Year: 1875

Inere was no doubt about 1t; John
Weare was perfectly wretched that night.
He had quarreled with Jennie Bell and
he wasn't going to make it up. The
fact was she gave herself too many airs,
and he didn't mean to stand itany longer.
He didn't care if she was pretty; that
was no reason why she should let half
dozen fellows at time hang about the
shop or stroll in one at time and, lean
ing on their elbows, chatter and smirk
and smile over the counter; cadets and
officers, too. wild young fellows, who
only did so for their own idle amuse-
nfent, and would no more dream of mar
rying her than they would of inviting her
to the ball that was coming off next
month. To be sure, he was only com
mon cavalry soldier, but then he had
been in the service good many years
now, had an excellent character and q
good trade at his back, and, moreover,
his father had died not long since, and
there was the cottage all ready for Jen-
ME to walk into, and they might settle
down at once if she'd only be sensible.
Jennie acted as shopwoman for her sis
ter, Mrs. Evans. A very poor little shop
it was, very small and badly stocked, for
Mrs. Evans had only managed to get q
few pounds worth of things with what
had been subscribed for her in the gar
rison after the fever had carried off her
husband. The speculation answered
pretty well at first, for many of the Off
GERS wives, knowing what an idustrious
woman Mrs. Evans was, made point of
buying their tapes and cottons and sticks
of sealingwax of her. Then Jennie's
pretty face was seen behind the counter,
and the shop was filled from morning to
night with officers and frisky young ca
diets, and the original customers took
fiight-though Mrs. Evaus did not know
it, for she, believing the business was
safe in the keeping of Jennie, worked
hard at dressmaking (she had three
children tosupport, and the shop alone
would not do it). H....r


The officers were not profitable Gus
toners. for they only went to fiirt with
Jennie under the excuse of buying a
penny paper, or perhaps asking for a
timetable. Jennie made the most trim
and pretty and obliging of shopwomen,
and the place itself was always pattern
of neatness; but the officers wives did
not care to go and buy their thread
where they were evidently interrupting
Irritation, and so the business continued
to fall of, and Mrs. Evans began to get
quite unhappy about it. Jennie-pret-
ty, kind hearted, thoughtless Jennie
had no idea that she had anything to do
with it, or she would have sent every
one Of her admirers off at pace that
would have astonished them. She had
been only too delighted, after her broth
er-in-law died, to come from Devonshire
and live with her sister at Woolwich--
not only because she was very fond of
her sister, but also because she had
wished many times to see John Weare
again. She had made his acquaintance
when her brother and he-for they had
been in the same regiment-were sta
toned at Plymouth, and she had paid
them flying visit with her father.
John had told her then that he was tired
OF the service, and wanted to settle
down, and she inwardly thought that he
could do no better than ask her to settle
with him. He had been very attentive
when she came to Woolwich, and gradu.
ally established himself on the footing OF
lover till he found the shop always
filled with the officers and cadets. All
first he was shy of appearing before his
superiers, then he got jealous. and al
last angry, for he felt and knew that
they meant her no good, and besides, il
was doing real injury to the business Of
the shop. At last he spoke his mind,
and told the coquettish Jennie what he
thought, and was snubbed for his pains


"lf you think I don't know how tc
take care of myself, Mr.. Weare, you are
much mistaken, and don't want any
one to tell me what's right or wrong.
know for myself"


"Well, Miss Jennie, didn't mean tt
give you ofense. I only told you wha
I thought"


"Then you might have kept you