The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1908-04-23
IAURA'S
TRIAL
By FLORENCE HULL wlNTERBURN.

(COpyright. by Joseph r Rowle


Copyright. by Joseph B. Bowles.)
When Laura McHenry quietly
turned her back upon the wealthy and
desirable sutton her family had de-
cided she should marry, and gave her
hand to William May, a middle-aged
lawyer of no particular standing or
prospects, everybody decided that she
had thrown herself away.
Mr.. May began his married life up
on windfall of $1,000, his largest fee
in dozen years.
They were really happy. And it
lasted quite six months, till all the
1880 dollars had been drawn out Of
the bank, except the bare moiety nee
essary to keep the account.
When Bridget's wages were
month overdue, her substantial pres
ence disappeared out of the kitchen,
and Laura's dainty white hands made
acquaintance with dish-mops, stove
filters and brooms. Such an igno-
ramus as she found herself! And
with what zeal she bent her mind to
the study of cookery books and the
household corners of the newspapers.
And brains told. She left the flour
out of her first cake, but her second
one was triumph of art, and mullins,
under her clever fingers with del
icacy and dizziness that surprised her
self and gratified May immensely, al
though he was sorry to have her work
in the kitchen, and sorry to find her
now too tired to sing to him in the
evenings with the same spirit and
freshness that used to breathe through
her songs. But the worst thing was
that fatigue and amending attention to
details, united to those perpetual in
terruptions from the door bell which
drive busy women almost distracted,
had their effect upon Laura's delicate
frame. She grew nervous" which is
often a misnomer for combined worry
and distasteful labors.
She usually forgot or neglected
to take any lunch, and by dinner time
had no appetite, which had it's con-
veniences, for it was rapidly coming
to pass that the dinners she could
compass upon the scanty and irregular
supplies of money she received were
scarcely sufficient for more than one
person, and she contrived that her
husband should be that person.
She had a thousand devices for in
ducing him to eat the bit of steak,
the single cup-custard, or the slice of
fish. He was far from realizing that
his delicately fair wife, with her
dainty tastes, was lily nOurished upon
the tea and toast to which she often
confined herself. Nor did Laura realize
it.
But after all, it was not the house
work, the scanty food nor even the
lack of variety and refreshment in her
life that was beginning to tell heavily
upon her health, that was spelling her
beautiful disposition and making her
apprehensive and irritable.
He was strong, robust man in the
prime of life, with a profession and
hosts of acquaintances to help on his
interests. Why could me not at least
make the small income necessary to
keep their very modest establishment
going?
The explanation lay in single fact
May was man of visionary schemes,
always chasing some will-o'-the-wisp
which promised fortune and distinc-
ton, finding his pleasure in holding
of &c ol,
which gave him chance to talk and
repaid him in a cheaply gained repu-
tation for ability.
Little by little Laura's idealized
vision of her husband had faded be-
fore the presence of facts. But she
chung to the shreds of her faith as
women do hold to their illusions; as
they must if the world is to go on and
homes continue to exist There was
something still for her to learn. how
ever, and not the easiest lesson that
had been set for her.
She set rather indifferently about
her practicing that afternoon. Idly
her fingers wandered, swifter her
thoughts flew, till all at once SEN
tence of homely wisdom from mod
ern novelist came into her mind:
MANY women are struggling under
the burden of money saving when they
had far rather spend their energies in
money-getting."
She arose impetuously, her eyes
suddenly full of light. What had she
been thinking of? There was fund
of unused wealth in her fine musical
education, in her beautiful voice,
little impaired by hardships, but mag
nificent still. Here was the way out
of all this mirage of poverty: with
what she could earn by taking class
in Madame Cables school combined
with her husbands earnings, they
could live with comparative ease and
comfort. Oh, happiness, oh, relief!
1t happened that madame needed
her services. She had come at an op.
perfume moment, and in few min
utes the business was satisfactorily
settled.
May was a little afraid their social
standing would suffer. He certainly
did not like the idea of his wife teach
ing in school. 1t was contrary to all
his preconceptions of her domestic,
home-loving disposition.
aft is a reflection upon me-" he said