The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1915-07-31
The Little
Stranger
b. LOUISE 3 CUMMINGS

Singular 10 Is. lug nevertheless true.
I that there are great Lauy Gc>yTtiuu~
I on one side OIL tile other IN couple,
I that have hecu married "a year. and /
believe that If statistics on tie subject
( could bc obtained 81 would be found
| that the nearer tie wedding the great
| or the number OF GySertiuus- There l.
a reason for Jli~ Cp 90 the time OF
| marriage tine parties ARE IuleEgudeut
/ 0f each other After marriage There
| are two wills. between which there
must necessarily be a certain. amount
OF clashing.
Jim and Lizzie Burden were one of
those couples that met but did not
minEle. jim found his wife-so he
! considered her-so unreasonable that
he hadn't been married a. week. before
the sweetness had turned 10 gan LIZ
Zie considered herself So badly treated
that she could not possibly endure 10
live with such man. 50 one day
when he came home from work ne
found his wife gone.
Mrs Jim didn't regret what she had
done till she fell in with a mothrrly
old lady, To whom she todd her story
and the lady informed her Of the c.Iu~p
of their disagreement. as 10 has been
stated at the beginning of this story.
Lizzie wondered IL that was SO Then
she began TO think that she had acted
unwisely. The next thing TO do was
to 60 back to her home and make up
with Jim. She did not lind him. The
hnnGn EhfrF frFa frH
no one knew where.
When 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 n mar
ried couple-the first departure from
romance that may have waned and
entry upon real married life. But now
that the baby had come and Jim was
not there TO rejoice with her Lizzie
wept bitter tears.
Meanwhile Jim, after waiting n 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 was
n carpenter and had finished job the
day of the separation. 1t was easy fol
pains to leave any clew by which he
could be found by his wife i'm case she
repented of leaving him and wished C.
return. He knew nothing about til,
baby or perhaps that might have
changed IL all
Jim concluded to make another
change I'm his life. He was born
trader and always came out ahead In
any deal he made. He determined &c
leave off carpenterinG and turn trader
He had left the little money he pos
sessed with his wife and hadn't cent
to his name. But TO the real business
man money is not always essential II
is often supplied by credit Jim made
up for its absence in assurance. lie
bought lot of damaged coffee on
credit for n song, gave IL n fancy nam,
and sold IL for about two-thirds the
usual price. This succeeded SO Wet
that within n few months he had turn.
ed over several job lots of coffee that
he had bought cheap and not only
made some money. but established u
trade for his especial brand Of coffee.
1t occurred to Jim one day that his
quarrels with his wife had nearly all
been from the cause of want OF suffi-
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. lie wonder
ed If she had tried to find him. Their
he thought what "A brute ne had beer
TO leave her without giving her any
opportunity To find him I'm case she
wished to do so. Then he wondered If
after all he hadn't Il good deal OF self
ish brutality i'm him to have tried &c
impose his will OH woman and be
cause she wouldn't brook it and had
left him he had made the break be
tween them permanent by taking his
departure from their home without Civ
ing her an opportunity TO find him and
make il up
The ladder Of repentance usually has
n number OF rounds. and Jim's had its
full share. When he had reached tie
top round he felt like plunging 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 20 for ia
formation. and she was so distressed.
so poor. so broken in spirit, that she
shrank from every one who had known
her. When the baby came she secure d
admission TO n maternity hospital. and
when the time approached for her 10
get about again, realizing that she
must work for her living and could Lot
work encountered with 4 baby. she
determined to leave it at a foundings
home.
She was planning for this one Gay
| when she saw the door OF the room
she occupied 1T the hospital slowly
open. Then face appeared. looking
cautiously in. as If fearing TO disturb
/ her.
! Great heavens, IL was Jim's,
| The sight oc his pale wife lying there
I with little sleeper nestled up against
/ her was too much for Jim's equaniui-
/ ". With tears coursing down his
! cheeks, he stalkcd 10 the bed and TOOK
| his wife and child together in his arms.
Neither jun nor Lizzie had any fear
of further diSagrecments They would
! come but q thought Of the little stran-
ger would take away their harshness
/ - r...-. trV, e.. ~ r.r,~- arnr rh.rr