The Cairo bulletin., 1908-04-12

| don't assume TO be better or
more strong minded than others If
my sex. and | suppose If anyone had
come and begged and coaxed me to
allow him to make me miserable
( ia have consented and been In the
mire with the rest of them.
II never hal but one loyer-Jonas
Whitcomb was his name-and ~
/ married a girl up at the North viii
4 lage and moved out Vest. | haven't
heard of him for years | wonder
what became of him
Speaking Of marrying. what a fail
uro Ellen Lanes welded life has
been In the way Of making her hap
pier. Such 4 bright pretty girl as
she was! She chose fer her hus-
band an honest mechanic, or he
chose her, or they chose each other.
! don't know which # 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 few years 10
able to rest | went 10 see them
the other day, not forgetting TO take
with me some servlCe3ble praseng
for the children, to insure my Wei
come.
They focked out to meet me. say
ing they had n baby at ,h.,ir house,
" hich they seemed to consider some
thing wonderful, as II :, were not
an annual event.
They all tell ME their secrets be-
cause they know | have n" one to re-
peat them to. / 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 a stain on the
dining-room carpet: out | lnadver.-
emily touched the Earring chord by
speaking of Ellen and Cousin Matte
and contrasting her lot with theirs.
All, Jemina,' she said, the heart
that knows its own bitterness, and
then she told me that another be-
sides herself shared her husbands
wealth-a bold, Haunting beauty,
who spent his money with lavish
hand, and was sole possessor of the
heart 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 | have lived so far. |
happy and single. | nm not work
iny 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 8 man married me
when l was young and pretty, and
loved me until l faded, and then
coolly cast ME aside for some one
who suited him better leaving me to
solitude. my heart eaten out by deal
Gus fancies, while he basked in smiles
for. which he paid a good round
price. No, am free from all such.
All! there is the postman and ID
holds up a letter for me. Let me
See. where is it from? Illinois?
Yes; guess 1t 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 flustered and the paper
shakes as II | stood In strong
iraught. He has been left a widow
with six children, with no one TO
ARE for them. He says he is not
very we'll off in this worlds goods,
put hopes to be able to make a liv-
ng, and. hearing from sister Jane
hat l was still single. writes to ask
ne to marry him.
Yes, there 1t is In black and
vhite-my very first offer. What
hall l do? But of course that is
lasily decided. l must do MY duty
md my duty is clearly to look after
hose poor, motherless children ! |
VIII write my answer Immediately. /
o 1t may go out By the afternoon
nail.