The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-26
AN ORIGINAL STORY.
BY Mary E. Wilkins.

it would be better for YOU" (
You just lay that key on the Window
sill. under this one. Liza" says ]. AMI
go home, and 60 to bed. I'll see him tome. .
| was SO mad I could scarcely socak. 7
Well. ! let him out. He looked k'rd OF
white and scared. though he'd been warm 2
and comfortable enough, and he went y
home. t%rudsing through the snow In his =
thin overroat. | didn't waste many words 4
on him. but it didn't take me long to tell =
him what | thought of him. However he !
didn't seem to s=nsc it. He sort o stared Z
at me-. and muttered something that ]
didn't hear. and went eff. and he never Z
troubled Liza Sam again. But tire story =
got around the village. and he didn't have 4
much peace till he moved away. He sold =
out his store. he kept the iewelry store, =
and put up his house at auction. His /
mother had died in the meantime. and one j.
of his sisters got married. and he went ,
away with Maria. 4
Folks laughed and thought it was real )
cute in Liza Sam. and upheld her in what !
she did. bat | guess it made the man so t !
of afraid Of her. At any rate nobody else :
offered to pay her any attention. though II 4
was a fine place for any man. He would )
, have been well fixed in that nice house. ard B
Liza was a good housekeeper and a splen- 4
did cook. besides being as good a woman ,
Us ever lived. Bat even a man who means 1
well. and amt any idea of not doing what's :
right. don't just like the notion of beirg ;
held in such a tight rein In case he should 4
feel like kicking over the traces. But there :
wasn't a man in the village who didn't ;
have a respect for Liza Sam. and straighten !
himself to look as well as he could when )
he saw her coming. :
And as for other women. they all liked 4
Liza Sam. and l know one woman. who. ;
unless l Miss my guess. would go down I
on her knees and :.bout worship her any (
minute. and that's Roger %I.ittle's wife. She :
was Ada Dean before Little married her. (
and she was the %prettiest girl in the village. 5
and had her pick of all the likely young :
men. and chose the one that wasn't likely 1
as usual. She would have Roger Little. )
though all her folks were set against ii. !
and 1t fairly killed her mother. She died 4
not long after Ada was married. and the )
poor child never got over it. She had begun :
To see her mistake by that time. and her 4
pretty light ways We're changed for old )
sober ones. | met her In the street and :
hardly knew her. and other folks spoke of I
doing the same. Roger Little wasn't a man )
TO make any girl happy. least of all Il little Z
meek. sensitive one like Ada Dean. He Z
came of the best old family in the village y
the old Squire Rogers, and he had had Il .
college education and plenty of money to
start with, and good looks, but he's wasted 4
everything. His money was soon gone. I
and his good looks going. and his education :
had been of small account 10 him. and his {
father. old Captain Richard Little. as fine 4
an old maa as ever lived, had about given ;
him up. and decided to leave his money 1
away from him TO foreign missions. He =
talked to ME about IL, one night. going y
home from meeting; We came out about Z
the same time. and he was feeling sort Of \
downhearted. and | Suppose inclined to free >
his mind to somebody. though 1t wasn't his 4
way generally. Captain Richard was a 3
rather =. gruff. Northumberland Z
sort of a man. but the time comes to every 4
body when they have to speak to some y
other human being or give up beat. l sort !
of wondered at Captain Richards speaking Z
to me. for | was Il good deal younger than >
he was. though way ahead of his son Z
Roger. However. l had the name of keep !
ing things to myself pretty we'll. and y
wasn't married. and didn't have any wom- )
enfolks to talk to. and L suppose he thought 1
l was safe. and 1 never did tell a soul as :
'''o as Nv ph Ia ' tubtSH IL CDulu (
not have done any harm as L know of IL Z
/ had. as things turned out. y
Captain Richard told me that night. with 1
a hoarse srowl in his throat. the way a :
mans voice is when he's full of grief and ,
amt giving way to it. that he'd about de- 4
cided to make his will. and leave his money =
away from Roger. He Is my only son. 1
Caleb says he, land it seems a pretty :
! hard thing TO do hut i.'S nnpoy that hoe
come by good. honest labor. for 1 didn't Z
inherit much with the depreciation of real$
estate in this town. and l have it in trust '
from the Lord. and / can't let it be squan- 4
dcted by a druDkard and a spendthrift. l /
! know II ANYTHING happens to my son his