The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1907-12-20
Josephine's
independence
BY ELIZABETH HARMAN
+s+s+s*e*e*s+s+s+s+s+s%s
tCopyright.)

loved a man. The first part of the
statement makes the second super
fauous. The man was Stilson Adams,
captain of the Fourteenth United
states cavalry, and the woman was
Josephine, his wife. And the man
loved his wife. but she would not be-
lieve it. She thought that love could
only exist between people who were
financially independent of each other,
and financially she was absolutely de-
pendent on Capt. Adams.
of course you say you love me,
Stilson," she said one morning after
heated discussion, but how can you
prove It? If l were rich, 1t would be
dlfferent-then you could leave me if
you wanted to-but 1 haven't even
a cent! l know that you are lovely
to me, but that doesn't mean any
thing-except that you pity me. You
give me everything you have, because
you have such a high sense of honor
and of duty and of niceness-for you
are nice, Sti1son! I wish you were
mott makes such a slave of me!
And what good does the devotion of
a penniless creature like me do? You
probably think that l devote to get
more out of you. And as for your
sense of duty, l wish you hadn't any!
! wish that you were only good to me
because you loved me-that l knew
that. if you didn't love me, you would
pound me black and blue every day;
but if you had married the Old
Scratch's grandmother, you would be
just as sweet to her as you are to
me, and since I understand your noble
character, how can ! tell whether you
love me or not? And | don't believe
that you do, And don't believe that
you believe that / love you! l am
going away, Sulson! OF course you
know that I am not, for I have moth
ing to go on; but | am going to live
all by myself in the little dressing
room, and you must live in one room,
the room that has been ours here
tofore. l will not just live with you
because l am poor and have to-
/ love you too much! will stay alone
until l am selfsupporting individ-
ual-not a supported good and chat
tel Are you thinking bad and chat
tei?' Don't, Stilson. / am not bad.
And don't try to dissaude mel
And thereupon Mrs. Adams went up
to the little dressngroom, and sat
down at her desk. and wrote, and
wrote, and wrote. Writing was not
a new thing with her. For several
years she had been trying, spasmod-
ically, to win her way in literature
with story or a poem; but pipe she
high Or pipe she low" she could not
strike the keynote at whose sound
the walls around the sacred precincts
of editors fall down, opening the way
for the piper.
But this will be accepted, | am
sure she said to herself as she fold
ed up that particular story, and put it,
with it's stamp accompaniment, into
an envelope and started it off.
She wrote all that week. and then
her foot, tore the printed slip of
thanks and regrets into infinitesinal
fragments, and-said things
Poor old LADY," said Capt Adams
tenderly. And she wept on his
breast.
Then she went upstairs and wrote
another story-and in due time it also
came back.
Then Mrs Adams became desperate
and enraged, and broke her pen-holder
and threw her ink-bottle out of the
window, where it knocked the colo
neTs cap off, and made spatter work
on his new blouse, and caused stiff
and indignant letter of inquiry to be
written to Capt. Adams, to which
Capt. Adams replied that he had moth.
ing to say in explanation; and as soon
as he had gone to the troop, Mrs.
Adams hied herself to the coloners
Office and explained. and the colonel
forgave her freely and with charm
ing courtesy, but with a suspicion OF
amusement in his eye that made Mrs.
Adams feel that she hated him.
Il will be Independent" she said
aloud when she was home again in
the dressing-room, and she empha
sized her words by pounding on the
dressing table with her brush, and
Capt. Adams in the next room heard
her, and knew that she was in trou.
BILE; so he went to the locked door and
said:
Whats the matter, dear?"
I'm so miserable" walled Mrs
Adams GO into the hall want tc
cry"
So Capt. Adams went into the hall
and on that neutral ground Mrs
Adams met him, and wept in his
arms; and that afternoon Capt Adams
went to the post exchange and bought
her a new ink-bottle, and Mrs. Adams
began a novel.
81 think l can finish it in six weeks
dear, for shall work day and night
she said to her husband. Maybe i,
will be successful" and she looked at
him with very wistful eyes, that failed
in their effort to look brave.
But, dear, you do me such an in
1ustice!" said Capt. Adams Il love
you! and it is not being dependent tc