Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-16
THE EVENING STORY.
The Mouse.
Copyright. 1913. by W. werner.l


When it became known that Electa
Smith was going to marry Louis Mar
tin there was instant protest. Every
body in Westmore knew Electa smith
and she had good many friends. she
had been for eleven years salesWoillail
at Stapletons and a position or that
kind is pretty apt 10 give one either
good or a bad name with the public
Louis Martin was a big fellow, VINO
would have been bigger still II ne lau
not hunched his shoulders and slousneu
IN his gait. He was careless apoul ms
personal appearance and sometimes ef.ie
less about the company he kept ne , i
light gray eyes that could narrow WIcheu
ly, a jaw as hard and steep as CHI, anu
Il voice that resembcd the grow OF an
angry bear. He had, II Is true ms
friends and followers. hut most men iel
him alone. lie had money enough TO
make HIM a certain power in the com
muftltN. aud his house had All the ahSleo
aud cupolas and plat" glass wiluoWs
necessary 70 make i conspicuous ana IN
slightly.
l.ouis had built mat house lust to suit
himself. bat his wife had lived III ~
until She died She had been "A Terwli-
Tiger aud the AerNiuiSerS were peoPie
OF Importance socially. They were, now
ever poor aud that was supposed TO pc
the reason why May Terwilliger had
married Louis. She Was big. handsome
woman. fun chested. rosy, proud-a- very
queen when she had on her good clothes.
But Louis had actually worried the lie
out of her in ten years. He had sworn
at her, abused her by word and act
For ten years Louis had been a
widower but from no fault or MIS- he
had besieged the heart OF every mar
riageable woman in the town put Tue
women knew too much about MIN ana
they were wary. They walked by MIN
and his big house with their noses up
oven the poorest of them
Then one day Louis y ent into staple
tons for something and saw Eiecua
Smith. He had never noticed her before
From that day he noticed nobody else.
Electa was plain. She was tiny thing,
thin dark and sallow. She was very
quiet almost shy and timid in manner.
But she had sweet way with her eyes
and a singuiarly winning smile when she
smiled at ALL She was, indeed grave
almost to sadness she had worked SO
long at Stapleton's that she seemed 10
have become a kind of machine that
knew little besides handing down bolts OF
goods and measuring them OIL she hau
never had a lover. Life had been mere
matter of work for her ever since sne
was left to face The world alone II Is
no wonGer that, though she nad known
the worst of Louis Martin all her NE
when he came Nooin@ she favored MIN.
He gave her a solitaire, winch had no.
been his nrst wife's, and she wore II
proudly. But she kept on 1T "oih dhu
would until her wedding day.
As soon as she heard of what had nap
pened- Mrs m DAILY went to see Electa
Mrs Jim ! al came as ear ioViiG Eject
as any one ever had. She alWaSs po9sh
ner dress goods at SlapleIcn because
Electa could measure them off Tor her,
And every Sunday she made IT practlce
to have Elec.a up to her house to dinner.
Mrs Jim was big and sWeet-heafteu
and emotional, for she haG strain OF
Irish blood IN her veins.
cure going to marry Louis Martin. |
uish you'd told me yourself, instead OF
Y aiting for somebody else 10 do Il. stu
hats neither here nor there. I've come
darlin. to talk things over with you ana
ask you # you know what you re a
DOING 80
Electa sighed. Il don't know. I've go
10 find out
NAV Terwilliger found out and she
died She would make a dozen OF you
darlin', in body and soul and courage