Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1913-04-17
STORY OF MRS. JONES
BY JOSEPHINE BRANDON.

had to be sold-the last bit OF stock
she possessed. 1t was lunch time; and
the quietness of the marrow streets,
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 a 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
/ 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 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 go
| 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 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 we'll, 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 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 ex-
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 automobiles; for he fully expected
to get several thousand a year.
But since time flew. by and these ex-
| pectations we're left behind unfulflled,
it appeared that he set greater store
by himself than did others. She
thought OF how he would look when
she returned home. There he'd be
sitting, with the eternal paper in his
| hand, smoking one cigar after another.
II only he would learn to like pipe.
Soon after she came In he'd begin to
berate the government for its being
possible that such a state OF affairs
can exist, when"
She was tired of his faulty. These
| bonds were the last she had. When
the money for them was gone, what
| should she do? Go to the poorhouss?
| He wouldn't let her work as long as
she stayed with him, because she was
his wife: and yet he didn't do anything
| himself She would leave him. Then
she thought of the children after all.
they belonged to him, too. But, pshaw.
| He seemed to regard them as mat
| ter of course, not as a charge Ghost
ages of fortune" flashed through her
mind
Was it for this she had promised to
Glove, honor and obey" him? How abb
surd those words sounded in such
connecticut Was she to love man
she rather despised; to honor one
whom she could not admire; to obey
! her husband when she did not love
| him? She had been forced by society
to promise what she either could not
have helped doing. or could not pos
sibly have done.
Suddenly the breath was driven out
| of her by blow between the shout
| ders, and her bag jerked from her
hand by man, whom she then saw
| disappearing down side street.
"Oh, stop" she gasped. They
won't do you any good"
But he had vanished round cor
ner.
His Unexpected Holiday.
Owing TO an accident to the eIe-