The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-06-04

with young and very pretty bride.
Taken thus unawares, the women
friends of the late Mrs. Milligan re-
sented the act as an outrage on the
names of their valued friend, cs-
pecialy as the newcomer was said to
be younger than the youngest daugh-
ter of her predecessor. But curiosity
soon got the better of indignation,
and all the friends of the deceased, in
best bib and tucker, trooped to call
on and criticise the new-made wife.
1t was averred that if Mr.. Milligan
had not been handsome and rich, and
candidate for political honors, his
girl-bride would not have looked at
him, which was only to say that she
had chosen him on his merits, and
that his future was the only part of
his career which she concerned her
self.
As acquaintance with the new Mrs.
Milligan grew more intimate it was
decided in social councils that she
would do. Her toilettes were sur
prising revelations of cosmopolitan
fashions. She was gay and good-na-
tured, and seemed more than willing
to add to the gaity of nations She
proved herself a good church-worler,
too, and entered heartily into every
scheme to promote the welfare and
pleasure of the community in which
she was to play her part. She spent
her husbands money with a lavish
hand, recalling the fact that the late
Mrs. Nlilligan was a little near"
Moreover she won the hearts of the
younger women by sharing with them
all her newest fads in fashion. and
when a bevy of young maidens from
her native town troOped over and
filled the lately opened mansion with
laughter, song and merriment, the
young men flocked to Mrs. Milligan's
standard in a body and, as in duty
bound, their elders followed.
Mr.. Milligan was good deal bewild-
cred by this sudden influx of youth
| and jollity. He had got counted on
a resurrection of his dead youth
when he allied his autumn days to
those of budding spring. He had
been so long the idol of his wife's
worship, the one object of her unre-
Taxing attention, that he felt himself
dethroned, and stood around a little
awkwardly, throwing out tendrils of
endeavor to catch on to the whirling
spirit of gaiety that surrounded him.
He somewhat resented the patron
iZing airs of the younger men, who
reminded him of the decades he had
passed, by offers of assistance which
he deemed superfiuous. He even put
on his glasses with the feeling that
he was Haunting a signal that Eccle-
siastes had included in record of
old age. But he was a sensible man,
who had, perhaps, done a foolish
thing, and the connubial habit being
a complacent one, readily adjusts
itself to the inevitable
One rainy evening as Mr.. NIilligan
was hOmeward bound after a busy
day, feeling depressed and dis
appointed, for wheat had fallen a
point or two, and rumors from his
congress district discouraged his
| prospects for nomination, he sud
| denly remembered, as he caught the
glow of a caterers window that his
wife had enjoined him to order some
iced cream for the coming evenings
entertainment. Some details ac-
companied the order which he ran
| sacked his memory to recall, and
failing in this he recollected that the
late Mrs. Milligan had always pre-
ferred lemon and vanilla, so retrac-
ing his weary steps he left the IA
miliar order and made his way
homeward.
AS he entered the brightly lighted
hall the vision of beautiful young
woman in gay evening dress descend
ed the stairway, and, at first, amid
the ribbons and laces and flowers of
her elaborate toilette, he did not
recognize his young wife. But when
he did, feeling that it was a fine
thing to be the possessor of so
charming young creature, and
thrilling at the sight, he forgot his
WEAKNESS and encouragement and
advanced towards her with out
stretched arms.
"No, no." cried the vision in swift
retreat, don't touch me; you are
| dripping with rain and l cannot have
my fresh laces and ribbons crushed.
Hang up your wet things and go
right in and dress. You haven't a
moment to lose. Mary has laid out
your dress suit. No, l didn't put in
your shirt studs. What with plan
ming and practising and dressing I've
had too much on my mind"
She vanished through the door of
the dining room across the hall, and,
with her girlish voice in his ears Civ
ing orders for the arrangement of
the table, Mr.. Milligan entered the
library at the opposite side and
passed into his bedroom beyond
| for he was old-fashioned enough to
insist on sleeping down stairs.
The gas had not been lighted, but
a coal fire in the CRATE made pleas
ant glow in the room that painted
| the dusk and winked from the pol
| ished panels of the furniture. The
first impulse of the weary man was
| to sink into the armchair before the
fire, but with his hand on the back
he was suddenly arrested in his in
tention by the knowledge of a pres