The Old, Old Story

Betty BKhed. Now, why she .shou'kl have bigbed ut ibis particular moment i m ooe on eartb could U 11. Aud it was all tli more exaspera! ing decíanse John had rt generoucly put into her little shapely han d a brand new flu bill. And bere began tb e trouble. '; Vhat8 the matter?" hesaid, hisfatv fa)liüL at the laiut sound, and bis mouth cltpping together in wbat tho-e who knew hiui but little called au "obstinate pueker" - "now what is it?" Betty, who had jui-t begun to change t'jo ffi?h intoaiueny little laub, rippliug all over the corners of the red lips, atopi )ed suddenly, tossed her head, and, with a Maal! jerk, uo ways conciliatioK, sent out the words: ' You needn't 'nsinuate that ['m always troublesome. " "í didn't insinúate - who is talkin g of' ïnsinuadog?' cried John, incensed at thc very idea, and, backio away a few stps, ne glared down froiu his (remendous h' sight in extreme irritatioD. "it's you yoiiraelf that's forever insinuating, and all that, and trymg to put it all oq me. It's abominable." The voice was harsh, and the eyes that looked down into hers were not pleasant to behold. ''Andiifyou think, John Peabody, that 1 11 stand and have such things said tome you miss your gucss- that's all!" oried lietty, with two big red spots coming in her cheeks as she tried to draw her little ereot ngure up to i te utmost dimensión?. "Forever nsiouating ! I guess you wouldn't have said that before I married you ! Oh, now you can, of coursc!" "Duln't you say it first, I'd like to know '! ' cried John in great ezcitement, druwiog nearer to the sraall creature ho called ' wife," who wasgazing at him with blazing eyes of indignation- " I can't endure everylhinjj." "Aod if you hear more than I do." cried Betty, wholly beyond control now, "why then I 11 give up," and she gave a bitter little laugh, and tossed her heud again. And here they were in the midst of a quarrel ! These two, who but a year befor-; had proimsed to love and proiect and help each other (hrough lift. "Now," aid John, and he brought hii liand down with sueh a bang on the lablu before him that KeUy uearly kipped oot ot her httle shoes, ooly she controlkd tbe start, for she would have died befote she would let John see it, "we will have more of this nousense!" lik fat-e wat very pale, and the linea around lii moutlt wer o drawu that it wuuld have gone tic One's heart tO harp li lhr anraaalnn I don t know how you wilt ehange it oír help it, said Betty, lightly, to conceal ber dismiy t the tura affairs had taken, 'Tin aure," and she pu&hcd back, with a saucy. ipdiffereut gesture, the light waving bair troui her forehead. Thatliair th;it John always smootheol wben he petted her, when lired or dishearrened, and called her "childie." Her eesture struck to his heart, as he glanced t the sunny hair, and the cool, indifferent, tace underneath, and, before he knew it, h was saying : "f here ia nu hel lor it no, I suppose. "Oh, yes, there is," said Betty, still n tbe cool, calui way that ouglu not to har deceived bim. But uien know so Hule of woraen's heart.x, although they may Iñre with them íor years in closest friendbip. " You needn't try to endure t, John Pebody, if you don't want to. l'm sote í don't care." "What do you mean?" Her hu.4i ! erasped ber anns and oompelled the meiry brown eyes to look up to him. "I cao go back to motherV' said Betty ' provokiogly. "She wants me any óuy, j and then you can live quietly, and live to .; suit yourself, and all around it will be better." Instead of bringing out a violent petestation of fond affection and remorse, vhich sha fully ezpecied, John drew hitusdf up, looked at her fixedly for a Iodit, long irnaato, then dropped ber arm, and said ihrougb white lips very slowly : "Yen, it ujay be as you say - better alü around. You know best," aint was gone froui the room