The Taney County republican., 1903-02-26
THE WRONG
WOMAN
BY MARGUERITE STABLER.


that from the smart trap they dro,.
aud the feathers ON Mrs. Mnsson's
hat. Nobody could have told yon Of
a specific instance Of the stuck.up-
ness, but as the neighbors all agreed.
when n fellow-and a young fellow
at that--held twice as much land ns
anybody in the valley, he was bound
10 feel his oats. Consequently, the
Massons were severely let alone by
the Middlctowncrs. and not given a
chance TO "lay II over" anybody.
At first the Massons looked upoi,
their ostracism from the Middleton II
church socials and school picnics as
huge joke. and regarded the narrow
minded farmer folk around them as
OF about the same importance rs the
Jersey cattle in their pasture. ana
the Brigadicr stock in their stables.
But after time-whcn the novelty
of country life was quite worn on;
when the smart trap had clattcrcd
over every available foot OF the great.
monotonous valley; when the vary
ing seasons were no longer new-a
little human intercourse began TO
seem n sweet and nccdful thing. But
the Massuns did not know how to
break down the barrier of feathers
and silvcr-mUun,cd harness. jack
Masson could not pull up his horse
in the middle of the country road AMI
talk an hour or two about the best
time to plant pumpkins, or the cheap
est remedy for hog cholera, because
his horses were too mcttlcsomc To
stand. Mrs. Mason could not send
her children to the public school and
thereby show her friendly feeling.
for the simple reason that she had
none to send.
Therefore was the ostracism OF the
Massons complete. Then, when the
price Of wheat began TO drop, life
on n great western grain ranch be-
gan to show it's sterner side. Mason
found he could get along without his
foreman by doing the work himself.
and by degrees dropped into looking
out for the machinery. devisinl,
means of saving labor, superintcnd
ing the care OF the horses, and even,
in emergencies. taking n hand him
self in anything that was to be done
in the house, matters were similar
As. year after year. the price oil
wheat continued to drop, the little
chafing dish arts, practiced on coy
evenings among her congcnial east
crn friends, were called into use, and
"a Practical Cook Book for Bcgin
ncrs" bought and diligently studied
As with each seasons harvest con
ditions became worse. the smart traT
ceased to he seen on the count,
roads. and the offending feathers De
came drabblcd and were not replaced
by new ones. Thrown back upor
themselves for entertainment and di
version. the Massons found, to thcit
surprise, how uninteresting they ha,
become to each other. Books, to ,
man harasscd by the care of an un
profitable ranch, had no charm: an,
music from hands stiflcned by house
work. lost its melody.
Hard manual work roughens
mans disposition and manners, bu
Mason was not the man to motto,
this degeneration in himself, lsola
tion from congcnial company and
want of interest in her surrounding
make woman careless of her up
pearance; and long watching over
scar and yellow expanse of grail
fields burns hair and complexion, u
whatever hue, to a sallow, tawny sun
burn. And Mason was the man I,
notice this change in his wife keenl
and feel aggricved
At length, after the tenth long, dr.
summer in this sun.scorchcd, sun
cursed valley, things reached n crisi,
Their domestic tranquility was di,
turbcd by u rupture caused by the in
tolerable monotony of their lives SCI
tling down on their nerves. Thei
after more days, more disconten
more desolation, there was anothe
rupture. until the existing state @
affairs could be endured no longer.
II was then Julie Masson wrote fo
the little niece who had been tn
flower girl at her wedding, to com
out and spend the winter with then
The prospect Of having child
the house, albeit borrowed on
nut new interest In both their br,
ken lives. They grew less indiifcrer
to their manners and appearance
and even tried to establish n bett,
understanding with each othcr-fC
the childs sake. Tnc trap was owe
hauled and rcpainted, pony va
bought, and kitten was saved fro
the drowning for pet for Lisbct
But when 'Lisbcth arrived. wit
the added weight Of ten years upc
her curly hcnd she was not the HIT
tot they had left behind them Il
years ago, and that they. in the
blindness, had still expected TO Sc