Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1916-11-24
A Way Around a
Difficulty
By ELINOR MARSH

the world to tie to- that was Alice
Nell The old lady had the usual self.
lshness Of one Of her age aud condition
and would not on any account consent
that Alice should marry,
"But grandma" argued the girl
"supposc marry and you continued to
live with mcf"
"That wouldn't do at ALL No house
II large enough for two families, No,
Alice, you can't marry as long rs
live, took You when you were a 1T
tie girl and but for me you would have
had no home, Now that | have no
home but with you, It Is your duty to
remain single and take care Of me-"
That ended the dialogue, Alice sigh.
ed, for she had n lover who was argu.
ing on the other side OF the question.
He admitted that Alice should con
tlnue TO make Il home for her grand
mother, but he offered TO take upon
himself case Of mothcr-in.law, or
rather, Of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, which
was worse, and argued that the old
woman should he satisfied with this
But so long Ns she would consent 10
nothing but Allccs spinsterhood there
was nothing for It except that Alice
should remain splnster
Fred Martin, Allces lover, finally
persuaded her to marriage which
should be concealed from her grand
mother The old lady was so feeble
that the couple did not expect her to
live very long, and while she did live
this plan would enable Alice TO take
care OF her on her grandmOther's own
conditions OF course II would he
hard on Fred and Alice, hut after all
wouldn't It be better than for both to
grow old separated or better even than
case Of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, for, so
far as the old woman was concerned,
Fred would be noneXstent
So the couple were married. and
Fred fitted up house near where his
wife lived, he taking up his abode In
single blesscdness. except when Alice
could visit him, The old lady went to
bed at 0 o'clock, and when she was
asleep Alice would slip out and 60 to
the home where she really belonged.
They kept maid, so that If Mrs.
IIasklns woke up and Alice wasn't on
hand the maid could say she had step.
ped around the corner to buy some
thing
This was not exactly home life, but
as Fred was at work all day. not re-
turning usually TIL after I o'clock, It
was not so bad, and 1t was not obi
gatory on his wife to hurry home. BY
and by Alice told her grandmother
that she must 90 to n hospital for n
few weeks, and the old lady was
obliged to remain in care of the maid,
After Alice was discharged from the
hospital there was n period when she
was continually running out for some
thing But she could not go often
enough for her purpose, so one morn
ing when she was away and the maid
was engaged the old lady answered n
ring at the deorbel, and there on the
step was threc-weeks-old baby.
Mrs. TIaskins took the little thing up
in her arms, and when Alice came
home she found her grandmother
dandllng It on her knee in very
motherly sort Of way. The old lady
wouldn't consent that the child should
he sent away, so Alice was obliged to
divide its motherhood with her 1t
wasn't long before the one woman
was as fond OF the child as the other.
Then one day the postman brought
a note signed by a man who claimed
to he the baby's father, saying that he
regretted parting with it and asking
that 1t be sent to him. This put the
old lady in great distress. Alice wrote
letter to the father-at her grand
mothers dlctation-begging the father
to leave the child where 1t was, he
being permitted to come and see II
whenever he liked.
This brought man who gave his
name as Frederick Martin, and after
conference In which he insisted that
unless they would take him to board he
would take the child away, Mrs. Has
kns consented, and the family was
Increased by one man.
After awhile Fred began to pour a
tale Of woe into Mrs Haskins' ear,
His wife had deserted him and her
child for her grandmother. The old
lady was so indignant at the "old
crone," as she called the grandmother,
that she could scarcely contain her
self.
Meanwhile the old lady noticed that
Fred and Alice were together n good
deal, and she wished Fred's wife
would die so that he could marry Alice
and the baby could have a mother as
well MS n father. When the pear was
ripe Fred came home one evening and
announced that his wife was mo
more"
He tried hard to appear respectful to
his wife's memory, but found it diff
cult. This was not remarkable since
the departed had treated both her
husband and her child so badly, Mrs
Haskins averred that no respect what
ever was due her; that she had been Il
soulleSs, shameless creature, and the
coonor Mortin forUot hnr thn bottnr