Newspapers / The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, … / Jan. 31, 1909, edition 1 / Page 15
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- ' ....... ..... ., .n ' ' HOMESPUN PI . W i , v i ' i - t - DU tndors iMatd forward.' her, lovely fac faintly licbua by a larr Jutret, ' But why In th first lntnc, dil- no marry Bimi ' u;,-r Tha . Optimist crinned hopefully. Pandora's question were-to him a . eeverv ending- dellrht. ; t Mother Hubbard looked wp calmly. The letter In her hand rustled lmpor- . tantly. TWellr ir dear," - she an swered la bar patient.! bomaly way, . TU tell you that when you tell me why any poor little; bunted 'animal runa Into the first cover." "Bort of er. well. - aelf-preserva- tlon, so to apeak flrst law of nature, and that, as on might say,' put In ' the Optimist with the manner of one who la modestly eager to balp every- thine alone pleasant lines. ... "Well, that Is eomethlna; Ilk ft," "reflected Mother Hubbard with a grvlty that sat queer! jr upon her fat and comely face. -"Very Iika it. for this friend of mine -w t -and" - he besi Uted. lookl ng for her place - among; -the pages of the letter. . -pretty long chase-ahe'd bad,"-Interjected -the Pessimist, .x with' j hia choicest sneer. , j -. i , "But O.- thosa fascinating forties!' gurgled the Optimist coyly. - ; J - -Yes, aha was well Into- 49. resum ed Mother Hubbard, "and she was eione in xne wiae wonu, uccpi w her invalid brother -hich only makes ' a. ba case worse." : - K- -.-j- .? '.. The plot thickens. - Cbold some body attract the attention of the gcrlbbler?" The Optimist waa eagerly and gravely expectant. ', - The Scribbler, burnr lth the Illus trations that the Plain Little Wo man had made for bis newest story, nodded appreciatively. '' k - "But. why? echoed tha Pessimist, grimly. TTrrtee-1 dd-iter kngw-yanfwwed Mother Hubbard, a-perplexed exprea tfon finding way to her quiet eyea. ' "She' waa extremely- pretty- hright and bonny and good to kjow Tiaen brightening Innocently, ancramiling at the clever thought, "Ferhapa no one ever ashed" her. "Perish the thoughts Perhapa she loved and'losrt," suted the OpH m'.ttt, with the manner of one who would compromise on eay tf-rma. V ''Well, any how, she lived there on fbe farm .with ber father and that brother. When the old mas died the farm slipped a-vay " . . . - . "Port of landslide, so to spean, as sisted the Optimist. ' . 'It's a Way they have," smilil , ?.f.thT H'jbbara.-: "And to my friend . honiele. ' il jre fere cot to bo introduced to. Southern- Warerooin; J. ' (. ... THE CRICKET ON THE HEARTH. thla'happy pair suppose we call-them Beauty .and the Beast"' suggeated tha Peasimiat "Tha will insure one of them being right, anyhow." ' ' Nothln r Ttif Bed the good temper- of Mother Hubbard, : "Very 'well. ana agreed,,'- amiling . blandly. "Beauty rented a " little houae In town and began to taka ta sewing.' Poor child, her fortunes. bung,. as It were, to the point of a Blender needle. " -Her broth er grew -w. one, ' Fire years they ex isted like thtt- 'The doctor admitted then, that the Invalid's . caae waa hopeless and said that-tale visits" and the medicines were of no' uae,' But-the admission toutc nothing from the- price of A either.,- There wer bllla and dune and mtfnjr needs.' Poor Beauty was frUrhtened : and heartsick and heipleaa. ,.. The scarcity -of frienda avtl such times has frequently attracted the attemtion of the comfortable. It waa t hen that the ' Beast came Into the play." . r ; , y. ' "Whatfoj-m did he' agaume?,laaked Pandora, .with her pretty,' lazy smile. .Mother Hubbard tapped her, plump fingers, with .the letter. - "He came to her In toa suise of a prosperous, well-fed, .fore-handed farmer, Some how he cauted her to think, of fragrant fields of do. 'er. and wide cool room, and ; full, storehousea, and .'tempting larders, and plenty and comfort, and pea.ee; - He sort of mAnt all this that she lacked and longed for." - "Kind of represented them, a a1 It were,'; eugrested the obliging Opti mist, "and doubtless held theta up in' the bet light while he, offered them to her." "Yea, that waa It," nodded Mother Hubbard, "to her and to her brother. She wrote me at the time., and I was uneasy then, for she aald nothing to make me understand .that she loved that ,-,J-"He waa to be eh,-merely a a shelter la a time of storm, aa It were, explained the Optimist with elaborate rertares Intended to convey justthe right meaning to the others. , . Mother Hubberd'a round face was mildly expressive, nf. disapnroval. "Doesn't tht amind a little