The Iron Woman

t of the mud of their untidy yards: some sagged on rotting sills, leaning shoulder to shoulder as if to prop one another up. From each front door a shaky flight of steps ran down to the unpaved

ehind its fence of iron spears, with the pride that is common to us all when we find ourselves in the company of our betters. Back of the lit

en, and for a week the garland of blossoms, murmurous with bees, lay clean and lovely against the narrow, old bricks which had once been painted yellow. Outside, the house had a distinction which no superficial dilapidation could mar; but inside distinction was almost lost in the commonplace, if not in actual ugliness. The double parlors on the right of the wide hall had been furnished in the complete vulgarity of the sixties; on the left was the library, which had long ago been taken by Mrs. Maitland as a bedroom, for the practical reason that it opened into the dining-room, so her desk was easily accessible at any time of night, should her passion for

g cases, and two smaller desks where clerks worked at ledgers or drafting. The four French windows were uncurtained, and the inside shutters folded back, so that the silent clerks might have the benefit of every ray of daylight filtering wanly through Mercer's murky air. A long table stood in the middle of the room; generally it was covered with blue-prints, or the usual impedimenta of an office. But it was not an office table; it was of mahogany, scratched and dim to be sure, but matching the ancient claw-footed sideboard whos

, "I'll have a bunch of flowers on the table, like your mo

volunteered. "She looks out of

ive at my house,"

manded Elizabeth; "I'm going

said, practically. David was a

ned down to details. "I will d

ir meditated, "I

k up her right ankle and hop an ecstatic yard or two on one foot

-fours to turn a somersault of joy; when she was on her feet she said, "Oh, let's get married!" But

idea of Elizabeth's made it necessary to hide in the "cave"-a shadowy spot behind the palmtub in the greenhouse-for reflec

en't an

oney we want out of my mother's c

aling," Eli

your mother," Nannie

h," Blair said, with sudd

I'd like Elizabeth. I'm not

s the longest, only yester

air. Nannie, do you think I'd like

being married," Nannie said, kindly. "And anyway, you'll ha

half-brother," D

said Blair, "or you can

heme. It was very simple: the money in Mrs. Maitland's cash-box would pay their fare

r you," Nannie

?" Blair asked doubtful

as a 'fr

alled from the parlor, "wha

er in a panic, but Blair called

uson, who had dropped in to find Elizabeth-"perhaps you

o the fact that Mr. Ferguson was continually bringing things over from his garden borders, to transplant into hers-it improves the property, he told her briefly-owing to the children and the flowers, the landlord and the tenant saw each other rather frequently. On this especial afternoon,

e agreed; "but she's lovable,

as lovable," he said; "not that that

though he was rather nice about inside repairs. "Why do I endure him?" Mrs. Richie said to herself sometimes. Perhaps it was because, in spite of his manners, and his sneer that the world was a mighty mean place to live in, and his joyless way of doing his duty to his little niece, he certainly did see how good and sweet her David was. She reminded herself of this to check her offense at his

ittle girl clinging to his hand, for so he understood his duty t

married, do you hav

her with a start

being married, do

estions!" he said; "o

her hand with a gesture almost of disgust, and the lines in his forehead deepened into pai

, "Elizabeth is getting to be a big girl; will

tly, sir," said Miss

e put his glasses on carefully, with both hands. "Elizabeth aske

at my post for eight years, sir, and I am positive that

," he said, harshly, "that a w

s when the two clerks were not on hand, Harris seemed to be possessed of a clean devil, and spent an unusual amount of time "redding up"; or when Harris was in the kitchen, and Blair, dragging the reluctant Nannie, had peered into the room, he had been confronted by his mother. She never saw him-sometimes she was writing; sometimes talking to a foreman; sometimes k

espair. The delay had a disastrous effect upon romance, for David, with the melancholy candor of a reasoning temperament,

usband? Uncle Robert says if you don'

p. Married people don'

n't know but what maybe I'd

n cents a week allowanc

remind

ed, anyway," she fretted; "I like going o

door. "I-I-I'll do it," Blair gasped, with trembling valor. He was very little, and his eyes were dilating with fright. "I'll do it," he said, chatter

ldest, so

ep to listen breathlessly; nothing stirred, exce

he japanned box, and "grabbed" all the bills she could hold; then, not waiting to clo

here was a defection-Elizabeth backed out. "I'd rather go out to the toll-house for ice-cream," she said; "ice-cream

ling; I've traveled a good deal all my life;

minute later she slipped away to hide under the bed in her own room, peering out from under a lifted valance

n," how they boarded it for "any place"-all seemed very funny when they were old enough to look back upon it. It even seemed funny, a day or two afterward, to their alarmed elders. But at the time it was not amusing to anybody. David was gloomy at being obliged to marry Nannie; "I pretty near wish I'd stayed wit

