The Argosy — page 332: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A Rare Case. ye state of affairs, and wished for some change in them ; for something new to talk about. ‘“‘ Mattie is out of her mind,” she repeated. ‘‘ Everyone but yourself knows that; and if you do not know it, it is only because you are as mad as she is—or anyone might think so from the way you go on.” “Nay, nay,” said Drew gently, as the butter-dish was set upon the table with a vehemence that made the tea-cups rattle. ‘‘ There are no signs of madness about Mattie—unless you call her trust in her husband by so hard a name.” “Husband! a pretty husband, indeed! I’ve no patience with him, nor with you either. As if it was not a common tale enough! It would be better to persuade the girl to come home and get to work again, than to encourage her in her fancies, while you pay another servant here—and times so hard as they are.” ‘*Oh, that is just my luck,” observed Drew, laughing. “Luck! don’t talk to me of ill-luck, when it is, and always has been, nothing but the weakmindedness of helping other folks that ought to stand alone.” Mrs. Bankes did not allude, although she might have done so, to how much her brother had helped “er. “If you minded only your own concerns you’d be a lucky man enough. You are not fool enough to suppose Stonedene will let as long as Mattie’s there, I hope. Fetch her home, and don’t go call- ing her ‘Ma’am,’ and making believe to see things as she sees them.” ‘Tt is no make-believe on my part. I can’t bring myself to think ill of a man who showed me so much of his mind as Mr. Armitage did. J don’t say I can understand, or can even give a guess at what has happened, but I do say I am certain it can be explained. To be sure, it may be as Mattie fears and he may be dead, and if so, we shall never have the explanation. Still, I judge him, as his wife does, by what I know him to be at heart—and that is a good man, if ever there was one.” “Stuff!” cried Eliza, fairly losing her temper. ‘‘ I judge people by their actions. What else can one go by? Handsome is as hand- some does, I say.” ‘IT was thinking to-day,” the farmer went on, softly passing his broad palm over the blond head of the child upon his knee: ‘‘ I was thinking as I came along of how it stands written: ‘ He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?’ And it may be true also that we cannot properly trust in Heaven if we have no trust at all in man—in good men, I mean.” ‘Tt is to be hoped you know what you mean, for I don’t,” snapped Eliza, who, not in the habit of bringing Heaven into her own con- versation, was uncomfortable when her brother did so. Her Bible lay upon the window-ledge, and during the week gathered no more dust upon its red cover than the Bibles of most busy people do. COMICOO© <S) Go im