El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-09-02
= One WOman's Story =
By Virginia Terhune Van de water

painfully conscious of her hus-
bands love for liquor. But he never
came home really drunk until one
stormy night in late March, week
/ before the baby was born. His wife
and her mother waited until some time
! after the arrival Of his usual train.
then took their dinner so that the older
! woman might go to bed This was the
daughters suggestion, for she feared
! without cause, she told herself-the
! condition in which the master Of the
/ house might appear. If he came in
| later. Her mother did not suspect the
! truth with regard to Bert's weakness
| She must not SO Mary hurried her up
/ to her room, and chatted with her
| nervOusly as the preparations were
! made for the night Then, kissing her
mother, she put out the light, closing
the bedroom door tightly that any
| sounds from below stairs might not
] penetrate to the sleeper's ears
/ As Mary washed the dishes and put
! them away, she remembered one night
months ago when she had sent her
mother to bed and awaited the coming
! Of her suitOr-the man who was now
1 her husband. She seemed to have
4 lived a lifetime since then. The din
/ ner dishes put in the closet, and the
! table set for breakfast the anxious
! wife seated herself by the lamp in
( the parlor, and tried to put the finish
/ ing touches on the tiny wrapper she
! was making. She had fashioned all
! her baby's clothes herself, and this was
/ the last garment She was sorry that
the bit OF dainty work should be
I done when she was nervous, for the
/ stitches were slightly uneven.
But" she whispered, with an at
| tempt to be humorous with herself.
BABY viii not mind"
The whistle of the ten o'clock train
I sounded through the quiet village.
The wife folded the little wrapper,
then, with a sudden motion, pressed It
I to her lips. Ny babyi my babyr" she
whispered For his sake she must
keep herself calm. But even this
thought failed to quiet the wild beat
ing Of her heart as the time drew near
when she might expect her husband
often to listen. At last she heard
stumbling, uneven footsteps on the
walk. and she hurried to the front door
and flung it open, peering out into the
darkness
Bert" she called softly. 'Is that
your
Who the devil were you expectin
this time o night2' queried the man
thickly, as he staggered up the steps
toward her She paled and shrank
from him as he uttered the coarse
joke, then, as he reeled on the top
step, she sprang forward and caught
him by the arm.
Softly. Bert" she cautioned, cor
you'll wake mother"
"And what if I do2" he demanded
angrily. 4 expect mans got a right
to make all the noise he chooses in
his own house, amt hep Tn boss here
remembers She amt even a boarder"
Yes, Bert, I know" assented his
wife She recolIected that she had
heard one should never argue with an
intoxicated man Anything now to
keep him quiet. The smell of his
breath made her feel faint. and she
shuddered as she saw the blurred eyes.
the dropping jaw and the stained
clothes Herbert Fletcher had fallen
down, and his trousers were caSed with
mud Drunk as he was, he saw her
recoil as she glanced at his coat
Yes, he said roughly, its pretty !
dirty, know, but you needn't take on
any O. your fine lady airs about it.
Many a better woman than you has had
to tend her husband when he was
under the weather You oughter be
pityin' me stead o looking like a
wnlte saint despisin' sinner. Here,
help me off with this coat"
She took hold Of the garment with
trembling hands But for the thought
OF the unsuspecting woman upstairs
she was sure she would have refused {
10 UOucn II He might do his worst Z
What If he did fly into a rage and kill /
her-his wife-what difference would /
that make? It would be a blessing If /
he did kill her now before her baby !
came Then her common sense reas-
serted itself, and, setting her teeth. she /
obeyed her husbands commands. When !
with much cOaxing she had got (
him safely upstairs and past her !
mothers door, she undressed him and /
helped him into bed. Then, when his /
heavy breathing assured her that he /
was sleeping, she took the stained I
clothes into the bath room, locked her
self in and secured the sOiled garments
opening the window wide that the cold
outer air might lessen the attack of
deathly nausea that seized her. Car
rying the clothes down to the kitchen.
she hung them TO dry on the backs Of
chairs near the range in which she had (
already banked the fire for the night (
It would not do for her mother to see
these garments drying upstairs in the I
morning, for she might suspect the
down into the cellar and, with as little
noise as possible, deposited several
heapinS shovelfuls Of coal on the fur
mace. If this task were neglected. the
fire would be out in the morning and
she would have to make a fresh blaze
before the family were astir.
The furnace attended to. Mary
Fletcher got as far as the little parlOr
where the lamp was still burning Here
she dropped down exhausted on the
not move, but as she became conscious
that she was growing chilly she pulled
over her the hideous green and yellow
slumber robe that had been Bert's
III II lAll1o III CSGAlL 70 nGEs ana arranged
under her head the hard but gorgeous
sofa cushion. which had been her
holiday gift to the
household The wife felt that she had
all she could. that tonight she
could not bear to sleep in the room 1
that she and Bert shared in common.
The wind ratified the windows, and the !
rain dashed against the panes. The
listener was so tired that she could I
not think. but could only be aware OF
her misery.
Yet so drunk was her husband that
be did not know the next morning I
that his wife had not lain by his side Z
all night. His head ached furiously l
and he grOwled to Mary, when she
told him IL was nearly breakfast time,
that he would '-cut business today"
To her mother the wife said calmly {
hat Bert had come home late with .
me of his bad headaches. and was so !
-ar from well today that she would
not disturb him, even to have him go
70 business"
ITO be continued.)
states troops who were hurrying to I
he aid Of Meel5er. also were trapped Z
md slain Ouray was at his home on !