The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1907-09-28
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By FLORENCE HULL WINTERBURN.
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IL By FLORENCE HULL wlNTERBURN. s
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Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)
When Laura McHenry quietly
turned her back upon the wealthy and
desirable sutton her family had de-
cided she should marry, and gave her
hand to William May, middle-aged
lawyer of no particular standing or
prospects, everybody decided that she
had thrown herself away. -.
Mr.. May began his married life up
on windfall of $500, his largest fee
In dozen years.
They were really happy. And 1t
lasted. quite six months, till all the
800 dollars had been drawn out of
the bank, except the bare moiety nee
essary to keep the account.
When Bridget's wages were a
month overdue, her substantial pres
ence disappeared out of the kitchen,
and Laura's dainty white hands made
acquaintance with dish-mops, stove
lifters and brooms. Such an igno-
ramus as she found herself! And
with what zeal she bent her mind to
the study of cookery books and the
household corners of the newspapers.
And brains told. She left the flour
out of her first cake, but her second
one was triumph of art, and mullins,
veal outlets and custards came out from
under her clever fingers with a del
1cacy and dizziness that surprised her
self and gratified May immensely, al
though he was sorry to have her work
in the kitchen, and sorry to find her
now too tired to sing to him in the
evenings with the same spirit and
freshness that used to breathe through
her songs. But the worst thing was
that fatigue and unending attention to
details, united to those perpetual in
terruptions from the door bell which
drive busy women almost distracted,
had their effect upon Laura's delicate
frame. She grew nervous" which is
often a misnomer for combined worry
and distasteful labors.
She usually forgot or neglected
to take any lunch, and by dinner time
had no appetite, which had it's con-
veniences, for it was rapidly coming
to pass that the dinners she could
compass upon the scanty and irregular
supplies of money she received were
scarcely sufficient for more than one
pcrson, and she contrived that her
husband should be that person.
She had thousand devices for in
ducing him to eat the bit of steak,
the single cup-custard, or the slice of
fish. He was far from realizing that
his delicately fair wife, with her
dainty tastes, was lily nourished upon
the tea and toast to which she often
confined herself. Nor did Laura realize
it. xx.<-
| But after all, it was not the house
work, the scanty food, nor even the
lack of variety and refreshment in her
life that was beginning to tell heavily
upon her health, that was spelling her
4 beautiful disposition and making her
apprehensive and irritable.
He was a strong, robust man in the
prime of life, with profession and
hosts of acquaintance to help on his
interests. Why could me not at least
make the small income necessary to
keep their very modest establishment
going?
The explanation lay In a single fact
May was man of visionary schemes,
always chasing some will-o'-the-wisp
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ton, finding his pleasure in holding
honorary posts at his political club,
which gave him a chance to talk and
repaid him in a cheaply gained repu-
tation for ability.
Little by little Laura's idealized
vision of her husband had faded be-
fore the presence Of facts. But she
chung to the shreds of her faith as
women do hold to their illusions; as
they must if the world is to go on and
l homes continue to exist. There was
something still for her to learn, how
ever, and not the easiest lesson that
thad been set for her.
She set rather indifferently about
her practicing that afternoon. Idly
her fingers wandered, sWifter her
thoughts flew, till all at once a SEN
tence of homely wisdom from q mod
ern novelist came into her mind:
"Many women are struggling under
the burden of money-saving when they
had far rather spend their energies in
money-getting.'
She arose impetuously, her eyes
suddenly full of light What had she
been thinking of? There was fund
of unused wealth in her fine musical
education, in her beautiful voice, a
little impaired by hardships, but mag
! nificent still. Here was the way out
of all this mirage of poverty; with
what she could earn by taking class
in Madame Cables school combined
1 with her husbands earnings, they
could live with comparative ease and
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