
be sprinkled with gray. She looked
older than she really was. The village
came to the conclusion that John
Forbes would go by her and seek q
younger, BONNER woman" The two
most concerned gave no cause for gos-
sip.
John Forbes would sometimes stop
as he was passing the cottage and say
few words. There never was any al
fusion to past times between them.
They called each other Mr.. Forbes and
Miss Lawrence studiously. That was
the only clew either of them had that
there was a mutual past between
them.
On the Sundays that Jean went to
church-her thoughts were always di-
vided between the BARN at home and
the psalms, to her great discom-
titure-John Forbes would sometimes
overtake her. They talked of the SER
mon; then of the crops and the wealth
er BY degrees these subjects gained
an easy familiarity, and only varied
with the seasons.
No one was more surprised than Jean
when John Forbes asked her, one day,
to marry him. She stared at him in
emotionless calm.
"Ye must gle me time," she said.
John Forbes agreed to this quite
placidly. 1t was hard to understand
what he saw in his first love in her
faded and aged old-maidism. Possibly
tenacity of affection and the same in
stinct of faithfulness that brought him
back to the little village, the little viii
lage with no pretensions to beauty or
picturesqueness, kept him true to Jean.
One was the home, the other the wom-
an he had loved. He saw no reason to
change because he had seen many
fairer homes and younger, prettier
women.
Jean did not analyze her sentiments.
1t was not her way. Besides, love
never entered her head as far as it con-
cerned John Forbes. She merely re-
viewed the advantages as they con-
cerned Thrift. The rumor that new
and more modern dressmaker was GO
ing to set up finally settled it, and she
said John yes.
The day was fixed for the second
time in their lives. Jean had given up
her house. She was waiting with
tranquility for this new step in her
life. She had quite come to the con-
clusion that she could not de- better for
Thrift. One evening John Forbes ar
rived. Thrift lay contentcdly on the
hearth-rug, looking at him. The last
time John had been at the cottage
Thrift had been in one Of his passion
ate fits.
This had set him bordering.
After this there had been several
well-meant efforts at kindness on the
part of his friends. They happened to
coincide with his own views. They ad-
vised him to send Thrift away. Jean,
they said, would neglect every one and
everything for the boy. She would
wear herself out for Thrift, but net
bother with anything that did not con-
Germ him.
How far he believed this, or how far
n mans dislike to scenes or natural
desire to have his wife's affection CEN
tered in himself had to do with his re-
solve, he could not have told. He
bestirred himself, and with infinite
trouble and by some outlay he secured
an admission for the child to deaf
and dumb institution.
1t was this fact he had come to tell
Jean. He rather wished Thrift would
help him to lead up to it by scene.
Thrift gave him no help. He lay smil-
ing impenetrably.
Jean was not quick at reading signs.
jean" he said at last, helplessly,
''we'll be MERIT Tuesday,"
"Ay," assented Jean, cheerfully
Her eyes fell naturally on Thrift, and
she smiled at the boy.
And Thrift" John added, with. a
suspiciously clear note of interrogation
in his voice.
"Ay, Thri IT," she repeated.
SAY, Thrift" said John. Then find
ing this even did not progress matters,
he said, desperately, with snatch of
humor: ''Ye ken I'm no marrying
Thrift"
The old clock licked through the
room. The peats sputtered on the low
hearth, in front of which on curious
ly woven rug Thrift lay.
There was absolute silence for bit.
Then Jeans voice broke it.
''Then, John Forbes, ye're no merry
ing me-"
Again there was silence.
John said in quiet voice:
II hae made a the arrangements for
him, Jean. He will gang to schulz
ia they'll teach him to read and write,
and understand talk of kind
"Will they teach him to talk like
ither fowk?"
Her tone was expressionless.
INA, they Gamma dae that"
'"Then why should the BARN be both
cred wi learning that'll never dae him
or anyone else ony guide? Tell me