The Opelousas courier., 1896-08-29
TWO DOZEN BUTTONS.

John had just generously put into hel
little shapely hand a brand new ten
dollar bill. And here began the
trouble.
"What's the matter,' he said, his
face falling at the faint sound and his
mouth clupping together i'll what those
who knew him but little called all OBJ
stinate pucker. "Now what is it?'
Betty, who had Just begun to change
the sigh into q merry little laugh rip
ping all over the corners Of the red
lips, stopped suddenly, tossed her head,
AMI, with a small jerk no way conc!lia'
tory sen out the words:
"You needn't %insinuate, John, that
l am always troublesome
II didn't insinuate-whose talking
Of insinuating?' cried he, thoroughly
iucensed at the very idea, anil back
ing away q few steps he glared down
from a tremendous height, i'll extreme
irritation. "It's yourself who is for
ever in%sinuating and all that, and then
for you to put it on me-lt's really
nbominable.'
The voice was harsh, and tb eyes
| that looked down into hers were not
pleasant to behold.
"And if you think, John Peabody,
that I'll stand and have such things
said to me, you miss your guess
that's ALL" cried Betty, with two big
red spots coming in her cheeks, as she
tried to- draw her little erect figure to
its utmost dimensions. "Forever in
sinuating! guess you wouldn't have
said that before | married yoa. On,
now you can, Of counsel"
"Didu't you say it first, I'd like to
know?" cried John, in great excite
ment, drawing nearer the small crca-
ture he called "wife, who was gazing
at him with blazing eyes Of indiyna-
ton; II can't endure everything!'
"And if you bear more than | do"
cried Betty, wholly beyond control
now, "why, then, e: give up" and
she gave a bitter little laugh and
tossed her head again.
And here they were in the midst of
a quarrel. These two who, but q year
before, had promised to love and pro-
tect and help eachtother through life.
"Now," said Jte1n, and he brought
his hand down with such a bang on
the table before him, that Betty near
ly skipped out OF her little shoc-only
she controlled the start, for she would
have died before she had let John see
it, eve will have no more of this
~nonsense!"
His face was very pale and the lines
around the mouth 80 drawn hat it
would have gone to any ones heart TO
have seen their expression.
II don't know how you will change
it or help it," said Betty lightly, to
hide her dismay at the turn affairs had
taken, ''I'm sure!" and she pushed
back the light, waving hair from her
forehead with a saucy, Indifferent
gesture.
That hair that John always smoothed
when he petted her, tired or dis
heartened, and called her "child."
Her gesture struck to his heart as he
%glancediat her sunny locks, and the
cool, i~ndinaferent face underneath, and
before he knew it he was saying:
"There is no help for it now, / sup
pose"
ooh, yes, there u.s." said Betty,
still in that cool, calm way that ought
not to have deceived him. But men
know SO little of women's hearts. al
though they may live with them for
years in closest friendship. "You
need not try to endure it, John Pea
body, if you don't want to. I'm sure
I don't care!"
"What do you mean?"
Her husband grasped her arms and
compelled the merry brown eyes to
look up to him.
Il can 60 back to Mothers" said
Betty, provokingly. "She wants me
any day, aud then you can live quietly
and to suit yourself, and it will be
better all round" .
Instead of bringing out a violent
protestation of fond affection and re"
morse, which she fully expected, John
drew himself up, looked at her ixedly
for a long, long minute, then dropped
her arm, and with white lips said
slowly:
Eyes, it may be better as you say,
better all round. You know best!'
and was gone from the room before
she could recover from her astonish--
ment enough to inter a sound.
With q wild cry Betty rushed across
the room. first tossing the ten dollar
bill savagely rs far rs she could throw
it, and 1inging herself on the COM