Graham guardian., 1913-12-05
THE TALE
BEARER
She Told Because She Thought
Her Victim Ought to
Know 1t
BY GENEvIEvE HOWE

Naohc, uo'O SuilSu W Noh NVu
tw6fch side you're going to take in ref
ference to Mr.. Perkins. Are you going
to advocate his remaining the pastor
Of our church or our getting some one
elseP
Mrs. Timberlake had not called for
any such purpose. She had made up
her mind to oust Mr.. Perkins from his
pulpit and had laid her plans to do so
without Mrs. Waters assistance. Mrs,
Timberlake had mania. She could
not bear to see any one enjoying a
comfortable position. This was sup.
plemented by a special faculty for get.
ting others out of comfortable posi-,
tions. and It is an undlsputed fact that
persons are drawn to do what they do
Ifwell.
Mrs. Waters had been recently mar,
ried and was very happy with her hus.
bano in their own little home. This
was not pleasing to Mrs. Timberlake,
and she was seized with a desire to
oust Mr.. Waters from his wife's affec.
tions. though in justice to her 1t must
be admitted that certain sympathy
applying herself to the work, She had
seen a man who resembled Mr.. Waters
entering the home of a married lady
living opposite her own house at 3
o'clock in the afternoon. Mrs. Timber,
lake was instantly seized with com
miseration for Mrs. Waters. The ten
derness of Mrs, Undertakes heart
yelling up In her bosom, mingled with
indignation against the recreant hus-
band. gave birth to an irrepressible de-
sire.
"She ought to know It," she said to
herself "It's a shame that such nice
little woman as Bertha Waters snould
be so treated"
And thus 1t came about that Mrs.
Undertakes peculiar trait having
been aroused and fortified by the ten
derness of her heart and her sense Of
justice. she could not rest till she had
impaired what she had seen to the
injured wife. She would give Mrs.
Waters some intimatiou of what she
had seen the first time they met But
to restrain herself till then was like
endeavoring to hold the lid on a cal
dron of boiling water. She determined
that as soon as she had finished GER
tain household work she would call on
the injured woman and tell her what
she ought to know. 1t occurred to
her that she might make a pretext for
calling Of the work she had undertake
en- with reference to the minister The
result Of all these noble impulses that
guided Mrs. Timberlake was that with
in twenty minutes after she saw. or,
rather, thought she saw. Fred Waters
enter Mrs. Mainwaring's house she
posted around to his home to inform
his wife Of the fact.
But to return to the meeting Of the
two ladies and the dialogue which was
opened by Mrs. Timberlake asking
Mrs. Waters which side she would
take in the impending crisis in the
church.
II haven't been a member Of the
church long enough" replied Mrs. Wa"
ters, "to warrant my taking any part
In the matter. Fred prefers that ]
shall keep out of all contentious"
''Very wise. Your husband has al
ways had a reputation for being pol
itic."
The word "politic" nettled Mrs. Wa
tiers. She understood it, when applied
to social matters, to mean one who
will draw out all the information pos
sible without impartlng any. Howev-
er, she made no reply to the innuendo
"By the He," Mrs. Timberlake con-
, tinued, T was not aware that you
knew the Mainwarings."
81 don't know any one Of that name"
"Don't know that pretty Mrs. Main
waring! Why, l supposed you were
very intimate with her"
"What made you think thatT
"Your husband knows her, doesn't
he7"
mot that am aware Of"
"Oh! Mrs. Timberlake made the eX-
clamation as II she would retreat from
delicate ground She turned the sub
ject by remarking that she thought 1t
was colder and there would be snow.
But Mrs. Waters did not propose to
leave the matter Of Mrs. Undertakes
alluslon to her husband without an ex-
planation.
She was not long In getting the
simple statement that Mrs. Undertake
had seen the gentleman enter the Ia
dy's house In the middle Of that very
afternoon. As soon as she had i'm.
parted the information she added, with
all the fervor Of her compassionate
soul: I'm awfully sorry for you. Mrs.
Waters. wouldn't have told you, but
] thought you ought to know It."
Having thus sympathized with the
lady for having such a husband. Mrs.
Timberlake took herself away. con-
scious of having done an admirable ac-
tion.
When Fred Waters returned to his
home In the evening, instead of finding
his young wife ready to meet him with
the marital kiss. the maid handed him
a note addressed to him in Mrs. Wa
ters' we'll known handwriting, II In
formed him that the writer had gone