irrever ent, my boy I Anjrwi', that Is about what he sermed to Beaaty. And so she married .him, out of, band, .as one might any.' ..... , . "Is he a bid eort of Beast?" asked Parfiora,-"VI.Iou. ravenrHis-ragln g7" "Well, bo," answered Mother Hub bard, "he Is an ordinary eort, of per son, wlth .thi usual number of well rtveiope4 fai:Ita -and etibryo vlrtuea. Hi'f why. rry desr, h"s Just a man. If she lovt 'Aim. or even if he loved fcer jycll, you aee It turuedout tbat ' Is - fi 5iW&ti;Trade 4 ,t. f. he needed a housekeeper, who would not demand, nor expect monthly wages and he knew Beauty - for a thrlXty souL ; '. v ; ' : i v , I "Perhaps 'H ahe '.'mlght ' have : been thankful- for a home and-protection. It her brother-had- lived," for. grati tude covere more ' sine than .charity doea Bat the -brother died in e few mrnths.and. there was' Beauty alone wtih the JjeaaU . .She has -endured It two years- and' this la a. letter asking advice. . I brought It 'over, , hoping that we rhlght find a helpful word." The Motherly .Woman r looked op from her . darnlnr I "Doea " ahe , think ' of,firta;tt.uptt's'.i?T. '.'':,!-. Tn afraid aor ind , Motheliub bard turned . to ' the last . page of the letter. . "She saya .'I. have felt for sometime' that I .wronged. , not . only .myself, hut the man J have married. Aside from the graver- wrong of t he alliance, , I -bare ..made' It impossible for him to : bring . into . hla life - any. helpful companion. But he la more guilty than I, for ne.haa done the; additional wrong, of taking advantage of my helplessness. It la this that lowers, him to a plane1 far below the extreme reaching of-my Teanect i " - j ""I find, too. 1 that he ' la moody, querilous. difficult.- penurlouaunap-j preclattve. -- almost coarse,'. We are aa 'far apart aa- the' poles. t 'wiust confesa to you. ' that I. Iong,'for'the ; little sewing. room and any sorrowful Independence.' v . ; :-m --.i -. "The old cross -fitted -better than the new .-one." said the Pcrlbbter laying down the last of the drawtnga. s "She thlnka a, poor thing. - ,.I shouldn't wondefvif the man . I . a great trial to her; they mre Inclined that way at the best." sighed. Mother Hubbard, compassionately. ; .'. ". . "I wonder if the Beart has sent rf-,iryreiterhtrtwnt 'said the Optimist, drawing hla smooth forehead Into thoughtful lines. "They usually aort of grin snd bear It. 4on'l they, 1 ... i wvv.p.ivimiy iiri.Biv rrgpuvn. Don't think I ever heard ef one of them calling a council of friends, or spreading hia grievance on paper.-.' Again Mother Hubbard read slow ly: "'How can a: wrong like th!a be undone T . There must always be a rlsht from any faUe, or wicked posi tion. . tran you neip me to And the one. rleht way from my slough -of despond? i "rtTiat la the tight course for her, friends?" - . , . - ."Divorce, answered, the Pessimist, stalking . grimly tap and dnwn. "Dl vore. ! Iet the way of the two be t wide apart that each . may ee-ek the Teace that neither shall ever find." "Tia-t- wou!S be. escape," admitted Street, Gharlott the Plain Little ' Woman." 'but .would It be better than .finding; a way foiv wau, .for aaving the situauonr Would It be a sort of restitution If by some means ahe 'might- make . the tangle straight?' - If there has been a. wrong . done. 'arffely .-Juat-, running away from tha resulting ;' conditions would not 'undo It. ; But If by" beautiful human v-.sacriftce-a sacri fice of salt, , a renunciation of . one's own, the conditions might .be as not ti fied an blessed- The sweet UftW voice trailed off Into -a Silence .that waa for a long Moment unbroken. ... i Mother Hubbard sighed -ponder ously.-' "Tea, my, dear,- but Beauty considers the altuatloa hopeless. ; r '.'May , - be ahe hasn't looked, aU around It," , soggeated .the . Optimist, cheerfully. - "There la nothing like a new- - viewpoint,' ' Vlewpolnta, .' Ilka oolnlons. should be frequently .altered. The idea la to. keep stepping brisk ly, from one to another; New If' we could manage tq sort of work Beauty round to the Beast's aide of the mat ter, ahe would see if an in an astton lablng light. . But JU bet a dime a rain at a dollar that She's been perch ed on one little bit of a viewpoint '' Til 'tell roir what I'd oo, aald the Country Bride, who- bad been busy with to-ttiorroWs shopping list ,'Tou see the Beast Is Just a man;, they are all essentially alike..' Of course, its no end-of m. pity, that Beauty's .