Charlevoix county herald., 1913-04-19
STORY OF MRS. JONES
BY JOSEPHINE BRANDON.

brokers', In the lower part Oh the CITY
Ter bag contained some bonds that
lad to be sold-the last bit of stock
she possessed. 1t was lunch time; and
he quietness of the narrow streets,
deserted save for a belated passerby
,r so, proved conducive to introspec-
ion.
Her thoughts harked back to by
gone days; to the time when her re-
naining parent had died and left her,
with q few thousand dollars, in the
srst bright glow of womanhood. Soon
after that she met Jones' Everybody
thought he was such nice young
nan.
So, as his calls grew more and more
frequent, she came to rejoice ID the
belief that the other girls were secret
y envying her. He bought violets Tor
aer and brought her candy; he was a
very nice young man indeed. There
we're old maids in those days, and she
lad 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
.remulously answered him, yes.
But that was a good many years
ago. Since then several little Joneses
lad come into the world to laugh and
cry, and get married. They must be
clothed and fed; when old enough to go
irst bright glow Of womanhood. Soon
20 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
he position he held was rather more
'act, she didn't see how he could have
hoped to support a wife and family on
ais salary. He must have been look
ing forward to an early promotion
,r else he wasn't looking at all.
But with the help of her little in
come they managed to get along pref
~ well, at least until the panic OF '93.
Then many employees were turned out
If 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
aim 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. It was less pain
Jul To Tend that way; because he
was enabled to keep tacitly 70 himself
The money he needed for personal eX-
penses.
Bit by bit had her small fortune
lwindled 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. be
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 CT that
inc position. And the lean, you know,
might go through. Then he would pay
her back all he had borrowed" and
.hey'd be on Easy street for the rest
Of their lives. He then had limited at
an automobile; for he fully expected
20 get several thousand year.
But since time flew by and these ex-
pectations were left behind unfulfilled,
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
If only he would learn to like pipe.
Soon after she came in he'd begin 10
berate the government for Its being
possible that such a state OF affairs
2an 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 poorhouse?
lie wouldn't let her work as long as
she stayed with him, because she was
MS wife; and yet he didn't do anything
himself She would leave him. Then
she thought of the children-after all,
hey belonged TO him, too. But pshaw!
He seemed TO regard them as a mat
ter of course, not as a charge Ghost
ages of fortune" flashed through her
mind.
Was il for this she had promised to
love, honor and obey" him? How alb
surd those words sounded in such
connection. Was she TO love a man
she rather despised; to honor one
whom she could not admire; TO obey
ier husband when she did not love
aim? She had been forced by society
% promise what she either could not
nave helped doing, or could not pos
sibly have done.
Suddenly the breath was driven out
Of her by a blow between the shout
1ers. and her bag jerked from her
hand by q man, whom she then saw
disappearing down a side street.
"Oh, stop" she gasped. They
wont do you any good"
But he had vanished round a cor
ler.