The suburban citizen., 1900-01-27

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sZ~9113 IL MA wives. or such Of
~ than ledger to
him, and Henriette, who had been
left with him in the old house when
his mother died, sometimes felt, with
a sinking heart, that there was more
in the comparison than she cared to
admit.
There was no relationship between
Reuben and Retta, although they had
lived in the same house for fifteen
years. Retta was the daughter of one
of his mothers school friends, and
had come to the house at the tin mill
when her mother died Reuben was
nearly thirty then, and hardly noticed
the girl of little more than half his
age, but to Mrs. Client the girl was
deliverance. The cashiers mother
would hear no word against her boy,
but he was stern and moody, and she
longed for sunny episodes. Retta
brought them with her laughing face
and odd ways. She wound herself
round Mrs. Clients heart in y
week, but made no impression on the
sterner article owned by Reuben.
Once or twice during the years that
passed the old lady had limited to Reu-
ben that he could not remain single
all his ife, and that there was tidy
wife in the house for the asking. She
was a prudent woman Reuben's
mother, aud did not lose sight of the
fact that Retta was the mistress of two
Thousand pounds well invested. The
circumstance was brought periodically
before the cashier in practical man
ner, for he was the girls trustee; but
he dealt with her dividends as he
dealt with a check for wages. Senti-
ment was as far distant from the
transaction as the stars.
As time went on Reuben's mother
gave up her project with sad heart,
for she loved the girl, and knew how
true a husband her son would be. She
even suggested other matrimonial
projects, but the girl would have none
OF them, saying that she wasn't of the
marrying sort. She laughed when
she said it, but the face seemed
older. There were lines under the
eyes and about the mouth that should
not have been there, for she was little
more than a girl.
'It'sior Reuben, I'll take my oath,
the old lady silently protested with a
touch of bitterness; "tho poor lass is
wasting her heart Tor him"
Mrs. Client had long been weaken
ing before the winter came on, and
an attack OF bronchitis in the cold
days developed with startling rapid
ity into a fatal illness. Retta nursed
her like an angel. Reuben was awed
by the girls devotion, and spoke rev.
erently to her. All through the dis
NAL time of the death and the funeral
he treated her as if she were as close
TO his mother as himself, aud when
the terms OF the will were read re-
curing that Retta should make her
home in the tin mill house during her
spinsterhood, aud leaving her a sub.
stantial legacy, Reuben carried out
his mothers wishes toward the girl
with ready aud almost meek approval.
OAicious tongues wagged over the
! arrangement, but Reuben sienced
/ them with look, and Retta let them
pass without the appearance of con-
cern. They were only friends, Reu
ben and she, but they suited each
other, aud neither was much given to
consider the views of outsiders.
Winter softened into spring, spring
warmed into summer, without any
change in the strange companionship.
Reuben took Retta to the Baptist
Chapel on Sundays, and to an occa-
sional concert at The Cooperative
Hall. The big Office staff of the
enormous tin works formed almost
all the society of the place, and Retta
was invited with Reuben to dinner at
the secretary's house just as she had
been before Mrs. Clients death, and
acted as lady of the house when re-
turn feasts were given. For the rest,
she and Reuben saw little of each
other except at table. Reuben had
his local golf club, his gas aud water
Investments, his school board work
to look after in the evenings. Retta
had nothing. The ladies of Reuben's
acquaintance did not encourage her
when they were apart. She sat in
doors mending things, busting the
piano she seldom played, and growing
older. No complaint about her lot
ever passed her lips or met Reuben's
eyes in hers. Her one thought in
life was his comfort, her one desire to
anticipate his every wish.
Reuben's awakening came on day
when the town was voting for a county
council vacancy. Reuben was on the
committee or one of the candidates,
and drove here and there about the
streets and roads in his own dogcart