. At a little after five o'clock, Miss White heard sobbing in Elizabeth's room, and going in, found

rows," said Elizabeth, w

t are yo

acking-sponge on its shaky wire dripping all over the carpet. "My beau

e, struggling to take the blacking-bottle away from h

I got mad-mad-mad-to think he wouldn't stay with me. I always get mad if my feelings are hurt, and David Richie is always hurting 'em. I despise him for making me mad! I desp

ee o'clock she was uneasy; but it was nearly five before the quiver of apprehension grew

her ring; "please go up-stairs and look, Harris;

following him to the foot of the stair

Harris announced fr

ank down on t

led peremptorily, and

the dining-room: "Oh, y

avid's track. I though

tell Mrs. Maitland al

zab

s mother joined them. "I haven't a doubt t

icted; "Elizabeth says they were going to 'tr

she mean?" Mrs. Richie

. Maitland asked, curiously; "it won't br

ff fiercely. "They couldn't be lost i

ng on the stairs? Women have such a way of sitting on stairs when things go wrong! Suppose they are lost. What harm's done? They'll turn up. Com

this matter of the children. Then she laid the pen down, and turned around to face the other two; but idleness irritated her, and she reached for a ball of pink worsted skewered by bone needles. She asked no questions and made no comments, but knitting rap

the bills in my cash-box disturbed. They've"-her voice was suddenly drowned in the rumble of a train on the spur track; the house shook slightly, and a gust of black smoke was

terrified eyes to

se!" he said,

more frightened than ev

emember them. Mr. Ferguson, telegraph to their destination, wherever it is,

ind traces of them, Mrs. Richie." When he reached the door, he came back. "Now don't you worry; I could

, "supper! Mrs. Richie, you are

I c

gray hair was twisted into a small, tight knot at the back of her head, and her face looked like iron that had once been molten and had cooled into roughened immobility. It was not an unamiable face; as she st

ie said, trembling; "you don't think he could have been run over

dryly; "I don't think anyt

race to blush. "Of co

oo," she

s. Maitland said, chuckling; "

e runaways. He had sent a despatch that would insure their being returned by the next train, and he w

then with loud cheerfulness she tried to rally her guest: "It's all right; what did I te

shed this parlor when she came to the old house as a bride; she banished to the lumber-room, or even to the auctioneer's stand, the heavy, stately mahogany of the early part of the century, and purchased according to the fashion of the day, glittering rosewood, carved and gilded and as costly as could be found. Between the windows at each end of the long room were mirrors in enormous gilt frames; the windows themselves, topped with cornices and heavy lambrequins, were hung with crimson brocade; a grand piano, very bare and shining, sprawled sidewise between the black columns of the arch, and on the wall opposite the fireplaces were four large landscapes in oil, of exactly the same size. "Herbert likes pictures," the bride said to herself when she purchased them. "That goose Molly Wharton wo

ttle-smoky," Mrs. Richie s

its smoke. You ought to learn to like it, as I do! I like the

ie murmured; she wa

oud, to this country! (If you read your Bible, you'll know w

obvious; but Mrs. Richie did not notice it. "I think I'll go

l of time over this business of the children. But in spite of herself, glancing at the graceful figure sitting in tense waiting at the fireside, she smiled. "You are a pretty creature," she said; and Mrs. Richie started and blushed like a girl. "If Robert Ferguson had any sense!" she went on, and paused to pick up a dropped stitch. "Queer fellow, isn't he?" Mrs. Richie had nothing to say. "Something went wrong with him when he was young, just afte

, smiling; "though I confess she always fight

n eyebrow. "She's a co

arried, and give her an

hie again, with apprais

sen

minute later Mr. Ferguson ushered the three sleepy, whimpering children into the room, and Mrs. Richie caught her grimy

at and bawled louder than ever. Mrs. Maitland, her back to the fireplace, her hands on her hips, stood looking on; she was very much interested. Blair, hungry and sleepy and evid

he said, "

some supper," said

traveling at supper-time can ge

lt, Mamma,"

ly, emerging from behind Mrs. Ri

tland said. But when the two children had scuttled out of the

ll frightened. Mrs. Maitland, however, did not notice them. She was absorbed in trying in

eakfast. Bless, O Lord, we beseech Thee, these things to our use

d when the man brought his plate of porridge to whisper, "mad?" At which the sympathetic Harris rolled his eyes speechlessly, and the two children grew perceptibly paler. But when, abruptly, Mrs. Maitland crumpled her newspaper together and threw it on the floor, her absorbed face showed no displeasure. The fact was, she had forgotten the affair of the night before; it was the children's obvious alarm which reminded her that the business of scolding and punishing must

ild

m," Nannie

n ro

air twisted a button on his coat wit

into m

uriously terrifying. Whenever they entered the room, the brother and sister always kept a frightened eye on those doors. This dull winter morning, when they came quaking along behind their mother into this grim place, it was still in the squalor of morning confusion. Later, Harris would open the shutters and tidy

it's wrong to take what

faintly; she moved in front of her

you to," his

rted out, "it wa

gs that don't belong t

en't you learned th

le

busy this morning, so I shall only say"-she hesitated; what on earth should

m muttered

that's all-at present"; it had suddenly occurred to her that apprehension was a good thing; "at present," she repeated darkly; "and Blair, rememb

short in his tra

oked at him dumbly; then bent toward him, and her hands, hanging between her knees, opened and closed, and even half stretched out as if in inarticulate entreaty. Nannie, in the doorway, sobbing under her breath, watched with frightened,

s throat, and blurted out four h

ke what?

r no

she asked,

lair said

What is

nd very bad little boy," she said; "you don't know what you are talking about. I had meant to increase your allowance, but now I won't do it. Listen to me; it is no matter whether a house, or a-a person, is what you call 'ugly.' What matters is whether they are useful. Everything in the world ought

ing-room for several minutes without taking up her pen. Her face burned from the slap of the child's words; but below the scorch of anger and mortification her heart was bruised. He did not like her to put her arm about him! She drew a long breath and began to read her letters; but all the while she was thinking of that scene i