Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1924-11-14
CHAPTER X-Continued

ed, after awhile, her arm still about
Lizzie's shoulders. The girl nodded
without looking up. "And Lizzie.
should. you marry him." Ellen ven
rured
81 love him !" Lizzie answered. III
choked and angry voice, after a
shamed pause
"You love him You poor child
And he wants to marry you?"
HE says he will" Lizzie had
writhed about so that her back was
almost turned TO Ellen, who had to
bend forward to catch glimpse of
the flushed face and inflamed eyes.
and don't you think you would be
happier" Ellen pursued sweetly,
"don't you think you would be hap
pier. if he loves you, and you"
"He don't love me-" Lizzie inter-
rupted sullenly.
But you said"
Il said he'd marry mel"
The blood came to Ellen's face, and
she sat back, feeling little sick. She
had read of the old tragedy a thou
sand times, but how much more poig-
nant was this first encounter with it,
this sickening realization of what it
means to the woman to suel She
had loved, and she had given, and
now 1t was his royal prerogative to
lift her up, and make her honest"
or to drive her to self-murder. All,
life was hard enough for the Ellens,
who keep mans respect, but lose
his love. But for the Lizzies-l
Lizzie" she asked timldly. Are
you-you're not-?"
Lizzie had dried her swollen eyes,
and their misery was turned toward
Ellen.
"No, ma'am," she answered, with
returning self-control, "if there was
baby coming, I'd marry him tomorrow.
But he-hes good man, Mrs. jesse
lyn, and he'd never be anything but
shamed and kept down by a girl like
me. And we done what we done like
children might do something wrong"
poor Lizzie added, with her eyes brim-
ming again, "and all the time he was
I'm love with another LADY, knew he
was, but he didn't know himself how
he had come to think about her-and
so when we-when we said we
wouldn't see each other no more
thought that it was all over and done
with-except for the way 1 felt. But
but ma guessed it. and she was aw-
full mean to me-" the girl said simply
'and nothing ever seemed right again
i didn't want to go with any of the
other boys and KEEP feeling what if
/ should marry some day, and have a
little girl"
She began to cry again softly Ellen,
whose face had grown ashen, sat star
ing at her blindly. Her heart was
pounding; her brain in whirl. She
had heard those terms before-Lizzie
had been Aunt Elsie's maid through
an illness last winter
when was this, Lizzie ?" she asked
clearing her throat.
Last winter, Mrs Josselyn."
Look at me-" Ellen said, after a
pause. Look at me. Lizzie. Was it
Joe? Was it Mr. Latimer|
She saw the answer in Lizzie's eyes
before the girl said quickly:
mo, maaml Oh, no, ma'amr'
Ellen could smile sadly rs she shook
her head.
"He told me about IT. Lizzie. He
told me all about it, but he didn't say
it was you. I'm so sorry. I'm so des-
perately sorry. You-you do love
him?'
"Oh. my Cd, how could help it?"
the girl answered, with sudden VIC
lence. 81 had never worked before,
Mrs. Josselyn, and at home it was
-trouble-troublel My father
drinks and my sisters husband drinks
live seen him hit her few days be-
fore her children come And your
aunt was so good to me, and the cap
tain treated me like / was his grand
daughter. and everything was so pleas
ant and warm. And Joe always anx-
tous for me to get enough to eat, and
helping me with kindling and all, and
one night tying up my finger where
I'd cut it, and sometimes he'd kiss me,
you know, and tell me looked nice
And then one night he wasn't coming
home, and the captain wanted some
tobacco, and I run up street for it,
after supper and when I come back
my feet were all sopping, and after
ia undressed. come down in wrap
per, to get warm
Ellen could see the old Main street
house. Her eyes were shining.
I've done that a thousand times =
she said. half-aloud
"And Joe come in" pursued Lizzie,
at was after nine. but he hadn't had
hts supper. And him and me went out
and got something to eat
Her voice fell. Ellen did not speak,
Hes going to marry Miss LathroD. Z