The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-06-25
The Little
Stranger
By LOUISE B.

on one side or the other In couples
that have been married a year, and |
believe that If statistics on the subject
could be obtained It would be found
that the nearer the wedding the great
er the number Of assertions. There is
a reason for this. Up to the time of
marriage the parties are independent
Of each other. After marriage there
are two wills. between which there
must necessarily be a certain amount
of clashing.
lin and Lizzie Burden were M Of
those couples that met. but did not
mingle. Jim found his wife-so he
considered her-so unreasonable that
he hadn't been married q week before
the sweetness had turned. to gall. LIZ
zie considered herself so badly treated
that she could not possibly endure to
live with such a IA So n day
when be came home from work he
found his wife gone.
Mrs. Jim didn't regret what she had
done till she fell in with a motherly
old lady, to whom she told her story.
and the lady Informed her Of the u
of their disagreement. as it has been
stated at the beginning of this story.
Lizzie wondered If that was so. Then
she began to think that she had acted
unwisely. The next thing to do was
to go back to her home and make up
with Jim. She did not find him. The
house vas shut up. and Jim had gone.
no n knew where.
When a baby was born to Lizzie she
regretted more than ever her action In
leaving her husband. The first baby
Is the first chain bound around a mar.
ried couple-the first departure from a
romance that may have waned and
entry upon real married life. But
that the baby had come and Jim was
not there to rejoice with her Lizzie
wept bitter tears.
Meanwhile Jim, after waiting q week
for his wife's return. got angry With
her and. declaring that he had had
enough Of married life, walked OF
without leaving any address. Jim vas
a carpenter and had finished a job the
day Of the separation. 1t was easy for
him to lose himself, and he took no
pains to leave any clew by which he
could be found by his wife In case she
repented Of leaving him and wished to
return. He knew nothing about the
baby or perhaps that might have
changed it all
Jim. concluded to make another
change in his life BE was q born
trader and always anne out ahead in
any deal he made. He determined to
leave of carpentering and turn trader.
He had left the little money he pos
sessed with his wife and hadn't a cent
to his name. But to the real business
man money is not always essential. 1t
is often supplied by credit. Jim made
up for its absence in assurance. He
bought a lot of damaged coffee on
credit for a song, gave it a fancy name
and sold it for about two-thirds the
usual price. This succeeded so well
that within a few months he had turn
ed over several job lots of coffee that
be had bought cheap and not only
made some money, but established a
trade for his especial brand Of coffee.
It occurred to Jim one day that his
quarrels with his wife had nearly all
been from the cause of want Of suf1.
cient funds. Now that he was making
money possibly the TROUBLES might not
arise; at any rate, they were far less
likely to arise. he began to recall the
hours he and Lizzie had spent together
when they were counting. He wonder
ed If she had tried to find him. Then
he thought what a brute he had been
to leave her without giving her any
opportunity to find him in case she
wished to do so. Then he wondered If
after all he hadn't a good deal of self
ish brutality in him to have tried to
impose his will OF a woman and be-
cause she wouldn't brook It and had
left him be had made the break BE-
tween them permanent by taking his
departure from their home without CIV
ing her an opportunity to ind him and
make It up.
The ladder Of repentance usually has
a number Of rounds. and Jim's had its
full share. When he had reached the
top round he felt like plunHing down
headforemost on the other side and
breaking his neck. But instead Of that
he set about finding Lizzie.
That was no easy job. She had no
relatives to whom he could 60 for In.
formation. and she was 30 distressed.
30 poor, 30 broken In spirit, that she
shrank from every one who had known
her. When the baby came she secured
admission to a maternity hospital, and
when the time approached for her to
get about again. realizing that she
must work for her living and could not
work encountered with q baby. she
determined to leave it at a foundinss.
home.
She was planning for this one day
when she saw the door Of the room
she occupied at the hospital slowly
open. Then a face appeared. looking
cautiously in. as II fearing to disturb
her.
Great heavens! 1t was Jim's!