The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-04-11

II have seen him every month";" she
told me. But 1 could ~ accept his
help. The colonel" and here she
stopped again.
1t was easy TO understand. She would
not accuse her husband OF harshness
by word or look. 1 urged her again
To permit mt 10 see her son. though
| felt that the repression OF years would
not break forth. il was too late 10
mend the situation now. She knew
that the end OF her trial must come
soon, and | think she welcomed IL. IL
for moment the colonel left her mind.
! knew intultiYey there was some-
thing that weighed upon the invalid's )
mind. She would look at me steadily
when she thought / was absorbed, and
after ] caught an expression that led
me TO think that she WAS on the point
OF telling me something. l waited pa
tently for her mind 70 be made up,
never doubling ,nat she would finally
take me further into her confidence.
This came about one evening when
| the colonel had gone out TO the letter
box. Mrs Frees listened for the faint
sound of the closing door below, and
| then called me 20 her chair.
There were minutes OF hesitation and
then she turnoI her head away and ex-
tended her hand to me. | saw that
she wanted me to take the key she
neld.
There are some-papers In the lock-
| eI drawer OF my dlesser, Arthur |
lfNard her saying. tina I want YOU to
carry 60 your room The colonel must
not see them And l think | will sleep
"a little now"
Quietly / collected the papers from
the drawer and carried them to my
room. / had asked no questions be-
cause none seemed TO De expected. In
fafftr tnaff go. IHfFl.T Na.. a
turned 10 place the bundle in my trunk.
In an instant. as my eyes rested on the
packages | held. 4 learned the Old
lady's last secret. Her pay for the
fancy articles could not have been SO
small az / had thought. Here were
the colonel's accepted contributions
Each envelope was addressed ELIZA
beth Shippen. Box IL. - Fourth Ave,
City" She had accepted" every one.
4 few weeks afterward | stood i'm
the cemetery and watched the colonsis
unsteady steps as he passed through
the gates, his hand resting heavily on
his sons arm.-D. 4. T.. in the Com
mercial Advertiser.
Gradually. bu successive meetings. we
became better acquainted and az last he
asked me To come upstairs 10 his room.
lie and his wife had occupied this room
for five years, | had been told by our
housekeeper IL was low and some
what "stuffy,' but neat and well fur
nished; In this respect IL presented
better appearance than any room I'm
the house. The furniture belonged 10
the old couple; IL was aristocratic but
worn, reminding me of the impression
/ had received OF the colonels apparel
on the day l first met him.
I was presented TO Mrs. Frees and
greeted by her with the simple dignity
do not know who they were or what
their position had been, but l have
never met man or woman whose bear
ing was more. Impressive OF refinement.
Neither Col. Frees nor his wife made
any effort to conceal their Circum-
stances. The old gentleman wrote
stories. most OF them reminiscent OF his
experiences i'm the civil war. Mrs.
Frees painted flowers on fancy arti-
cles' at a compensation that | thought
must some day lay heavily upon the
conscience of the Sixth avenue dealer
who bought them. ] suppose she spent
eight or ten hours a day on these pin
cushions and handkerchief cases. the
purveyors thereof collecting them the
year round TO be placed upon the mar
ket at Christmas. | do not think the
work wearied her; she seemed to enjoy
the flowers that grew under her deft
brush. and was apparently unconscious
OF the cheap white satin soil on which
they were beddded. a pot Of heliotrope
that stood in the window sill was her
favorite study.
I learned, bit by bit. for they never
talked Of their affairs q at Mrs. Frees
was the business manager of the small
establishment. She ordered the food
that was cooked on a gas stove i'm an
alcove in the room-neVer in my pres
ence. you may be sure-and carried her
work TO the shop by which she was reg
ularly employed, bringing back the
plain pieces 20 be decorated. Occasion
varied the monotony OF pincushions and
cravat cases.
She also conducted the business end
OF the ColOnel's story writing. mailing
the manuscripts and receiving them
back or delighting the old mans heart
now and then by returning ySth few
dollars for one of his contributions. hav-
ing cashed the remittance i'm whatever
form II came. | was permitted 10 read
single story that looked as though
IL had been printed some time before
IT was signed Elizabeth Shippan," his
wlfe's maiden name.
II was plain enough that their occu-
pations We're mere makeshifts; the
colonel was not a trained writer, AMI
his wlfe's work was based. / Imagined
on a skill attained long ago. when EN-.
broidery and painting were fashiona-
ble accomplishments.
They told me that they rented a letter
box i'm a shop at the torner. The mail
at the house was deposited on the hat
rack in the hall and examined by each
lodger as he went out or came I'm, and
the colonel preferred the greater pri-