The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1900-02-08
THE RETURN OF
THE NATIVE"
A Dainty Sketch of . Country Girl
Who Married n Divorced Man
and Was Cut by Her
Old Friends.
BY JEAN EEGEGTON HOVEY.

| society meetings, over the billiard ia.
BILE. In the long, dingy clubroom above
the grocery store. until the air was
| full of her name.
| The teacher of the school Elizabeth
| Richie had attended In her youth said
| that she had foreseen something like
this when Elizabeth took that trip to
| Europe with her aunt, but still. she
| must add, Elizabeth had gone further
| than she had supposed she could. and
| it gave her pain to see one of her girls
come back the wife of divorced man.
| Mrs Burdette lifted her fine. white
| crowned head:
| You're like me, Miss Percival. |
| suppose Elizabeth had too much char
acter to go against all the principles
| she was raised by But this is what
| comes of living In big city"
In the low celed, carpetless club
room. where the youth of the town
| gathered. Mrs Ritchie's name flashed
| to and fro like billiard ball.
| James Ingrames. a man of the world.
| having just returned from his yearly
| cotton tour through the Georgia towns.
| observed:
| That aunt of LIS did good trick
| by her. trotting her over the world and
showing her on to the New York mar,
ket." When he had chalked his cue
| carefully he added: ~ didn't suppose
| our little, everyday Liz had it In her to
| get to be swell, for all she used to be
such a sharp little piece. see her
name in the New York papers"
A short, square youth who was seat
J ed by the window leaned forward.
Did you know, Jimmy, that her
| husband Is divorced MANI
Listen to Rufus!" jeered the other.
"Why. yes. Rufus; Clarence Ritchie's
great gum his life's common prop
| erty. Don't you read, manT' Pres
| emily Jimmy. diminishing the balls
over the billiard table. added:
Pooh! That's nothing, a woman
marrying a divorced man What's the
matter with that eh? But this towns
| dead slow"
Tho youth by the window shifted his
| feet, where they were propped upon
| the sill.
ITS to be expected of you, Jimmy,
that you would pick up everybody's
| notions as yoa go travelling about, but
expected better of Elizabeth"
YES" said Jimmy, pleased by this
| allusion to himself. "she's a sensible
woman. a very sensible woman. | ad
mre people who get on in the world
Her husbands a famous man. She
married him after he got good, legal
divorce, and now she's a great big
swell. And yet | understand" added
Jimmy patronizngly, "the good people
around here don't hardly want to
speak to her"
Rufus turned round and dropped his
feet in their heavy heeled shoes to the
floor.
"Shes not the woman | thought she
was. If she has the whole world at
her heels, she's severed herself with
me-"
Jimmy grinned across the table at
the square figure in its suit of checks.
The next day, when Rufus CHANGED
to observe Elizabeth Richie coming
| toward him on the opposite sidewalk.
he looked at the fence palings. Hear
ing her feet pattng on the hard clay
and the swish of her skirts. he carried
his cane consciously. 1t was a stout
| orange wood cane. with a small ALI
gator on the handle. which his uncle
had brought him from Florida She
could see II from where she walked
and remembered it. She had a love for
odd little things and had always ad
mired the alligator. Suddenly the pat
ting and the swlshing ceased. She
called his first name Familiarity. step
ping off the sidewalk and holding ont
her hand He went across slowly and
took 1t. She looked him up and down
and smiled at his face.
"Old friends are rare to meet" said
the aIrily dressed woman,
Rufus showed a tendency to move
on. but she held his hand until she
brought him to standstll then she
stood away from him. fitting her par
asol about. Its lace rutfies rippled be
hind her pink and white face; her dark
blue eyes shone through her fine veil,
the ribbons on her dress and the silk
founces of her skirt were lifted and
rustled by the breeze; her French shoes
and silk stockings showed themselves
and were gone with the movement of
the fiounce. The whole costume seem.
ed to emit with every breath the faint
scent of cedar or sandalwood.
well" he said, looking her all over
with a slow laugh, $50 this is you
You always were ambitious for such
things"
She stood fitting and smiling.
"Now you've got them, | suppose
you're satisfied"
She Withdrew her glance. which was
becoming little musIng, from his face
to her skirts. and II lighted up.
YES" she said feryently; "plannin"
dresses, wearing them, making an i'm
preston in them" She broke off with
laugh. She twirled her parasol
"When you look at me like that" she
added what are you thinking"
II am thinking that | used TO know
you"
Il am beginning to think that never