-into the trouble, 'but then .she's. In, and valn might have-beens, and excellent ought-to-have-poena are noi going to dnanv-aood.' Bh nashed back-her aoff hair and the fire light fell upon her.aweeiaarnest face. ! a forget about myself and I'd make that man happy, I could, jrou know, t ana wouldn t It -be worth whllef".' : ."Herolo . treatment, growiea , ine Pessimist... , - ' ' .. .'- .-.i r - Pandora smiled, i . "Well.' yes,-sUll It it isn't 'you. It, might, be worse," she- said' sweetly. i 'm2 '"It' might," ' agreed the -Peastmtot grimly.; ;'., ?-'' ' . That beats running away," put . in the Optimist.-"sort of tatting the field and saving the flag Idea. Heroism m p4ceatsr- - j - fit could be done, . Pandora "ad mltted, "A. woman with an eye in her ' head could, accomplish , a little thing like that. In truth it Is done everyday and jrrTfuas made about it. But the question is, .Does It pay T Is it worth while?" - ...... , v v . tThe whole matter Is bofled down to 'one . proposition--"': laughed- the Scribbler, who waa Ja. what Pandora called : his r 'accepted' - mood. "Shall Beauty run away-from the castle, -de aert the Beast and seek hr own hap piness, or shall she stay and bring him from the evil enchantment- and make him happy r . "Perhapa by doing the one, she may also accomplish the other,"- sug gested the Pessimist.- ."He might lias to have her. go.". NG, r GH. WILMOTH, Manager; "It may have come to that" mused the Country Bride. . "But be did want her,, if It was only to sweep hla floors and cook hla dinners. ; It he has .a healthy appetite , he'a--wlnabla, ' I'd win him.". , '. - ' .-. . -, - : . -,. . Klndead . you; wouldBmlied Pan dora. . "But really Oai It worth while? Tou see ahe has hlm.vKe might never get, any -better If she . goes away and leaves him. Any sort of man la worth saving. x That possession ' of him is rather a settled thing. Do you sup pose she'd , be v any happier ehlrk- ingr - t ; . -' ''Buta lovelfesa 'marriage,' 'began the Optimist' with a shocked , and virtuous expression, "surely we of the sitting " room .,can't 1e expected to sanction that sort of thing." . "Can't you ''see that ire. too late to discuss that feature, of the situation?" said Pandora. with- unusual, patience. "When a man's over the plllt there'a no, good In. saying that he shouldn't have gone so near -the edge. Any way. Beauty can. -effeot a partial cure by getting the Beset to love her. And she can do that easily," r Tou are'-rlght, said the Motherly Woman, finishings her beautiful bit of darning. "That la the remedy. All this tragic despair- w nothing but everyday selfishness, , .The Ideal mar riage -is rare. '"Common, sense and Christian toharlty often take the lead whenTrf the 'grand passion fail. Beauty's huebandjta dependent upon her for: the comforts of "home life. If she has done the man a wrong aha must replace tha wrong with a right. With "hia sin, she .has nothing to do, directly, ,Tes, she must stay and . do her best, , forgettlne; herself' - - ""But she's wanting to 'be' madS happy herself, yon-know, aald the Optimist,- -eagerty. atoxioualy. "We may experience- some difficulty In get ting ber to make this radical change." "V ahall run out for a -week-end visit to Beauty and ' the Beast,'; re flected Mother Hubbard, gravely,-"and perhapa when I come away they will "They will." declared tha Passim 1st with conviction; v. ...-. vv-'-' "I rust ao," smtled Mother Hub bard in perfectly good, faith. ,"I shall give Beauty a hlnt about the Charm, and she may. release the poor Beast from the' power of the evil encnant--menti ' i -C - . . - 1 "Don't you know the. poor, lonely Beast Wilt be glad to find hit dis contented - wife changed i to a good comrade. Interested s in bis tnterestat Where , is the man who can resist Ihat?"" smiled the1 Country Brides: ; c "Alas, where ?" repeated the Opti mist, searching the shadowy comers. . "Platonic friendship Idea," growled the Pessimist - c .'--' .' "Exsictir" .nodded s. Pandora, : "A close friendship.1 ' between - man and wife Js aa rare as rubles. Did you know.-that?" . i "I more than suspected It," confided the Optimist shrewdly. "The interest deepens. ' Can any - one arouse the Scribbler?. ,Here la the motif . "Alas for the helpless victim of the oy-beareraI" groaned the Peasimiat 'Whom a woman -would destroy,-she first makes happy. . - ,.--.:: iVBut Mother Hubbard was smiling serenely, aa . one to whom beautiful visions have come. And the fire-, fairies sans; among, the coals,: and the light and ahadow played a game of hide and seek, -and:-who knows -but already beautiful thought wavee were breaking against the walla of v the Beast'a enchanted castle? MRS. BLAIR GOES TREE. Second Trial on - Charge of Murder of If asbaad Results in Complete Vindication For, Her DM Nut Go on 6ttnt Herself This Time Faints When Verdict Is Announced. observer Bureau, .