Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1897-04-24
HOW THE WORLD JUDGES.
BY ANNA SHIELDS.

Gus houses of the ladies of the congre-
cation of the church which it repre-
scented. There were matrons and maid
Ems, young and old, and among the
latter. notice, if you will, Alice Spencer,
neither young nor old, but a maiden
| whose story all Abingdon knows. Ten
years ago DIR. Greyson and Alice Spencer
..kept company" There was a quarrel,
proving from a trife, until il ended n
separation, and DIR. Greyson married
Maude Hepburn, heiress of the richest
man in Abingdon.
Alice wore the willow" gracefully
enough, neither going into brain fever
nor rushing about seeking a mission
as a properly conducted maiden IN her
pligbt should have done. She is not
beautiful, but, in her soft, gray merino,
with snowy lace rutfles and a tritie OF
blue here and there, her sweet, fair face
is very pleasant to see. She is gentle
and placid, doing her duty well, and al
ways cheerful, yet there a trown
of pain across her low, white forehead
as the stream of censure flows around
her.
II had it from Martha, Mrs. Greyson's
cook" Mrs. Lee said, emphatically,
that Agnes and Lottie Greyson were
sent to boarding school against their
own mothers will. 1t is downright
cruelty, Why, Agnes is not eight years
old, and Lottie just passed six. Mere
babies"
'They say their mother took on
drcadfully," said fat, comfortable Mrs.
Agnew, looking up from a perpleNing
gusset; screamed and cried and chung
to the poor little things, as If she
couldn't let them go. That hateful
Miss Greyson took them away"
Miss Greyson intcrferes in every
thing" said another voice; for my
part. ii my husband brought a prim old
maid sister into my house, I'd just put
her in her place, But, they DO say that
half the time poor Mrs. Grayson isn't
allowed to order her W dinner"
81 never thought much of DIR. Grey
son after he gave up practice and went
to live on his wife's money" said Mrs
Agnew. such a splendid doctor as he
. was, and doing so much good, had NJ
y, business to fold his hands and live il
/, idleness, before he was 80 years Old
4 And so on, and on, and on, till
monster in human form and a suffering
martyred angel were evolved from tn
Grevson household, and held up t.
scorn. Even Mrs. Greyson herself ha'
a side slap or two, as being "poor-spll
! tied" and one who took too meelly TO be
ing put upon by her tyrant OF a nus
: band and sister.
. Alice Spencer bent her head lowe
= and lower over her sewing, hearing al
I hut saving no word Of defense or blam'
a Her heart was very sore when tines
) stories, that were not new in Abine
, ten, but merely were revised, improve
5 and enlarged whenever the gossips me
were told. She WAS of a large-hearte
a nature, forgiving and tender, and whe
5 her lover deserted her she sent no i
. will after him. She had hoped he woul
. return to her, and she suffered intens
s w, if silently, when he nursed his wrat
"a so long and then married. But 81
Z lived her sorrow down, and wished d
Greyson every happiness.
p But it was a new, keen pain to h
) when she knew that her idol was on
clay. She had made n hero of him
. localized him with loves glamour, an
J to think he had fallen from the hil
standard she believed to be his, was
bitter grief to her. She had been pro'
~ of his skill when he was her lover, prof.
" to see his rapidly increasing popularit
he to know he brought noble aims al
grand purpose to his work. In many
nd lowly place her footsteps had follow
md his and her open hand had made pc
on sible what his knowledge suggestt
Even after that quarrel that threw tn,
lives so far apart, she secretly help
many who suffered for want of food
well as medicine, but had conceal
their poverty until sickness laid it ba
81 1t was a blow to her, therefore,
hear that DIR. Greyson had given
practice and gone to Highlands, as
III wife's estate was called, TO live at ca
II He was too young to drop out of act
life-too useful to relinquish his wo.
1t was so unlike her hero, so at variaT
with all she had known of him, that
:. was long before she could believe
= retirement was more than tempora.
:. This story was followed by SO ma
- others, of SO painful a nature, Il
:: Alice Spencer often asked herself
: it could be her Harry, her lover, W
had changed to such q monster of
= nestle cruelty. There were three cl
dren at Highlands, and, while
Youngest was still a mere babe, q Il
: character came on the scene, in M
Greyson.
Often, in the delicious days of cou
ship, DR.. Greyson had told Alice of
sister Margaret, the older sister, W
had taken his mothers place when
was q child of three years. She h
"A from his loving descriptions, learned
think of Margaret Greyson as one
those noble, self-sacrificing women W
= make the home a dwelling place of
= peace and happiness. 1t had been c
Of their favorite dreams Of the futl
to think of Margaret in their hor
q ministering angel, and to repay |
by their devotion for her long siste
care.
re- And now, another of her idols v
"a. torn down and smirched by evil tongu
=, and Alice heard of Miss Greyson a
Siu sort of assistant domestic demon,
res carry out her brothers wickedness.
-. She had no power to contradict a
of these reports, for Maude Greys
Ter had exhibited the most savage jealol
of her husbands first love, and
manner to Alice was positively inst
ing.
Pondering on all these things, al
walked from the sewing circle to
own modest cottage, where she
)ut lived alone since her fathers death, 1
~ years before. He had been the pas
Of the church, and had, by close &c
omy, saved enough to leave his o.
n. child a modest competency. TIL
49, ..~ ~ ~.~r. - 20 krnuh1o Al