The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1901-05-02
MRS. SWANS $40 GOLD PIECE.
MARTIN HOPKINS. Z
BY LOUISE MARTIN HOPKINS.

sale. Hiram wanted to buy it, but |
wanted to build a house. We had
money enough to do one of these
things, but not enough for both. Hiram
thought the house might wait year,
but if we didn't buy the land at once
Rube Thornton would.
Il had my heart set on the house.
The old shanty that we'd lived in ever
| since we kept house wasn't fit to house
cattle in. 1t was leaky and dirty. and
the walls were full of mice and reaches
and bugs uncomfortable. | didn't feel
as if | could live in it another year.
| So we built and before the summer
was out Rube bought the land and run
was out Rube bought the land and run
| his line fence within ten feet of our
| barn door.
Hiram was mad, and, of course,
| blamed ne; although the next year,
when we got ready to buy, we got bet
| ter land for less money on the other
| side-good smooth farm land, while
while Rube's 40 will never be fit for
| anything but pasture. But, somehow.
| the site OF that fence so near has al
ways seemed to rile Hiram.
Il said then that I'd never ask him
for another thing that | could possibly
| get along without, and / never have
until | asked him for that dollar last
night I've paid for all that we've
eaten and most that we've had to wear
with butter and poultry, and I'm six
months ahead at Longs now
Mrs. Swan rested her chin in her
hand and relapsed into a moody 81
lence Althea folded her work and
went upstairs to get the money. A
great many things that had puzzled
her before We're made plain by Mrs.
Swans confidence. She had often
wondered why Mr.. and Mrs. Swan
treated each other with such studied
GOODNESS. She had also wondered at
the meager furnishings of the house.
The house itself was handsome and
commodious farmhouse, but the fur
niture was the same that had been
used in the old log shanty And Mrs.
Swan loved pretty things.
Althea liked both Mr.. and Mrs.
Swan. In the eight months that she
had made her home with them she
had in spite Of Mrs. Swans peculiari-
ties, come to esteem them highly. Mr.
Swan as director of the school district
in which she had taught had especial
ly won her respect.
He had seemed 10 her almost an
ideal officer entering heartily into all
her schemes for the improvement of
the school, and showing no sign of the
parsimony of which his wife accused
him.
AS Althea opened drawer to get
her purse, a photograph lying face up
wards confronted her. She lifted the
velvet case and looked long into the
pictured face. The clear eyes seemed
to gaze back at her with a new signif-
canoe.
1t was Hugh, dear Hugh, who was
working so hard and so patiently to
prepare the little home for her COM
ing. Althea saw the dear face through
the mist of an almost overwhelming
desire to see him at once. She wanted
listen to his heart beat, while they
made their VOWS all over again.
Would they, could she and Hugh
ever come to be to each other what Mr..
and Mrs Swan were? The suggestion
was altogether abhorrent to Althea.
She had not presumed to hope that
their united lives could be all sun
shine; sickness would come. and
troubles and worries common to hui
mankind; aye, even death itself might
for time separate them But not this
other
Althea laid the little picture down
on the bureau and bowed her face upon
it. Not that she murmured; oh,
anything but that" 1t was almost a
prayer.
Althea walked slowly down stairs
and laid the dollar in Mrs. Swans
hand.
Il guess Hiram's afraid we'll all die
in the poorhouse, Mrs. Swan re-
marked facetiously, as Althea re-
sumed her work
But Althea could not make a Jest of
it. To her it was a very serious mat
ter, She tried to see her own future
from Mrs. Swans point of view and it
frightened her. She looked up quickly.
almost defantly She must speak.
Mrs. Swan, you are mistaken. Your
husband wants you to have that $40
gold piece" Althea's voice was very
stern.
"Wha.wha-at did you say?' gasped
Mrs. Swan.
He wants you to have that money
for your very own. He's sorry that he
was cross with you about the house,
and he wants to make it up IN some
way. Oh, Mrs. Swan, please forgive me
for speaking. But you have all been so
kind to me, and | cannot bear to see
you misunderstood each other in this
cruel manner"
Althea was getting incoherent The
instant the words had left her lips