The Washington herald., 1907-06-09


4 reckon. as Mary said, nobody OF
earth knew what she'd been through
livin with a man Ike Harvey. II he'C
been an out-and-out miser, it would a
been better for everybody concerned. Blu
it looked like Nature started out to make
him a mlser and then spilled the job, SO:
he was neither one thing nor the other
The gold was there. and he showed thai
10 outsiders. and the clay was there, anc
he showed that to Mary. AND that's the
| strangest part Of all 10 me. II he hac
enough sense not 10 want his neighbors tC
know his meanness. it looks like he ought
10 have had sense enough TO hide 1t from
his wife A man ought to want his wife
20 think well of him whether anybody
else does or not. You see. a woman can
make out to live with a man and not
| love him. but she can't live with him and
/ despise him. She's jest got to respect
him. But there's some men that never
have found that out They think that be
cause a woman stands up before preach
/ er and promises 70 love and honor him,
/ that she's bound to do il, no matter what
/ he does. And some women do. They re
! like dogs, they'll stick TO man no matter
/ what he does Some women never can
/ See any faults in their husbands, and
/ some sees the faults and covers 'em mp
and hides en- from outsiders. But Mary
| wasn't that sort She couldn't deceive
herself. and nobody could deceive her;
and when she found out Harvey's mean
| ness she couldn't help despisin' him In
/ her heart, Jest like Michal despised Da-
/ vid when she saw him playin' and dancin'
/ before the Lord
4 There's something I never have un-
derstood. and one Of 'em is why such a
woman as Mary should a been permit
/ ted 20 marry a man like Harvey Andrews.
Il kind o. shakes my faith in Providence
every time L Think Of II. But ] reckon
there was reason for it, whether I can
see It or not"
Aunt James voice ceased. She dropped
her knitting in her lap and leaned back
IN the old easy-chair Apparently she
was looking at the dripping syringa bush
near the window. but the look in her eyes
told me that she had reached a page in
the story that was not for my eyes or my
ears, and l held inyiolate the silence that
had fallen between us.
A low, for-on roll Of thunder the last
note of the storn-music, reused her from
her rcyerie.
"sakes alive. child" she exclaimed
starting bolt upright. Have I been
sletpin' and dreamiu' and you settin
here? Well. I got through with my story,
anyhow. before I dropped off
Surely that isn't all" ! said. discon-
tertedly. What became Of Mary An
drews after Harvey died2'
Aunt Jane laughed huthely.
'No. IL amt all. What's Eittin into
me % leave Of the cndir OF a st0ry2
Mary was married young, ard when Ha--
vey died she had the best part Of her life
before her and IL was the best part sure
enough. About a year after she was left
a widow she went up 90 Christian C0ur-
~ 20 visit some Of her cousins. and there
she met .he man she ought o. "a married
in the first place. ! amt any hand for
second marriages. one man for one
woman. says J; but I've seen so many
second marriages that was happier than
any first ones. that I never say anything
against MsrTyin' twice. Some folks are
made for each other. but they make mis-
takes in the road and git lost. and don't
sit found ;iil they've been through "a heap
o. tribulat0n and. maybe, the biggest
half o. their lifgs gone But, then, they've
got ali eternity before en- and there
time enough there 10 find all they've lost
and more besides Bat Mary found Her
portion o. happiness before it was TOO
late. Elbort Madison was the man she
married. He was an old bachelor. and "a
mighty w-ll-tc-do man. and they said
every old maid and widow in Christian
County had set her cap for him one time
or another. But whenever folks said any
thing 90 him about m8rryin. he'd say
I'm w7itln' for the Right Woman. She's
somewhere in the world. and as soon as
find her I'm goin TO marry
"It got 20 De a staudln Joke with the
neighaors and the family. and his broth
er used to say that Ebert believed iu
that Bright Woman the same as DE be-
l.ave1 in God
They used 20 tell how one Christmas.
Elhert's nlecas had a lot o. young com
uaUv from Louisville and they had "a
mg dance Christmas Eve Ebert was
there. and the minute Dc come into the
room the oldest niece, she whispered
Here's Uncle Ebert, he's come 20 see if
the Right Woman's M the ball And with
that an them gyirls rushed mp 90 Ebert
and shook hands with him and pulled him
into the middle o. the room under a big
bunch o. mistlet0c. and the prettiest and
sassieSt one OF 'em. she took her dress
between the tips of her fingers and spread .
Il out and made "a low bow. and SAYS she. .
lookiu' mp into EIbert's face. says she. 7
d" Mr.. Madison. don't ! look Ike the
Right Womang
Everybody laughed and expected o. see /
Elbert blush and act like he wanted TO go /
through the floor But instead % that ne F..
looked at her serious and earnest. and F..
at last he says: You do look a little F.
ike her, but you amt her. You've got /
the color of her eyes, saws ne. but not I.
the look Of 'em. Her hairs dark like .
yours, but il don't curl quite as much. /
and she's taller than you are. but not /
quite so SLIM
They said the gyirls stopped laughin /
and jest looked at each other, and one Of /
EN- said.
Well. did YOU ever2 And that was .
the last time they tried 20 tease Ebert.
But Elbert's brother he turns to somebody .
standing near him. and says he, unless /
Ebert gets that "rght-wOm8n' foolish
ness out Of his head and marries and set
ties down like other men, I believe he'll
end his days In a lunatic asylum
But it all turn out the way Ebert said
t would. The minute he saw Mary An
lrews. he whispered to his sister-in-law,
md says he Sister Mary. do you see
that dark-eyed woman over there by the
door? Well, that S the woman I've been
ookin' for all my life
He walked across the room and got in
reduced TO her. and they said when him
md Mary shook hands they looked each
'ther In the eyes and laughed like two
I'D friends that hadn't met for years.
Harvey hadn't been dead much over a
rear and Mary wanted 10 put off the
yeddin'. But Ebert said No; I've waited
or you a lifetime, and I'm not goin' to
wait any longer So they got married
is soon as Mary could have her Weddin
lothes made. and a happier couple you
leveT saw. Ebert used to look at her
nd say:
" God made Eve for Adam. and he
made you for me-
And he didn't only love Mary. but ne
owed her children the same as if they'd
'een his own a woman that's been an