The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-08-21

i l.
more strong-minded than others #
my sex, and I suppose if anyone had
come and begged and coaxed me to
allow him to make me miserable
I'd have consented, and been In the
mire with the rest of them.
II never had but one lover-Jonas
Whitcomb was his name-and 40
married a girl up at the North vii
lage and moved out West. l haven't
heard of him for years. L wonder
what became Of him
Speaking OF marrying, what fall
ure Ellen Lanes welded life has
been in the way Of making her hap
pier. Such bright pretty girl as
she was! She chose for her hus-
band an honest mechanic, or he
chose her, or they chose each other,
l don't know which it was, or prob
ably it was all three combined, and
they started life with such high
hopes and bright anti ipations. His
wages were good. and they calcu-
lated to work hard at first and be
saving, and after a few years Je
able to rest. I went to see them
the other day, not forgetting to take
with me some servicecble present
for the children, to insure my wei
come.
They flocked out to meet me. say
ing they had baby at th''ir house,
hich they seemed to consider some
tfiing wonderful, as If /. were not
an annual event.
"They all TIL me their secrets be-
cause they know l have no one to re-
peat them to. l noticed she seemed
nervous, as though she had some
thing on her mind, but did not con-
slider it anything more serious than
the fit of her dress. or stain on the
dining-room carpet; out I inadver.-
emily touched the jarring chord by
speaking of Ellen and Cousin Matte.
and contrasting her lot with theirs.
"'Ah, Jemina, she said, the heart
that knows it's own bitterness, and
then she told me that another be-
sides herself shared her husband 8
wealth-a bold, Haunting beauty,
who spent his money with lavish
har %Aand was sole possessor Of the
he&t that had promised to love and
cherish his wife only until death
parted them.
"That is the way. there IS a skele-
ton in one closet in every house
hold, and the master Of the house
generally carries the key; and so /
shall continue as I have lived so far.
happy and single. l am not work
ing my fingers to the bone for chill
dren who follow so close upon one
another they seem likely to over
whelm you.
I'm not going to grieve my life
away because a man married me
when I was young and pretty, and
loved me until I faded. and then
coolly cast ME aside for some one
who suited him better, leaving me to
solitude. my heart eaten out by jeal-
Gus fancies, while he basked in smiles
for which he paid a good round
price. No, | am free from all such.
"Ah! there is the postman and ID
holds up a letter for me. Let me
see, where Is 1t from? Illinois?
Yes; I guess it Is from sister Jane or
some Of her children. Yours
hopefully, Jonas Whitcomb. What
can it mean? And where did / put
my glasses?
II feel so fustered and tie paper
shakes as If l stood in strong
draught. He has been left a widow
with six children. with no one to
care for them. He says he Is not
very we'll off in this worlds goods.
but hopes to be able to make liv-
ing, and, hearing from sister Jane
that I was still single. writes to ask
me to marry him.
"Yes, there it is In black and
white-my very first offer. What
shall | do? But Of course that is
easily decided. l must do my duty
and my duty is clearly to look after
those poor, motherless children. |
will write my answer Immediately,
SO 1t may go out by the afternoon
mail.