The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1898-09-24
A SPITEFUL ROllANCE

A SPlIEtUL NOliANUI,
Country? Why don't I live in the
country You might as well ask why
Iamstilla bachelor, Oh, don't laugh!
There's a subtle connection between
the two ideas. lad0re the country, l
adore the married state; l live in the
CITY, I'm a bachelor. Both for the
same reason, too. No, you'll think it
too trivial, | shall only make myself
ridiculous II l tell YOU. Not in the
least2 Youinsist? Well, one doesn't
have such sympathetic listener every
day. But pray keep straight face,
Ny reason, briefly is the tent cater
pillar. Oh, I thoughtit would be too
much for youl But listen. The tent
caterpillar is nothing to laugh at; in
fact, it's a frightful pest I0u'llhear
from it wherever there are orchards
and it's getting worse and worse.
Well, if it gets a tlousandfold worse,
it can't DO the orchards so much harm
as it has done me.
Letme explain. And to szplainFu
have to speak Of Mrs Macmillan Coy
- well as Of theteut caterpillar You
may remember Mayy Coy--a fine
looking, big, athletic fellow ten years
ago; cut quitea swath until hemarried
Isabel Ducombe and settled down.
Then he bought a place in a suburb,
lived outdoors in themost wholesome
country gentleman style imaginable,
and one day all Of a sudden went off
Ike that! Heart gave out, l believe.
Of course Isabel was uuconsolable for
awhile. You must have known Isa-
bel as Miss Duncombe-a splendid
blond, with the most wonderful coils
Of gold hair Pve ever seen. I saw q
good deal Of her-rather too much,
I fear, for her comfort-Rfter Coys
death; for I had been his lawyer, and
he named me executor with her and
guardian Of their two little children
hardly more than babies. You know
what it is to settle an estate; | nat
urallv bore the bruut Of it, but Coy's
was more or less involved, and there
had To be consultations and signatures
without end. So I spent q good deal
Of time at IsabePs, and came to be
mainly depended on for general util-
ity purposes.
Isabel was young and had her chill
dren to live for and in a year or so she
began to cheer UP. fused to urge her
to come to town, for she seemed rather
isolated out there. But she dreaded
to on her children's account, and I
really think she preferred the coun-
try-a preference I could easily IN
derstand. Well, Of course one doesn't !
follow a woman about for IS months |
at least such q woman as Isabel
and think Of her more or less contin-
uslly, without forming an attach
ment. In the crisis she had gone |
ihrough' ISaoeI naa SHOWN a 4qlet
1eIoisln Almost more auinlraOle man
uoE oesuly' y y4 gu 4, Ing I"9 Went 70,
ggV1et SO wen mat lAs oea9ly seemed
a1I aIohg 10 nave pioPAesaeu me nero
Ism ana me nerolsin demanded TIE
'eauIy 70 complete IT, but naturally
me ShudceTs 70 be premature
l was thinking, as | drove out one
perfect afternoon IN May, when the
18TH month was opening, that the
Inc Tor shuddeTlng might be draw
ng to close AS The days heightened
md frightened, Isabel had been grow
ng steadily more llght-hearted; she
eemed to love her dear little place
more and more-the big Lilac bushes I
n the lawn as they burst into lux t
Jrlant bloom, the crocuses that come {
Up through the grass, the pansies she
.ad Just set out IN vari-colored row;
5oye all, the birds that focked about