The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1907-11-08
Madam and
Mrs. Susan.

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Mrs. Susan, the wife Of Parsor
Towne, had so long been dowdy thai
she as well as her husband had all but
forgotten the time when she had beer
pretty.
He, good man, was too absorbed ir
his History Of the Heresies, when his
parish work was over, to notice that
Mrs Susan, overdone with the cares
of the household, the family and the
parish, had almost ceased to be comely
If you could have brought the fact to
his notice he would have said that a
parsons helpmeet had no need to be
pleasing to the eyes of the flesh. So
far away had he Travelled from the
lover who had praised Susan Trevisa' 8
cool, creamy cheeks and her eyes
brown as autumn leaves.
To be sure Mrs. Susan made but a
poor appearance when she dined at the
Manor House, Madame Cholmondeley
having come down from town with a
whole crowd Of ladies and gallants in
her train.
Mrs. Susan's brown silk had been
turned after hard wearing on Its other
side. She had done her best to fur
bish 1t up, poor soul, with knots Of rib
bon and a yellowed muslin fichu, but
Its make had not been the fashion
these ten years back. Mrs. Susan had
been up all night with sick child and
looked twice her age. Her unpowder-
ed hair was lifeless and dropping, that
was wont to curl in little tendrils when
the world went well with her. The Ill.
natured fine ladies' winked and nodded
at Mrs. Susan, who all but dozed In
her chair In the darkest corner of the
drawing-room. They were sorry when
she dozed, for 1t had been sport to see
how shocked she was at their smart
sayings. Already the conversation at
the dinner table had brought flicker
ing fire to her cheek, by the light of
which Mr.. Selwyn declared afterward
that the parsons wife in Madame's
Sacque had been handsomer woman
than Madame.
1t was cruel freak of Madame
Cholmondeley to set herself to dazzle
the parson. Perhaps she had heard
what Mr.. Selwyn had said, and was
determined to be revenged on innocent
Mrs. Susan for being dispraised by a
famous gallant.
1t was a wonderful piece Of acting
when she talked to Parson Towne OF
his History Of Heresies.
She was a black-eyed, small featur-
ed lady, with cheeks which would have
been pale only for the rouge, and Won
derful, thin delicate, black brows, ris-
Ing In a perfect arch. In her powder,
with patch by her eey and another
by her lip, In her sacque of pink satin,
with diamonds for her breast knot and
her shoe buckles, she was Irresistible.
1t was wonderful how she smoothed
the sparkling audacity out of her face
when she set herself to bewitch Par
son Towne, To be sure, she had been
a stage lady before Richard Cholmon.
deley fell In love with and married her.
Never. had she accomplished 80 witty
q piece of acting as when she bewitch-
ed Parson Towne to prose to her of his
work, thing which she re-
produced most gaily when the poor
parson and Mrs. Susan had rolled
away in the musU, fusty chaise from
the Postboys, which had scented Mrs.
Susan with an odor as of mouldy hay.
The good man went to bed In a daze.
The next morning at breakfast he look
ed at his wife with a new expression
In his eye.
Mrs. Susan had been up some hours.
She had washed and dressed half-a-
dozen children, and. poor soul, her hair
was touzled and her wrapper not over
fresh. Her husband looked at her as
though some scales had fallen from his
eyee, and rebuked her. A slatternly
woman. And the wife OF parson,
who ought to stand as shining exam
ple in the eyes of the parish. His
voice was cold and his eyes stern. Mrs.
Susan. In the act OF feeding a child
With bread and milk, flushed, and tears
allied her eyes. Her husband, as
.hough he could eat no more break
last, took his cane and went out,
After that the parson was always be-
ng bldden to the Manor House. He
net all manner OF Famous persons
hare, and was ylKbly puffed out and