Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-29


forgeeful rapture. And the voyages
when Ann remained az hofae It went hard
with Rhody If she did not get In to see
Armand the pictrreevery afternoon for
Just a moment or two. And in the nights
of her sick watchinH shI used to find a
WINDOW where she Gould look out at the
Stars ana wonder If Win saw them, too,
and II he was thinking OF the shore and
or Ann and of her, perhaps, also. And
When oown at the p1rt tie bark came In
saIe ana sound, she had renewed as
R,t o., .hat the world was right side up.
oul one voyage the bark did not come
oach- typhoon swept the Indian seas.
ana the bones of thu Man a. Null were
SUI Ii, from Celebes to MaIabar And as
grave is to this day
w men the loss was definite thing to the
Underwriters. Ann received her Insurance.
money , tidy little sum for her small way
time she took it off again and q hrisk and
pusy poay, she took her pleasure with her
neighbors as she had always done, II h.r
WASH was out before Mrs. Burns whitened
tne yard pehfnd, II her baked beans were
pronounced one atom crispar than Mrs
Dennis, II the recipe for her rule of fruit
CAKE was In demand, IL she had cherry
Ionic Ton ana 5eilies to send to the ailing. If
nef mousse ciean1ng was over the first along
me Shore, If her best black silk would
stand alone, If she knew all that was going
On, ana Keeping one eye on Sally Laven-
and his odd behavior, and another eve on
tnS goings and comings of the rest Of the
sue was content enough, and after
q WINE Ann was not at all unhappy, and
even mad mild satisfaction In Try Hodges
admiration of her still buxom beauty.
put 1t was much longer time before
MISS Rhody would accept the fact of win
Matners loss He had been so full Of life
ana el vigor she could never make him dead
Sne was Always expecting to see him step
oown from the coach every tim. If came
. run along from port. She did not
"a hoo
snore but she thought il might hold WIN
livery Time she ran over to AIMS she
hoped 10 near great voice roaring out n
welcome; and when that failed to sound
letter saying he had been wrecked on des-
err shores' and was now on his way home
AGAIN Her dreams were all of this, Now
she saw MIN struggling with night and
storm In the black seas, now wandering
1oriorn among strange folk of a strange
tongue, now cast on barren places and
watching feverishly the CLEAN of sail
upon tne SKY line, and every dream mis-
cry, ana cnlehy misery because the at
mosphere of power with which Will had
always been clothed in her mind was want
ing there But. on the other hand, her day
creams were JOY. In them. as she weht
ABOUT ner nursing, as she washed the
newly born or stroked the newly dead, as
she sat at home sewing in her parlor, VIII
was always returning, after multitudinous
oeep,sea adventures; she saw him hurrying
up the road and entering to Ann, big and
bronzed and full of glad expectation and,
although she varied the dream thousand
avs, it was always the same dream-WHl
Mather coming home.
on may Judge, then, OF her dismay when
she heard that the banns were published
for Ann Mather and Try Hodge: for some
now Ann had not been able to bring herself
to break the news to Rhqdy. She hurried
cried And then she softehed the reproach.
"Ann. dear. what does itImean? Do you
Know what they are saying about you?
Really. you must not let Try in so much.
people say-Oh. know they say is a liar.
But they do say-that-you are going to
marry Iry4' A
And SO am said Ann But she look
ed out Of the window.
not move her lips 1t first. And when
she could it was only to, whisper You
are VIII Mather's Wife" 90
"Oh, you be still, Rhody," said Ann,
biting off the thread with which she was
running uD the breadths of a fine we'd
ding garment and showing all her hand
some teeth. - .a1's :
RnVss who f ssnt ss be sds re-,
move What win Viii say?'If 's.''''
Nothing, guess
But if he should come back Ann" gath
ering strength.
What simpleton you are. Rhody.
After all these years an the Insurance
paid and all. You're a perfect deaths
head at the feast An look here. I won't
have you talking SO to me. And Try
wouldn't like 1t all,
"Oh, Iry!' with infinite contempt
Yes. Try. always liked Try. An he's
the lawyer of this village, an 'tisn't every
one marries the lawyer. And every one
respects him." s+ ,,.
"lry's well enough. I amt nothin' to
say against Try. I've allus liked him,
too. But Try amt no business here"
He amt comm here. I'm goin' to his
house"
Ann! WE'LL do no. how you can stan
that long winded talk o. his'n'
"Rhody, II you wasn't my oldest frien'-"
I'm more'r your frien'. I'm your blood
relation I've right to speak, an you've
a right to think shame Of yourself. And
THE Man-o'-Mull hesn't ben heard from
for more'n seven years, And I'm quite
within the law. Try says so.''
But there was Robinson Crusoe--
ooh. Rhody. you'll be the death of me
yet; I believe you're as crazy as Hum
phrey Lavendar I guess one Robinson
Crusoell do. An now you've spoke out
| and done your duty. your conscience's
clear, an 50 is mine I was good wife
to Cap'n Mather, and shall be a good
wife to Try Hodge"
Then" murmured Rhody, the tears
pie-veined hands, with which she tried to
hide them, the day you merry Iry-Oh,
my! I don't know how you CAM should
think you would be-. You needn't ask me
to come to the weddin'-I ishan't couute-
nance it. But you will send me over Wits
picture, then. won't you? You won't want
it for a reminder. And I'd better take care
of it for you" -Ea@
II don't know" said Ann, CHANGING up
at the dark and dashing likeness ct
looks good on the wall. I've KEEP the
frame real bright There amt nothin'
mean about Try; he wouldn't put VIII
out'n his place. But, there-you allus did
set by it. An you paid for it, anyway.
AM" Perhaps some tender memory
swept over Ann. Yes she went on, Il
guess 1t belongs most to you But-but
Will belonged to met And then Ann be-
gan to cry and Rhody kissed her-she
couldn't help it: it was Ann. And then
she ran home as if a ghost pursued her.
One day the picture came. and Rhody
put it upstairs in the spare room It was
not for all the world to see. And she made
a case for it as tenderly as ever Elaine
wrought on that for Lancelot's shield, If
it were not so beautiful-it was of crazy
patchwork. thing Of silken shreds and
patches. She made herself Ia black gown,
too. in those days. she HAd always worn
light colors about the Sick she said it was
more cheerful for them; And rainy after
moons she had made IA a POINT of putting
On bit of bright ribbon, Or a flower mr.