OCR Text |
Show How She Managed By M. Vaughn (Copyright, by .losrpli 1J. Uowles.) Tho Hopkliihcs were holding an Indignation In-dignation meeting. "All tho fambly," Mother Hopkins Bald, but all tho "fambly" were not represented. There was Tom and IiIb wife Jeru-sha Jeru-sha and Mellndy nnd Sophia and their husbands. Hut John ami John's wife Clurlbcl, where wero they 7 Ah, thereon there-on my story hinges. This Indignation meeting wns all on account of John's wife and John's ex-trnvagonce. ex-trnvagonce. "I knowed It," walled Mother Hopkins, Hop-kins, "I knowed it all the time, jest as well as I do now. Jcrushn nlways Bed so an' I told John so afore he was niarrl'd." "Upland fnrms don't yield sech big profits Unit a man enn afford hangln' lamps nnd chlny dishes and the like," suggested Sophia. "John's wlfo signed $30 to the minister's min-ister's snlury fer next year." snld Jer-iisha. Jer-iisha. "Well, now:," remarked Father Hopkins, Hop-kins, "It's my prlvnto 'pinion, publicly public-ly expressed, that you're all a-nied-dlln' with what don't consarn ye." "Ain't we, ns a fambly. ennsnrned In actions Hint's thrcatenln' rewlnn-Hon rewlnn-Hon to ono of its mcmbors?" domand-M domand-M mother. "I don't boo no rowlnatlon a-threat-onln' of anybody," replied father. "Well, If It keeps on, John'll bo bankrupt or stithtn', nnd wo'd Jest hotter hot-ter tnko tho matter In hnnd and glvo 'em a warnln' word afore It's forever too lato. Mcbbo he's n-borrowln' money fer all this," suggested Jer-usha. Jer-usha. And then they discussed the matter, mat-ter, as to who John hnd probably borrowed bor-rowed money of, and how much, nnd whether he would be likely to glvo a "mortgage" or not. Hut as nil (things must come to nn end, bo did this Indignation meeting, i m&m "Nothing New!" Shouted Jerusha. nnd tho "children" departed ono by one, until father and mother wero left alone. "Father." said mother. "If John comes over hero to-morrow, you Jest ask him If ho's been n-borrowln' of any monoy, nnd where, nnd how much, and how and when ho over expects to pay It hack, at tho rato they've boon u-carryln' on. If you don't, I'll do It myself tho very first time I see him, and I shan't bo 'mealy-mouthed' about It, mithi-r; you know that." Yes, futhor knew thut. And If John really was elected to bo questioned, ho felt that tho bettor way was to question him himself. Accordingly, when John cnnio by the next day on his way to town, Fa-thor Fa-thor Hopkins went out nnd nskod tn bo taken ns a "pnssongor." John gave a most willing assent, and thoy drove off together. All tho way tho old man was haunted haunt-ed by tho thought of tho unpleasant task set boforo him. And John, on his part, wondered what made his father fa-ther so fidgety nud abRont-mlndcd. On tho way homo John said: "l havo Bomo oysters In that paper pall, fathor;, ho careful not to upset It. They nro for poor old Granny Phelps; and thoso oranges you saw mo buying nro for little hunch-back Sandy. Clarlbol was down there yes-, tcrdny, and alio was to struck by tholr poverty that bIio charged mo to 'got Bomotlilng good for thoso poor pcoplo.' " Fathor Hopkins felt that now was tho time to broach tho hated subject, and whllo Inwardly ho writhed under tho task, yet putting on a bravo faco, ho said In a meek tone: "And I hoord down to town that Clarlbol hud clothed thorn two young-uns young-uns of NVIdder Nelson's and started 'pm to. school, 'aides buyln' tholr hooks for 'em." John admitted Hint such was tho case. ."John.' said tho old man, n little nervous" quaver In hla voice. "John, yo bo'n't a-golu' In a trlllo too deep, .bo yo? Yo'ro doln' a powerful sight of good, but It must coat a heap o' money -fer plain farmers. I B'pose, John, yo know yor. own blznlss, of course, but mother's r Ittln' a mlto anxious, nnd wonders " Here tho old man made a dash at the oyster bucket, which In his nervousness ho had nooily kicked over. "Sho wonders won-ders If yo'ro a-havln' to borry money." "No, father, l'vo borrowed no money, for, to tell tho truth, l'vo not paid tor whnt l'vo got," answered John, while ho looked away to hide tho merriment that danced In his eyas. "I wouldn't a-h'lcoved It!" cried the old man aghast. "I b'leevo lri charity, but 'charity begins to home,' as the sayln' Is, nud If you. ain't a-payln' fer 'em, John, why, somebody has got to lose "eni." "No, nobody shall lose. Clartbct pays for thorn