befon; tha conü recover trom her astomshinent enoiik to utter a sound. With a wild cry Betty rusacd across the room, firbt tossing the tlO savagely as }r as she oould throw it, and flinging herself on the couifortablo tioia, broke into a flocd of bitter tears- the firstshe bad shed during her married life. "How oould he have done it - oh what have I said - olí, John, Jotin !" The bird twittered iu his hule cage oer the wiadow amone, the planta. Beity remembered like a flash how Jobn and she tilled tbe seedcup tUat very inoruing, how he laughed whi-n she tried to put it between the bars, and when she couldn't reach without getting upon achair, he took her in his great arm and htld her up just like a cbild, that .she tuight fix it to uit berself. And tbe "bits" tbat he said iu l'm tender way, wby, they had gone dowa to tbe deptbs of her l'ooJish üttle heart, seoii i ing her about her work sineing for very gladness of spirit. And now ! Betty stufied her finger.s hard into her rosy ears to shut out the bird's chirping. "If he knew why I sighed," slie tuoaned. "Oh, uiy 'husband !' Birthdays- nothing wil! make any difference now. Oh, why can't I die ?" How long she stayed there, eouched down on the old sofa, she nevor knew. Over and over the dreadful scène she went, realiíing its worst features ia despair uiitil a ?oice out ia the kitcheu said, "Betty !" d heavy footsteps proclaimed that some one was on the point of breaking in upon her uniuvited. Betty sprang up, choked back her sobs, and tried with all her might to compose herself, and remove all traces of her trouble. The vUitor was the worst possible one she could have under the circumstances. Crowdiug hewelf on terms of the closat-t intimaoy with the pretty bride, who wttb her hmband had moved into the village a twelvouiontb previou?, Miss Elvira Simmons bad made the very most of her opportunities, and by dint of making a great parade over helping her in some domestic work, si'ch as house cleaning, dressiuaking, and tbe like, the niaidep lady bad mauaged to ply her other vocation, that of news-gatherer, at ono and tbe same time, pretty effectu ally. Bfae always ealled herly her first nam;, though Betty idly ruented it, and he made fw-dt handle ui' her frïeadship on Di'. -a-inii, mikiog .J.iiui iüKc t;..u..(l Mi vow a thousand times the "old nciii) " nhould walk I But sbe never had, and now, sceriiiiig dimly, like a carrion after its prey, tli:i' trouble might have cometo the pretty litilê white houw, Ihe ruuke mischief had come to do her work, f deva.tstion had really commenced. 11 Heen crying?" ihfl aid, atore plainly tliau politely, and binking down into llie pretty chiolzcoverod rocking cbairwith un euergy that sbowed she meant to stay, md made tbe chair creak fearfully. "Only folks 00 u; that you and your husband don't live happy- but lal 1 wouldii'c mind- I knuw 'taint your fault." IJctiy's heart .-tooi still. Had it come tfithisl Juho and ahe nut to live happiJy1 To be sure thoy tli.ln't, a.s she riMininieri-ii wn (i a pang the dreadful scène of and hot tempert; but bad it gottei around .su souii - a story in everybody's iUDIIlll l wntti Ml her distress ot nnnil slie w:is ttred tVoni opening lier raouih. So Mi SinminMis, tlii lux in thut, was (broed to go on. ''Au' I teil fiilks so," shc saiJ, rookirsg he-elf back and forth to witness the effect Oí' kor word.s, 'wlieü they get to talkin', go you sw't blame tue, and if things don't o I eau)' fr you, I'm rare " "Yrnt teil (blks M)!" repeutud Betty, vr.ueílf , an 1 standingquite Btill. "What? láon't wjilersland." " Whjr, ihe blame is all his'n," oriod t'be old iiiavJ, orasiierHted at her ttnoe tuood aiodber dullnes. " [ say," says I, " why there couldn't no une live widi bini, let alcne ,ube in'tty wife tliat he's 'trtat's wlfat J say, Betty ; and then L U II 'u what a quota man he