The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-15

Weir" On the very eve of the enga %
ment, II was related that one ha
drawn near to the tender couple, an
had overheard the lady cry out, wit
the tones or one who talked for tn
sake of talking, Keep me- Mr.. Well
and what became of him?" and tn
profound accents of the sutton reply
Hangft, mem, hangit." The motive
| upon either side were much debated
| Mr.. Weir must have supposed his brid
10 be somehow suitable; perhaps he be
longed to that class of men who thinl
a weak head the ornament of women
an opinion invariably punished in thi,
J life. Her descent and her estate wer.
beyond question. Her wayfaring an
| cestors and her litigious father haC
| done well by Jean. There was ready
money and there were broad acres
ready to fall wholly to the husband, tc
lend dignity to the descendants and
TO himself title, when he should be
called upon the bench. On the side of
Jean. there was perhaps some fascina.
uon OF curiosity as to this unknown
male animals that approached her with
uhe roughness OF ploughman and the
aplomb of an advocate. Being SO
trenchantly opposed to all she knew.
loved. or understood, he may well have
seemed to her the extreme, If scarcely
the ideal OF his sex. And besides, he
was an i'll man to refuse. A little over
40 at the period of his marriage he
looked already older. and to the force
OF manhood added the senatorial dig
nifty or years; IL was. perhaps. with an
unreverend awe. but he was awful
The bench, the bar and the most expe-
rlenced and reluctant witness, bowed to
his authority-and why not JEANNE
Rutherford?
The heresy about foolish women is al
ways punished. l have said, and Lord
Hermiston began to pay the penalty at
once. His house in George square was
wretchedly i'll guided: nothing answer
able to the expense of maintenance but
the cellar, which was his own private
care. When things went wrong at din
ner, as they continually did, my lord
would look up the table at his wife: Il
think these broth would be better to
sweem in than to sup" Or else to the
butler: Here, McKillop, ava wi this
radical gigot-tak' IL to the French
man. and bring me some puddocks! 1t
seems rather a sore kind Of business
that 1 should be all day in court hang
ing radicals, and get nawthing to my
uenner. OF course this was but a
manner of speaking, and he had never
hanged man for being a radical in
his life; the law, of which he was the
faithful minister, directing otherwise.
Ana, OF course, these growls were in
the nature of pleasantly, but IT was of
a reconcile sort and uttered as they
were In his resounding voice and COM
mented on by that expression which
they called in the parliament house
Hermiston's hanging face"-they
struck mere dismay into the wife. She
sat before him speeches. and fiutter-
ing; at each dish, as at a fresh ordeal.
her eyes lowered toward my lords
eountenance and fell again; If he but
ate In silence, unspeakable relief was
her portion; If there were complaint.
The world darkened. She would seek
put the cook, who was always her sis
ter in the lord. 20. my dear. this is the
most dreadful thing that my lord can
never be contented i'm his own houser'
The would begin: and weep and pray
with the cook; and then the cook would
pray with Mrs. Weir; and the next
lays meal would never be a penny the
oetter-and the next cook when she
'ame) would be worse, If anything. but
ust as pious. 1t was often wondered
nat Lord Hermiston bore IL as he did:
indeed, he was stoical old voluptuary,
'ontented with sound wine and plenty
" 1t. But there were moments when
he overlooked. Perhaps half a dozen
INES In the history of his married life
+" Here TAX IL ava. and bring me a
'iece of bread and kebbuckr he had
reclaimed, with an appalling explosion
Il MS voice and rare gestures. None
hought TO dispute or make excuses:
he service was arrested: Mrs. Weir sat
I the head of the table whmpering
Without disguise; and his lordship OBJ
osfte munched his bread and cheese in
stentatious disregard. Once only Mrs
Neir had Ventuerd to appeal He was
assing her chair on his way into the
tudy.
20, Edom! she walled in a voice
'agfc with tears. and reaching out to
I'm both hands, In one of which she
ED a sopping pocket handkerchief.
He paused and looked upon her with
face of wrath, into which there stole.
he looked, twinkle of humor.
'Noansenser' he said. You and your
oansense! What do i want with a
hristian family? j want Christian
roth' Get me lass that can plain
oil potato, if she was a girl off the
retes.' And with these words. which
'hoed in her tender ears like bias
1emy, he had passed on TO his study
nd shut the door behind him.
Such was the housewifery in George
uare. IL was better at Hermiston.
here Kirstie Elliot. the sister of a :.
'ighboring bonnet laird. and an eigh- h
ei9uh cousin OF the lady's bore the n
large or all, and kept a trim house -
Id good country table Kirstie was !,
woman In thousand. clean, capable 7,
ltable; once moorland Helen. and =
Ill comely as blood horse and heal =,
y as the hill wind. High in flesh and ;,
lice and color. she ran the house with =,
n whole Incorporate soul. in a hustle. .,
u without buffets. Scarce more mons -,
an decency in those DAYS reouired -
lie was the cause of many an anxious -
ought and may fearful prayer to -
RS. Weir. Housekeeper and mistress -
hewed the parts Of Martha and Mary. =,
10 though with a prick conscience -,
airy reposed on Marthas strength as -
rock. Even Lord Hermiston held a.
lrstie in a particular regard. There =,
IRE Few with whom he unbent so glad Ni
lew whom he favored with so many be
easantries. "Kirstie and me mann ~
We our joke" he would declare. I'm =,
On good humor. as he buttered KRIS ~
scenes and she waited at table. A No
an who had need either Of love or ~ :
pularity' keen reader OF men and OF fe
ehts, there was perhaps only one co