-.: - 1IS0 Berkeley Building, Columbia, 8. C Jan. 20. Contrary te expectations, the Jury In the1 second trial of the handsome Mrs. Ethel W. Blair for the murder of her husband. Conductor MteCulley W. Blair, returned a verdict at mid night last night, acquitting her of the oharge, and ahe was immediately set tree Dy tne usual court oraer. . xne case went to-the Jury at-the close of the afternoon' session, and Mrs. Blair remained in the court room with ber relatives doing, her best to conceal her agitation. She could not -avoid some hysterical demonstration how ever, crying and laughing at Intervals She fainted when the clerk read the verdict, as she did at the former trial when a verdict of manslaughter with recommendation- to . mercy waa an nounced. She waa soon revived, however, and able' to walk out of the court a free woman. - When it waa announced that the jury had reached an agreement. Mrs. Blair's excitement waa greatly- intensified, and she grew hysterfcSJj- famtlnj when fhs cerdlct was read. ..-: -1 - r "; Trte defense aprung a surprise by announcing that It had dosed when Mra. 'Keel, her friend who was boarding-with her when he shooting occur red,, left the stand. ..A large crowd waa tln attendance in the hope - of seeing Mra. Blair take the stand and give the details of the tragedy which occurred at the Blair home on Marion street on the 17th of January, two years ago,, and the disappointment was een when it was seen that the defense would not put Mra. Blair on the stand, as it had dona at the form er trial.---' - - --. - :,:; - ' .With this exception there waa prac tically no difference In the testimony from the last trial. - Mra. Neal recited how Captain and Mra. Blair had fre quently, quarreled over hie drinking; 1 how on the afternoon of the tragedy he came in off -his run to Juaurena in as drunken condition - and quarreled with her and scolded her- how the'; couple - both, made a dash for tho front room where a revolver waa lying on the mantle; how they got hold of. It almost simultaneously; the fearful' struggle between man and wife over the possession of the weapon, both' grasping-it; how it Was fired three times while they were thus scramb-j ling over It; how Mrs. Blair finally secured ir and threw it out into the yard. The dying statement of Cap-, tain Blair was to the effect that hi wife had ahot him in a quarrel about a fellow conductor. Captain Arms. He made. UUe statement to the physician who waa called 'in Immediately after the shooting, and la whose presence-: he died la the. ambulance en the way to the hospital. He said hla wife had deliberately shot him, but that for the sake of the children he did not wish her: prosecuted. -' The- de fense -to offset this put ap a number of witness es to prove that ap to tns very time of the shooting. Captain Anna and Captain Blair were the very best of friends; that it waa at Cap- ' tain Blair's Invitation, which he had frequently pressed upon Captain Arms, that the latter waa frequently at the Blair home. ' '.. ' - Will Be Tried For Assaulting Officer. Special to Tbe Observer. : ' -'-. i . Oeffney. g.' C, Jan. SO Last Au guet while Deputy Sheriff Lockhart was attending to some dstjr. Is the Jail, two young-' negroes, JlmN Dew kins and Will McBrarer. attacked htm in the attempt to make their escape. - Mr. Tuockhart waa too much for them,' however,' and the attempt failed. They were both tried at the aest term of court for misdemeanors and sentenced to three months each oa the public works. Their sentences expired the first of this week, an t they were ': immediately re-arrested ah- after prellminaryexamlrarinn ; before MsfgtsOrate" Ca"mpr' thaf O'ff'ctil " committed them to Jail to await trial at the next term of court for assau!ir tng an oficer. while In tha discharge of his duty.. ' :v Forest City Mot For Vaerworkj. Special to The Observe - rorest. City,-' Jan. J4 A pt ' meeting- of the citixens of the t -was held to-day at which s?p taken toward Installing a i-?tfn waterworks. - A committee waa pointed to take op tha matter t Erepare a bill to go before the r-' eglslatlure for aa order to is; election tnr voting on a bon t It ia thought that 'M0 ;',. sufficient to bes:a WHH. The tr. seems to , meet . wl.a pretty ' -: favor. - . - , ..,'"-'.;. i
The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Jan. 31, 1909, edition 1
15
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