The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-23


aeance to cor1rare them with.
a temptation OF this kind nod, IL IS true,
momentar ~ occurred to Pauline. II was
only few days after The beginning or her
psnance when Edith Arnold, her most IN
Gmate friend. came hurrying in with the
suggestion that they should go to the the
alter together
II feel just like hearing the 'Geisha
she began. breathessly. as she pulled of
her gloves. I'm going TO stay to lunch
and then wen be off. I'm starved. Hope
to goodness you've got something MT 70
eat. Edith's checks were very red, her
teeth very white. and she poured out her
words with an energy and decision which
admitted of no resistance. Now. Mr.. Sc
wall had included in the cruel minuteness
Of his thOughnulness, a couple Of season
tickets TO TWO Of the most popular thea
ters. Pauline suggested with what grace
she could that they should go to one or
the other Of these But il was al Of no
use. She had found it matter OF com
parative ease 90 hide her embarrassing Sc
cret from her father and sisters, but from
Edith's Straightforward and uuabashed per-
sistency she could find no refuge. 1t was
half humiliating and half a relief to tell,
aud half painful and half amusing to hear
Edith's excited comments and exclama-
tons.
81 never heard such a thing! the old
brute! Truly, Pauline isn't il awful?
But YOU were nasty. What an abomin-
able thing to say TO the poor Cd dear!
Pauline, how could you?
81 don't blame him a hit. But how do
you get along? Not a single cent" Edith
went OFF into fits of laughter and Pauline
could not help joining, in a hysterical sort
of way
No matter" went on Edith, impulsive-
Ivy, giving Pauline a sudden and some what
upsettng embrace; I'm give you half my
allowance every monitor a third no I
won't either. You can get hats and
dresses and things, and I'll pay you for
them; all the girls will You can set up
a regular shop 1t win be great sport"
Pauline listened with smile She sud
denly felt very old, very marked" She
knew Edith did not mean hundredth
par. of wnar she said, but these we're sug.
gesuons, some of which had come to her
already, by which she could easily gain
ready money without much likelihood of
her husbands ever discovering It, She
had put them aside, however without a
struggle. She had begun 10 look upon this
taing as a desperate sort of game, in which
she was determined, whatever might be the
outcome to use no unfair means, TO tol-
crate no assistance.
She went by Edith's invitation to the
"Geisha." But she did not go about much
with the women of her acquaintance. She
had always the dread of exposing her lack
Of money. She never went to church with
out her husband, for very craven fear of
The cody man. who carries the contribu-
tOn box Most CALLING of all, she felt the
necessity of refusing all help TO her mis-
cradle brother
The spring was coming on fast now, ana
the Hudson, across the wide Riverside
drive, on which the Sewalls house fronted
lay crisp and blue under the keen April
wind. Pauline had been married almost a
year, anP1here was not d wrelched waif
in the city who had not felt money in her
fingers more lately than the girl who had
"bagged a millionaire" Josiah Sewan
came home early from the city on several
of these delicious days, and begged for a
seat with his wife when she went 10 drive
Sometimes in the morning ne would him
self order the carriage and ask Pauline to
drive with him down through the city. The
park was lovely with fresh green grass and
the yellow blossoms of the forsythia.
one night at this time he was looking
| over a report from a charitable society
| which Pauline had joined in accordance TO
| his wish. Il see by this" he said, sud
| denly. that there was a call for extra
| contributions TO pay for readers to the
sick poor. Your name is not among those
| who responded" he continued, rather
| steruIy Il don't like to have you mig
| gardly in such matters" Josiah Sewall
was strongly philanthropic and his dis
pleasure made him for an instant forget.
! II offered, instead to read, once a week,
myself" said his wife, briefly, and look
! ing up with "A rather flushed face she
| surprised suddenly the old twinkle of the
eye which was the only sign Of amusement
! he ever showed.
| 1t was about a week after this when one
! morning Pauline went in to town with her
| husband on the elevated" They were
| TO decide upon some household furnishings
/ 4 ha oil t. not
| the first time they had done this. Mr..
| Sewan always put his wife on her return
| train buying her ticket and gravely say
| ing goodbye" as if she were a child
! But in this particular day some hurry OF
| business occupied his mind, and when
| they had finished their errand he shook
| hands abstraCtedly at the door of the shop
and FASTENED off down the street Pauline
stood still, staring after him. After all
in spite of having been without penny
! for all these months, she had never be-
fore felt any real physical deprivation
! from il.
II was II o'clock. and she was five miles
| from home-fve miles of city streets
crowded and bustling on a languid spring
! day, when ordinary existence becomes an
effort Pauline felt an impulse to run after
her husband, but second thought forbade
anything so humliating. She knew plenty
| of shops where she would once have eX-
| planned tNat Sne ndd lOSt OF forgotten NeT
! purse but this, too. she would not do She
would accept no money from a stranger
while that of her husband was withheld.
| She could walk a mile 10 Sewel & Co.'S
big shop, and telephone for the brougham
| but she feared encountering Josiah him
self So at last she trudged Off determin-
edly on the dong road home, somewhat
weary toward the end, in spite of a GER
tain satisfying consciousness of suffering
| martyrdom
To Josiah himself the realization came
| suddenly. short time after he had left
Pauline standing in the street The old
man was distressed and chagrined, but his
hard face softened almost TO a smile ms
he thought OF the predicament of this
small quiet person, with head stubbornly
upright who mad taught him so much dur
ing the past year concerning that curious
puzzle, woman.
Would she he conquered of her unyield-
ing obstinacy now? Would the prospect OF
five miles OF hard walking send her 10 him
after ali these months. TO humbly beg fol-
five cents; or would she get the money In
/ some OF her WaV2 He had come to under