Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1913-04-30
STORY OF MRS. JONES
BY JOSEPHINE BRANDON.

| she possessed. 1t was lunch time; and
the quietness of the narrow streets.
deserted save for a belated passerby
or so, proved conducive to introspec.
ton.
Her thoughts harked back to by.
gone days; to the time when her re-
naming parent had died and left her.
with few thousand dollars, in the
first bright glow of womanhood Soon
after that she met Jones. Everybody
thought he was such a nice young
man.
So, as his calls grew more and more
frequent, she came to rejoice in the
belief that the other girls were secret
| ly envying her. He bought violets for
her and brought her candy; he was a
very nice young man indeed. There
were old maids in those days, and she
had the common fear and horror Of
being left single-stranded on the
shores of the ocean of matrimony.
One evening he had TREMENDOUSLY asked
her to marry him; and she had as
TREMENDOUSLY answered him, yes.
But that was a good many years
ago. Since then several little Joneses
had come into the world to laugh and
cry, and get married. They must be
clothed and fed when old enough to 20
first bright glow of womanhood. Soon
to school they asked often for pocket
money, the girls especially. The little
boys saved theirs.
On making closer acquaintance
with Jones, she had discovered that
the position he held was rather more
respectable than remunerative. In
| fact, she didn't see how he could have
hoped to support a wife and family on
his salary. He must have been look
ing forward to an early promotion
or else he wasn't looking at all.
But with the help of her little in
come they managed to get along pref
ty well, at least until the panic of '93.
| Then many employees were turned out
of a job and Jones was one Of the
| number. He comforted her with the
assurance that he had never been duly
appreciated, and it wouldn't be long
before his friend, Mr.. White, could get
him a position worth while.
Meantime they lived on her money.
She shivered at recollection Of the
checks she had written to be cashed
by him in the city. 1t was less pain
full to lend" that way; because he
was enabled to keep tacitly to himself
the money he needed for personal eZ-
penses.
Bit by bit had her small fortune
dwindled until these few bonds alone
remained Opportunities for work had
arisen in plenty, but always to be
passed over as too insignificant. The
places would lower his standing, he
| said, hurt his chances for bigger
things Next week or next month Mr..
Blank or Mr. Ray had as good as
promised to procure him this or that
fine position. And the loan, you know,
might go through. Then he would pay
| her back all he had borrowed" and
they'd be on Easy street for the rest
| of their lives. He then had limited at
an automobile; for he fully expected
| to get several thousand a year.
But since time flew by and these ex-
pectations were left behind unfulilled,
| it appeared that he set greater store
by himself than did others. She
| thought of how he would look Wnen
| she returned home. There he'd De
sitting, with the eternal paper in his
hand, smoking one cigar after another
If only he would learn to like a pipe
Soon after she came in he'd begin TO
berate the government for its Delns
possible that such a state OF anaHS
can exist, when"
She was tired of his faulty. IheSe
| bonds were the last she had. When
the money for them was gone, what
should she do? Go to the poorhouSe'
He wouldn't let her work as long d.
she stayed with him, because she was
his wife; and yet he didn't do anytlino
himself. She would leave him. InGn
she thought of the children-aftef al
| they belonged to him, too. But, psna"'
He seemed to regard them as a lnas-
ter of course, not as a charge (hoSE
ages of fortune" flashed through H7l
mind.
Was it for this she had promised ~
'1ove, honor and obey" him? Ho" aD-
surd those words sounded IN sucn
connection! Was she to love mon
she rather despised; to honor ono
whom she could not admire; 10 ooos
her husband when she did not iotU ,
him? She had been forced by SoCioc3
to promise what she either coulo Nv
have helped doing, or could not pos
sibly have done. ort
Suddenly the breath was driven oG'
of her by blow between the SnI Sor
ders, and her bag jerked from IN
hand by man, whom she tnen 90"
disappearing down side i,1sn s,TS0' srhey
won't do you any good oor.
But he had vanished round q
ner.
His Unexpected Holiday .,o.