The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-11-07
THE REWARD
OF HER PRIDE.
By Frank Summers.

The flre in the fireplace cracked
cheerily In a chatty. confidential tone
that morning, with now and tnen .
chuckle or suppressed laugh, as II II
would mock the silence Of the oinihs
room occupants. There were three az
table. man, wife and newspaper. Inc
man was devouring morsels OF the
newspaper sandwich fashion between
tastes of bacon and coffee. he was
holding 1t high. SO that 1t served as
screen to shut off the prospect In front
Of him, with its one solitary inquire 10
the foreground--his wife,
AS far as simple attractiveness Is
concerned. one could not have wonder
ed very much. Mrs. Frensham DID NOT
make a pretty picture that morning,
She was fair and small. with a race
that must have been charming once,
and. as a connoisseur would have seen,
still holding the possibility OF beauty
when some new condition should cah
out its latent color. But now it was
lifeiess and inert, the eyes duh, the
ysliow hair traggiing and untidy. the
lavender and white gown pretty
enough in itself, but carelessly worn
and ulbecoming. s.s..
she had not cared for dress since Ut
tie Daisyss death. Nothing had mat
tered much since then. There mao
been months following that tragedy
when she had been only half existent-a
kind of sea anemone, she said. clinglng
to the same tiny bit OF rcck whiie tne
tide came and went. She had lost ner
prettiness during that long season q
half light, and her husband had not
cared for her any more.
A man must have smiles and beauty
or he takes his hat and goes TO the
office. There Is always solace tnere-
ana he can smoke. She had often en-
We'd him that high privilege-in racl.
had stolen one. of the pretty brown ci-
CARS and taken it to her room once,
with intent to learn, If possible. where
lay Its subtle power Of diversion and
comfort. but her innate prejudices nao
been too strong.
She sat listlessly lingering the spoon
In her cup, as II she were trying 10 ten
fortunes in the old-fashioned way. DC
casionally she glanced about the room
and its pretty furnishings; for she had
planned, in the days when she had
cared for such things, its harmonies OF
oak and yellow browns, with now ana
then, in a picture of gentians, q piece
Of exquisite Delft or Wedgwood. or
bit OF drapery, a note of delicate blue,
placed there to break the monotone.
'Good!" he said at last, laying down
his paper, they're raising the dividend
on the road"
YES" she said. indifferently; then
rising, "Wnl you please excuse me?"
She sauntered on halfway across the
room. stopping at the bank OF ferns
opposite the fireplace. where she stood
a minute. drawing her hand along a
frond as IL it were a feather. There
was a large bunch of roses in a vase at
her side. She looked at them and
scowled slightly. The flowers were OF
his ordering. There were white or yell
low roses in that piece of Delft every
morning of the year.
1t was a bit of sentiment on his part,
for had not Daisy filled that jar with
roses only few days before she had
ceased to know the roses when they
laid them in her hand? Yet what did
he care for the past-he who had his
office. his friends, and his papers? And
the roses cost money, II seemed such
an incongrnous thing that In that lux,
urious home its mistress should be
Jealous of their money value!
Her husband had not been wealthy
man when they were married. There
had been just enough suggestion OF
possible hardships and self-denials In
her love story to give 1t the flavor OF
romance. She had been glad that he
was not rich, and had often told him
SO. boasting that the time might come
when she could find ways of helping
him. It had been a source of annoy
ance that, one evening, when she had
repeated her statement proudly, he had
looked down upon her shell-like hands
lying palm upon palm-and laughed.
UP TO the time Daisy had died he had
made her a sharer in his gains, say
ing gaily at the beginning Of the
month, Now 1 shall have to increase
your salary, Mabel" or laughingly, Il
must announce a higher dividend this
month, my love, because / have dds
covered that a woman's ability to
spend money Is inversely In proportion
to her size" But since Daisy's death
he had never offered her a penny be-
yond the usual monthly allowance.
That would have been more than
enough to satisfy her needs, narrowed
as they had become; but 1t happened
that her own family was in need OF
help.
One OF her brothers had met with
reverses, and, his health falling, the