The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-30
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Wen, Garry" said Anderson, the store
keeper seeing that Won Ritter seemed dis
inclined to break the silence, .How's FL
vina?"
'Loony." said Garry, sullenly. do yer
know. fellers, begin TO know I made a
Dig mistake in marryin' that girl Ny old
| marin said as l was marryin' way beneath
me. and b'gosh, 1 think she was right
for once"
A cripple lad. sitting in a far corner re
the store, shifted his seat uneasily and
look Of pain came into mis- great, soft eyes.
Inc men laughed. Mrs. Won Ritter think
ing anyone beneath" her good-for-
nothing, drunken son struck them as be-
ing rather good joke,
Yep" repeated Garry ''she was right
FOR once. Elvina is crazy sure-crazy as
a loon. Ter see her settin' in that house
| OF mine, with her big eyes starin' out OF
her white face and payin' no attention
TO nothin' than a rag doll is enough ter
give Teller the creeps. She don't appre-
| ciate anything that's done fer her. Some
| times l think she amt bit grateful ter
| me for marryin her"
| The men laughed again.
Grateful. My Lord muttered Abe
Hawkins, the cripple, as he clenched his
| thin hands and ground his teeth. He
| thought Of little Elvina Allen as she used
| TO be years ago when she went to the
district school She was a pretty, gentle.
simple little thing, with frightened look
! about her delicate, sad little face. He,
Abe Hawkins, then was strong and
| straight, like the other boys. She lived
not far from the school, with a wretch
| ed, drunken grandfather. Many a time
he had seen her walking from the tavern
with the old man leaning heavily on her
shoulder. her face crimson with shame,
| the tears Quivering on her dropped eye
! lashes. How his heart used TO ache with
| pity for her and hate for the old man
who made her life so unhappy for her.
| 1t was to Allen, now dead, that he owed
his affliction. He had met Elvna and the
| grandfather on the bridge. AS the little
! girl saw him she stumbled. and the old
mans hand had slipped from her shout
! der, almost f1inging him on his face. He
! had turned to strike the child, and Abe,
! Springing forward to save Elvina from
the blow, received il himself. and then
| Allen, in his drunken fury, had lifted the
| boy and thrown him into the brook be-
| low, injuring his back and making him
| cripple for life. He thought of all this now,
as Elvina's husband stood there talking to
a lot of idlers of the girl whom Abe had
| loved so devotedly when she was little,
! helpless child and he big-hearted boy,
who pietied and, when he could, protected
| her He did not doubt Garry's statement
| that she was crazy" Her mind, never
very strong, had doubtless given way be-
meath the suffering and privatiOns she
had undergone in the cottage of her grand
| father. and later with her shiftless, bru-
tai husband Poor, gentle, little Elvi-
naT' He was awakened from his reverie
by loud laugh from the loungers.
Trade her for a stoven' exclaimed An
deTson. This amt no Indian settlement,
where a man can swap his wife fer a
knife or a key Of liquor, or any other
old thing"
Don't care" said Garry, doggedly. I'll
don't want a crazy wife, and 1 do want
stove. Italian Pete has got two stoves,
and since Marie hung herself in Thomp-
sons barn, he amt had no wife, an If he
wants Elvina, an gives me the stove,
he kin have her. whether this is an IN
dian, or an Irish or a. Dutch settlement.
Give me a pack of terbacler, Anderson.
I've got ter be maxim tracks fer home"
Yer amt got no more sense of morality
than rail fence, Garry"
81 didn't ask yer anything about moral
ity. Didn't say nothin' about it. What
l did ask yer fer was a package of ter
hacker, so shet yer head, John Anderson,
an give it ter me-" and Selling the pack
age Anderson handed him. he walked out
of the store, followed by Abe
Garry said Abe, touching Won Rit-
ter's arm, Der yer mean it? Will you
really trade yer wife fer a stove?"
Sure, 1 mean it, yer grasshopper,"
said Garry impatiently.
rs the stove new Pete will give your"
New! Pete amt quite a fool. Why
would he give me a new stove for a crazy
woman? Certain it amt new
Garry" said Abe. with a great deal of
suppressed eagerness, Il tell yet what
I'll do. I'll give yer a bran new stove,
just out of the store, If yer will let me
take Elvina home to my mother. A bran
new stove, and cord of wood, and a ton
of COAL
Yer will?' said Garry. well, bgosh.
I didn't think you was fool as well as
a cripple but if yer mean it, I'll take the
things and give her ter YER
''When?"
This afternoon, if yer bring the stove
up"
A little later Abe was sitting in the
kitchen of the large Hawkins farm
house, while his mother. a rosy, pleasant,
elderly woman, sat opposite him. They
had been talking of Elvina.
Certainly, my boy" she said, bring
the poor little girl home. and I'll look
after her. She has had a hard life, poor
child, and I'll do my best to make her
happy for the little time she has 10 live,
but all this will cause a dreadful lot Of
talk, Abe. 1 wish you could have got
her from that brute in some other way
Il wish 1 could have, mother" said
Abe as he kissed her. God bless you,
dear. for standing by me in this. Even
if there is talk, you and I know we are
doing the right thing, don't WEI"
1t was late in the raw. chilly afternoon
when Abe drove up TO Won Ritter's cot
tage with the stove and fuel in his wagon
Garry came slouching out and proceeded
10 unload the wagon. II did not take rim
very long. and at last he walked into the
Gotta ge Abe followed him. In the wretch
ed, freless room a girl was sitting her lap
full of crimson bittersweet berries. Abe
remembered. as he looked at them. how
they used to search for them together in
the glen when they were children. She
had twined some in her hair. and the rud-
diness Of the berries made her pale face
look ghas.y by contrast Abe walked
over to her side. ''Viney,' he whispered,
will you come with Abe?" She looked
al him gravely. then slipped her thin
hand into his ust as she used 70 years
ago. and rose obedienty. when he wrap
ped his mothers warm shawl about her.
Garry grinned as Re watched them walk
ing 70 the wagon. the ittle cripple and
his slim-faced girl wife. ThereI be 4
scandal sure" he said. with laugh. and
turned and went into the house. and then
added; I'm glad ter be I'D Of those
starin' eyes O. hers
As they drove along the iarkening road
and the air got colder and damper. Elv,na
coughed and then sank back exhausted
There was uttle stain Of blood OF her
Blue lips Abe drooped his head 10 hide
the tears III his eyes