The Argosy — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

( Winifred Power. ‘‘T wonder,” she said musingly, ‘if I dare pretend to know enough to extract money out of him ?” ‘He will not give it, I think,” said Martha, and related what had passed. Mary’s face fell. Either she did love this Ralph very | much, or a girlish fancy had been fanned by need of excitement and the spirit of opposition into a flame. ‘Vou could squeeze out some money for me yourself, Patty, if you chose.” ‘‘T?” Poor Martha had nothing of her own but a miserable 4 60 a-year. As generous as she was poor, she spent more than the half of it in charity or in gifts, and never had a spare sixpence by the time each quarter was a week old. ‘“T never knew anybody like you for being without a penny,” said Mary, crossly, seeing the distress painted on her cousin’s coun- tenance. ‘You have the housekeeping money. Why cannot you give me £ 10 out of that 2?” Mary!” ‘Mary? Well, Mary what?” mocked the owner of that name with considerable peevishness. ‘Tt would be dishonest.” ' “Dishonest? Nonsense. I would give it you back next week.” ‘‘ Next week or next year, the wrong would be the same,” answered Martha softly, while a steadfast light came into her brown eyes. “T think you are very unkind.” Martha winced but sat silent. ‘Very unkind and obstinate, and puritanical and—and ridiculous,” continued the baffled beauty, and thereupon burst into tears. A sound of angry sobbing alone broke the silence for the next few minutes. Martha was weeping also, but silently. Pale and sorrowful, she sat brushing away the tears as they coursed one by one down her cheeks, feeling herself dreadfully cruel, and yet upheld by a firm instinct of duty. ‘You have often been most tiresome, Martha; but never, I think, deliberately unkind until now.” ‘“The refusal is—is w——worse for me to make than for y——you to hear,” wailed Martha, and broke out sobbing in her turn. Tears are generally supposed to be a sign of weakness. Mary thought she had triumphed, and passed from reproach to entreaty. But although Martha grew damper, limper, more. wretched every noment, she persisted in her resolution, and Mary ended by flying into a violent rage. ‘Then Martha, trembling all over, crushed and mute, rose and bid her humbly “Good night.” She got no answer, unless the peevish tattoo of an angry foot could be called such. She stood fora moment looking imploringly at the averted head of her darling; then glided away and went down the passage to her own room, feeling as if she could never be happy in all her life again. Efer affections were so fresh, her heart was so pure, her mind so Gomichbooksneom