News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1914-05-06

Interesting to see the governors la0
busting the guberratorial chair-pro-
ably the only occupation congenial 3
this kind-hearted and plain littb
| woman"
busting the gubernatorial chair,
Slade repeated mockingly, cut to to
quick by this public allusion to lis
wife's plainness and lack Of soial
! graces.
That simple little phrase, stinsng
| as it was brief, was as match fiah9
to dry timber 1t was all that ws
! necessary to bring the hot rage sur
ing through him to the boiling poin.
The sweetness of the little WOmans
expression. the tenderness of her eYts
whenever they rested upon him, tls
plaintive softness of her voice meat
nothing to him then. Through angr
eyes he saw only the lack of smar-
ness in her somber brown dress, onlf
the note of absurdity she struck anil
the exquisite surroundings of tn,
IOOlIl LC ldu luI IlISliSu lOI HCI. LIZ
thought of nothing but the sorry sped
tacle she would make at a brilliant
dinner or smart function where beau.
tiful women in fashionable chiffons
chatted freely and easily of men and
things in the progress of the nation
This is some of Wesley Merritts
tin-horn footing writing" growled
Slade. Dbl his dirty work."
AS her husband muttered to him
self, Mary had calmly resumed her
endless mending of socks, long years
Of thrift and saving making it impos-
sible for her to throw away even a
Weli-Worn pair in spite of the fact
that the need for repairing had long
since passed.
Slade found himself looking at the
little woman who had been his wife
for twenty years, through lean years
and hard years, as faithful and pa
tient then as later, when success first
began to come his way, very much as
he might have scrutinized an entire
stranger. For moment the tragedy
of their present state caught at his
soul, and he felt the infinite pathos
of the wOmans predicament. A softer
note came into his voice as he asked
slowly:
Say, haven't you got any clothes,
Mary? Haven't you any of the things
other women wear at night-silk or
lace or Tufles or-Whatever they
are?"
Eyes, I've got 'em," Mary replied,
indifferently, but it's too cold to
wear 'em, and those silk stockings
you told me to buy-I can't wear
them, either-they tickle my toes.
Satin slippers made me uncomfoTt-
able, and" she finished with a bub-
bling little laugh, Il guess l wasn't
made for those things, Dan, dear. I'm
too much Of a home body"
Her very self-satisfied complacency
nettled her questioner. The very
sight of the darning needle in her fin
gers maddened him.
Good God, Mary" he exclaimed
cant you ever stop this endless
mendlng? Haven't l begged you. day
and night, not to mend my socks. .
won't wear socks all over darns-
they're uncomfortable"
Just a suggestion of a smile played
around Mary SHADES sweet mouth Is
she answered:
They're yours, Dan. It's the ony
thing left that l can do for you-noy.
l can't bear to see strangers tou,h
your things" and her voice traild
of in a wistful sigh, a sigh whi,h
might on any other occasion haze
made its appeal to the earnestfacsd
man now gazing at her so grimly.
The lightness of her tone showed
how little she realized the seriousness
Of the situatiOn-how little she under
stood how inadequately she was fiji
ing her position as his wife She
loved her husband with the devotion
Of a slave and the reverence Of a wor-
shipper at shrine, but, like many an
other good woman, she wanted to
show her affection in her own Wav
and not in his. Because she wanted
to do for him with her hands, She
turned a deaf ear to his pleas that
she use her head. She wanted her
husband to be happy and comfortable
but she wanted to make him harrv
and comfortable according to her q IN .
IDEAS of what ought to make a mn
She had seen him rise 81 4. D