The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-06-21
THE
HELPING HAND
By GEORGE E. COBB


Time. abstraction, accepting things
as they came had roughened what had
once been sentiment and romance In
Abner Wheeler. The bringing up of
family had made the practical ways
of life serious, and little by little he
had drifted away from kiss and ca
ress. although never unkindly. He
was always pleasant with his patient,
toiling helpmeet, but never dreaming
that she might still cherish those
trifling amenities of affection that
keep a mans heart warm.
Their children had married and had
gone away, the home become lonely
and, Abner engrossed with business
cares and Jane, his wife, with her
household duties, 1t was natural that
each should treat the evening hours
as period of rest. Those hours were
dull ones to Jane. She did not COM
plain, however, because Abner read
and dozed, or sat lost In business
thoughts. He took her silence as a
natural sequence to the absence of
the children and drifted into making
home mere incident in everyday life.
Still, 1t warmed his heart whenever
| he thought Of the devoted attention
Jane paid to his preferences and his
comfort.
Every morning Jane looked to ar
ranging his necktie snug and neatly
set in place, a feat Abner could never
| accomplish. She would smile up In
while performing this duty, and re-
| ceived a goodbye kiss as a reward.
Jane had suffered a sprained wrist at
one time and made this the apology
! for not always getting the tie lust
| right" One morning Abner noticed
that she WINGED slightly in adjusting
| 1t.
i See here, little woman, you're not
straining that hurt arm of yours In
taking my own lazy duty off my Shout
ders. are your"
oh! no-just little touch Of
rheumatism, Abner." replied Jane.
It's this spell OF damp weather,
think. Everybody is complaining"
;, Abner accepted the off-hand expla-
nation casually and getting out on the
street and finding he had left some
papers in the house. returned to the
front door. CHANGING past its glass
top he made out Jane rubbing one
: arm from the barred elbow down.
There was an expression of pain on
her face, and as she arose to put on
her busting apron Abner noticed that
. she could not reach behind to adjust
, the strings, but had to tie II in front
| and then pull 1t around into place.
Abner proceeded to his Office with
2 bowed head and thoughtful face.
81 wonder" he muttered to him.
self, 81 wonder If l have been neg
: lecting that dear woman all these
! years?" Somehow he was uneasy all
;. that day. Every time he thought OF
q those busy, faithful hands that had so
y mlnistered to his comfort, the pitiful
d and pathetic appealed to him. That
:, was a day given over to retrospect.
d TO tender memories, signalized as a
, ! period for casting up accounts and
. realizing just where he stood.
; 'Why, Abner, where is your regular
e necktle?" spoke Mrs. Wheeler In man.
ifest surprise as, preparing to attend
n TO his usual neckwear adornment. she
n found her husband drawing into place
e ole of those ties which have a set
y knot and fasten with pin.
= "0hi Ran across this sort yester-
Y day." responded Abner with affected
e carelessness. Convenient. You can
# set 1t in place readily and. besides. 1t
70 saves you a lot of trouble"
e saves me-" uttered Jane In a
II half troubled, half wistful tone. "Why.
\. IT has got to be my last pleasant
+ thought as you leave the house TO see
n that you are trim and snug" she
r was almost at the point of tears.
II "Well, well-smooth out any stray
!, wrinkles my bungling finger may have
left" interrupted Abner. Then
here, let me tie your apron for you.
d That's it-reaHy an artistic bow for
n clumsy fellow like me. Now then,
!, a kiss-no. the cheek won't do. ! say.
s Jane, I'm going to have two weeks
e vacation and this evening Wen plan
= how We'll spend 1t, Ell? Goodbye.
: dear"
). He was as brisk and volatile as a
young man and as he swung from the
ri house Jane sank into a chair. over
e come. She was too bright a being
d not to comprehend that instead of be-
d Ing callous to her falling strength.
Z Abner had observed, and the new
O. necktie and the adjusted apron
! strings were the result. She sat like
r one dumbed, and then cried as If her
le heart would break. The thoughtful
t. ness, the tenderness, the love suggest
t ed by the two little incidents thrilled
lie her soul, bringing to the surface all
: the latent suppressed emotion of
years.
e And that two weeks vacation
a Straight back to the town where both
IT had been born Abner Wheeler took
ri his wife. Amid the scenes where they
had played, boy and girl, where they