is, liow crod, an - " "Aüd you dare to 4ell ;eople such things of my liusbaud?" criti üetty, drawiiig berself up to her extreuiest height, and toweriiiK so over the old watuan in the cbair, (hat, ad he juiuped up in confusión at the storm she had raisud, and stared blindly inio the blazin eyes and face, rosy witb righleous indignation, her umly thoucht w;is how to get away froai the torin she bad iHiircu, vul uuuiu uui stop. iuc sne was forced to stay, tor Betty stood jt in front of the chair, and blocked up the way, so she slunk back into the smallest eorner of it, and took it as best she could. " My husband !" cried Betty, welling witb pride ¦on the proooun - at least, if tbcy wero to part, she would say it over lovingly as much as she could till the last moment ; ¦and thon, when the time did come, why, iwciple .¦houKl know that it wasu't Jolin's Ikult - " ihe best, the kindest, the noblest ihusband that was ever given to a wonian. I've made hiru more trouble tiian you cun guc-cs, my hot ti ¦mperiías vexed htai - I've been cross, impatient, and - " "Hold I crie) ;i voioe, "you are talking a,ainat njy ft I" aud in a moment big John Peabody rushed tlirnugh the door, erasped the little woman in liis arms, and folued her to bis heart, beíore oíd uiaid and all. "Oh!" saij Miss Simmons, sitting up straight and setting her spectacles more firmfj. "And, now that you have learncd :ill that you can," said John, turniug around to her, still holding Betty, " why you may Ot" The chair was vacant. A dissolving view through the door was all that was to be eiti of the gossip, who started up the road hurriedly. leaviag peace behind. "Betty," Baid John, sumo half hour afterward, "what was that sih for ? L din't care now, but I did ihink dear, aDd it cut me to the heart, how you might liave umrried richer. I longed to put ten times ten in your hand, Betty, and it galled me becaune I eouldn't. " lietty siuilod and twisted away from hia Running into the droom, úm proently returned, still stuiling, with a bundie rolled up in a clean towel. This ihe put on h r hu-baml's knee, whu stared at her wouderingly. ¦'Ididu't uioan," hhesaid, unpinniiix the bundle, "to let it out now, but I shall have to. VVhy, John, day alter tü-morrow is your birthday I" "So 'tis, " said John. " (Iracious I has It come an. iind so sooo ?" "And you, dear boy," said Betty, haking out bcforo liia eycs a pretty brown al' fair, alledged with ilk ofthe bluest shade, that preseutly assuiued the proportions of a dressing-gown - " this is to be your pres ent. But you must be dreadfully surprised, John, when you getit, foroh! Idido'twant you to kuow." John made the answer he thought best. When he spoke again he said, perplexedly, while a suiall pucker of bewildor ment settled between his eye : " But I don't see, Betiy, what this thiog" (layio? one finger. on the gownj "had to do with the sigh. ' ' " That," said Betty, and then she broko ioto a uierry iaugh, that got so mixed up with the dimplcs and the dancing browu eyes, that fora monient shecouldn't fnii.ih. "Oh, John, I was worrying so over Ühim buttoaM ; but they were the best I could do then. And I'd only bought 'em yestenlay - two whole dozen. And when you put that ten-dollar bill in my hand I didnt hardly know it, but ï suppose I did give one little bit of a sigb, for I was so provoked that I hadu't waited buying theia till to-day," John caught up the little woman, dressing-gowu and ali ! I don't thiuk they hava quarreled again - at least I havo never heard of it. The hens of the preteot day lay idle more than they lay eggs. Wbeo oearly all the Mtray dogs have been drowned let thecur few belt ring. - Toronto Grip. ThatV a dof ftNM gixxl idea. - Riohuiond (Va.) Batjn. Wheti a woman leavest man whohasnot earned his salt foryears, he immediately udMltMM thathe will pay nodebts of traeting.