aerself. Don't worry, lather, It's all right," and tho young man's honest blue eyes smiled down Into the old man's dim ones In such u straightforward way, that his heart was sot at rest. "I told mother I was suro It was. Hut well some of- the rest had got her skocrcd, and she was bound tor know." "Yes, Jerusha goes about agitating tho matter more than anyone else. She don't want to do Clarlbel any Injury, In-jury, but she can't keep her tongue Htlll. Sho'd bo ti pretty good woman If sho didn't talk so much, and do so much looking utter other people's affairs." "Clarlbel pays fer 'em!" exclaimed Jerusha, "Jest a poor minister's darter; dar-ter; she hadn't no money of her own. How does sho mako It? Hlrln' her work dono?" with a scornful laugh. "It's like l'vo heard o' folks a-llvln' off tho interest of their debts." During the next six weeks Jerusha "found out" nnd reported to tho rest of the "fambly" how Clarlbel hnd declared that something must be done to bring In the many children of the village, who claimed Sunday ns n legal holiday, nnd never dreamed of entering tho dull Sunday school that tho ono little church In tho village vil-lage afforded. Acting on this, sho hnd purchnsed a Juvonllo library of CO books, furnished fur-nished Scrlpturo text enrds and papers, pa-pers, besldos, on several occasions, mooting tho excuses of some of the most unwlllng ones by furnishing hat, shoes or mittens (us the caso might require), amongst those she found In her scarchlngB amongst tho "highways nud hedges. John had kept his own counsel, but a sharp lookout since hla conversation with his father. Until the last Sunday. Clarlbol, ah-norbod ah-norbod In her work, had not marked tho averted looks and ominous glances In her direction, although they had been apparent to her husband. Hut on that day, tho llttlo woman went homo filled with dlsmny and sorely wounded In heart. At church Sophia and .Mellndy had passed her by with a cool nod. Jerusha Jeru-sha had been blind, so to speak, since "nono nro so blind ns those who will not see." "Now, llttlo woman," said John, as they drove homeward, "your secret Is bound to come out. I will havo them all come to our houso Tuesday evening, even-ing, and you shall toll It yourself." So Tuesday night found the "fambly" "fam-bly" on their way to "John's." Although hospitably received when they nrrlved at "John's," conversation conversa-tion Beemed bound to lag. John suggested sug-gested thnt If Clarlbel would "say her say," they might ull "feel bettor." So In n few words Clarlbol explained ex-plained how It wns. That sho hod once been a correspondent to sovernl magazines, but had expected when alio took charge of hor own homo to luy aBldo hor llternry work. Hut loving lov-ing tho work, und being impressed by tho poverty in nnd about tho villnge, also the lack of Interest on tho part of tho children In school, Sunday l school, or, lu fact, anything good, she had resolved to ngaln tako up hor pen, nnd by careful management she could put nut a part of her work, and make much more than alio could save by trying to do It all heraelf. "I have bought some good hooks nnd a fow pretty things for my houso," suld she, "although I have gotten nothing now to wear." "Nothing now I" shouted Jerusha. "What did you havo on In town last weok? And what did you wenr last Sunday?" "In town I wore my lnvonder wed-ding wed-ding dress, colored a dark blue; and on Sunday, u while Flemish tricot (tho dress I graduated In), colored black," wob tho quiet answer. "I flatter flat-ter myBelf that 1 havo two very respectable re-spectable suits ''oui them. What I havo given nwny cost mo not ovor a hundred dollars, and I havo Saved ns much nioro for ouraolves; I" "I knowed It," yelled Father Hopkins," Hop-kins," iinnblo to restrain himself longer. "I knowed it all the time, and I told you nil so, Hut," turning turn-ing to Clarlbel, "whnt mado you so still about It?" "llecnuso I thought you would think mo silly to suppose I could wrllo anything any-thing worth publishing; whnt I wroto seemed so liislgnlflcnut to mo that I j did not want anyone I know to read j the wretched 'yarns' I spun."- Then arose n babel of expostulations, expostula-tions, cxpla'nattnns, upologles und congratulations. con-gratulations. And Clarlbel's guests Iqft that night believing that Jthrousli Clarlbel tho namo of Hopkins whs certain to bb Immortalized, ' ' ' H |