The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-02-19

as she could remember; an" had not
been happy. Her married life had
been made up of petty quarrels, which
had finally ended in her return to this
mcagre home nest with her children.
Her brothers taunt was common one;
but perhaps tonight the flesh was un-
usually weak. She found it impossible
to endure the lash in silence. She had
felt like turning upon them and blaz-
ing out in one great flash of indigna-
ton, and she had only come out here
in the night t, weep and wiring her
hands alone; she was SO poor worm
she would not dare let them see she
had made the feeblest attempt to turn
She was an usurper, they had made
her understand that from the first A
bird once mated has no ri ght to return
to the home nest. She was taking the
very bread out of their mouths; and
vet she had earned her living since the
first day of her arrival; she had been
the household drudge at the beck and
call of every member of the family.
She clinched her hands as. she
thought Of the cruel taunting Of the
little sister, whom, as baby, she had
carried about in her arms.
Her mother did not openly reproach
her. but she was not the less cruel
Leading her life of perfection, it was
her custom to read daily rom some
passage of Scripture, and latterly she
had invariably chosen this text: For
this cause shall man leave father and
mother and cleave unto his wife, and
they two shall be one flesh. Therefore
what God hath joined together, let no
man put asunder."
And Luella knew her meaning right
well. 1t was as plain to her as if her
mother had read, "For this cause shall
woman leave her father and mother
and cleave unto her husband"
The droning morning voice had
dwelt with her through the day, the
words changed to suit her case as we
change the words of most texts to suit
our own cases, "a woman shall cleave
unto her husband" Well, why not?
AS she looked out into the dusky night
her thoughts went back to John and
to their last quarrel. What had it
been about? She couldn't remember.
1t was perhaps some little thing that
led to hot words, flare of recrimina-
ton, tears, and in the end to this sepa-
ration, this miserable separation!
If John only knew how she felt to-
night, how like lost dog left out in
the cold, afraid of stones, afraid of
blows from brooms afraid of everything.
he would feel sorry for her, she knew
he would. Z. ..,-.... =
He had been kind to her in many
ways. She had not worked in Johns
home as she did here, and then his
bread had not been the bread of char
ity choked down with taunts. Oh no!
t,JohnIWas generous and kind'ifhe were
a sbitShigh tempered. She suddenly
raised upon her elbow What if she
had been high tempered. too, and sui
len and mulish? Perhaps it was her
fault, after all, that they had quarreled!
A flush came over her face in the
dusk. Suppose, oh suppose she should
go to him now this very night, and ask
him to forgive her: would, he?
SO intent was she on this thought
that little hand. warm and moist,
crept into her own unnoticed, then an
other, and baby Bess cuddled close,
,rubbing her soft cheek against her
mothers.
II want 90, momsey," she said, and
Luella hugged her to her bosom. In
her selfish distress she had forgotten
her children.
She lay still with the child in her
arms, Johns child? There was a look
OF John in the pretty face with its half
closed eyes.
If she should go back to him now
with baby Bess surely ire' would take
her in. She was SO tired of doing bat
tie with the cruel world single-handed.
Suddenly her mind was made up.
She was ready to go now if he would
ta '>e her. A thrill of JOY shook her at
the very thought of home. her own
home, a place in which she had every
| right to live, where she would be no
usurper, where she would no longer eat
the bread that belonged to Others
She waited until the child's eyelids
closed, and then she raised her and
| CARRIED her to ttcT9h OuSe where she
found little Alice asleep on the door
step, her round arms supporting her
dirty little face. The sight was like a
spur urging her onward.
She woke the child and coaxed her
into the house; there she stood, boldly
upright, the baby in her arms, the child
clinging to her skirts, new indepen-
dence in her attitude since her resolve
to 90 back to her husband.
Her mother was reading by the dim
light of the smoking lamp which she
had never thought to turn down.
James sat loosely in a chair, his legs
far apart, his clasped hands behind his
head. Eliza had pdshed back tAe un-
Il