The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-11-03
Copyright 1908 by BENZ. B Hampton

~ ONE spell Romance with capital R, but
the second Mrs. Hoople made choice
Some go even as far as Italics; put Mrs.
Hoople did fancy work nine hours out
OF the twenty-four and worshlpped no
false idols. Her day began at half past six;
and between the fancy work and the fact that Mr..
Hoople came home at half past five at night, there
was enough IL not more, fully to engage her mind.
once she had read somewhere of woman who
had her breakfasts in bed. and that really seemed
to be romance. But no Mrs. Hoope had ever eaten
her breakfasts in bed At an to the minute
Mr. Hoople and AL his by former marriage,
expected to sit down to theirs. as at p m. they
sat down to their dinner For Mr.; Hoople was
methodicaI man, and AL had imbibed his haolts.
There exception to the rule Mr Hoopie
bookkeeper in a downtown shoe store Al
studied at a business college, and called on girl
Tuesdays Thursdays and Saturdays, and such is
the force of association that Mrs Hoople found
all her moments regulated to hablt-thelr haplt'
of course-as if by an iron code. Four hours a
day were set apart for housework-to making
beds and cooking to sweeping, busting, Washlng'
ironing mending and then the remainder was hers
for fancy work The only break in this routine
Exchange with her handiwork. and brought home
the money owed to her Big or little r. Roman
type italics it was all the same to Mrs Hoople-
An would have expressed it just as we'll
Yet after ALL there the romance of her
marriage. Even Mr.. Hoople, when he talked OF It,
assumed an air of almost large nobility, that i'm
pressed itself on his hearers. He'd married her.
hadn't he. and given good home to her? In .n
Hoople expressed them clearly. and by habit.
both in well as by speech BY habit,
too she listened passively, just as. by habit Mr.
Hoople often spoke of it. But there were times
when the second Mrs. Hoople wished the world
were free from habit Her father had been a
pressed. They had resulted in her mother leaving
ar,e ID and NOT quite twentyone Now she was
thirty-fve, and had been married fourteen years.
None the less, it had been romance in SO far as
1t began in this manner: The day after her
mother died. Mena moved from the second story.
back Left to her own decision, she would have
moved out altogether Indeed she preparing
to leave, when Mrs. Dunwiddie the lodging keeper,
begged her to change her mind-nay, even in
sisted on it. So hedged 'twixt the devil and the
deep Mena remained. the alternative being ex-
pressed suitably by Mrs. Dunwiddie, one hand.
refusing to give up her trunks till the lodging bill
was paid; on the other. by moving to the fourth
moor, back, and paying off the debt In INSTALL
ments. So Mena moved regarding the position of
trunkless freedom as untenable In the mean
while her father seemed to have disappeared.
In the fourth floor, front, of Mrs. Dunwiddie's
lived Elias Hoople self-contained, quiet gentle
man, wearing pale, respectable side whiskers and
white string tie At five thirty, to the minute.
Mena always heard Mr. Hoople's key rattle in his
door. At six, to the dot Mr.. Hoople emerged and
Hoope returned, each act regular as the func-
tions of clock. In time Mena struck up nod
ding acquaintance the stairs; and then, one
Sunday night came tap at Menas door
She opened it, andy habit-paled at the
twothirds of the debt. plus lawful interest at
eight per cent.
You will tidy yourself immedjut." directed Mrs.
Dunwiddie land step in to tea time at six ordi-
nary, eat at five whereabouts. but tonight
thurs Mind you don't keep waiting.
They had veal loaf, prunes, hot biscuit, and tea.
and Mr.. Hoople also at the board After
wards Mena went back to her fancy work paste
eade, and destined for the Womans Exchange
She sewed swiftly until half past eleven. and then
as she crept into bed, Mena recalled the veal loaf
the prunes the hot biscuit, and the tea, each in
exquisite succession. Later, by the same associa-
ton of ideas, she recalled Mr.. Hoople He had
asked permission to call her Tuesday evening
In the paror naming quarter of eight as the
hour. At twelve minutes to eight ON Tuesday.
wei tn nd
looking at his watch. At eight, if by pro-
gramme Mr. Hoople told her he was bookkeeper
in downtown shoe store. At S.15, as by special
arrangements he slipped in the fact he was a
widower Then if further resolved to prove
himself frank, free, and aboveboard, Mr.. Hoople
at $50 by the clock. said he had small boy v-
ing with his deceased wife's sister. Outside, the
chimes struck on the minute as Mr.. Hoople climbed
the stairs to his room
IL was six weeks after this, Thursday night
that Mena closed her door behind her, and walked
to the looking-g glass Her small, pinched fea-
lures stared back at her from the mirror, face
starved and transparently pale. desperately lack
ing the slightest claim to good looks. Even her
hair was distressing. a fat, ginger-colored wisp
dragged back into scanty knot In the gas jets
garish light 1T looked like dr1ed-out oakum and
Mena's study slowly turned itself to her eyes, They
peered back at her wstfullv. orbs of pale lustre-
less blue. their lids redeemed to the rims from too
much straning in too little light: so Mena gave
up the scrutiny, and, bracing back her shoulders.
In the act, either in that in the slow. unappea-
Ing study of her face and eyes and hair Her ex-
preston was that of woman left enough for one
more loaf of bread but too little to go to drug
gist's. Turning from the glass; she began YEARLY
to disrobe.
No" she muttered concisely, Il guess he'll be
the only one
She crept down between the sheets. On the
table her fancy work lay UNDECIDED, the Exchange
would have to wait Strange, too, for of the
things Mr.. Hoople had spoken about was that neat
sewing of hers. Idly. YEARLY she'd told him what
1t brought her in; then Mr.. Hoople, after mo-
ment's thought. had changed the conversation.
Drawing his chair little closer he spoke of mar
riage. naming its concrete comforts in a tone he
knew to be aluring-as he showed. One knee
was crossed comfortably the other: he smiled
and leaned back and tugged at his side whiskers;
and in an armhole of his waistcoat he inserted an
easy thumb. Yes. that's right" he repeated
confidently, I'D oughter know. ben there, you
see Little woman the door-glad evenings
welcome-slippers warming by the nre-'nd then