ing woman when you try.
What about Nelson?"

"Do you promise you'll never breathe a word to any soul alive, least of
all to Nelson himself?"

Mrs. Richards hesitated. But curiosity was not altogether foreign to
her saintly nature, and Persis' reluctance to impart the confidence
naturally increased her desire to hear it. "I promise," she agreed,
with an effort to keep the eagerness out of her voice.

"Well, then, this is what I was coming at. Of course I see that as you
lie here you're bound to be thinking about Nelson, and worrying over
what's going to become of him while you're enjoying yourself on the
other side."

"That is all arranged," Mrs. Richards interrupted. "His sister Hetty
is coming to keep house for him."

"Hetty's no kind of companion for Nelson. He's a man who likes
cheerful company, and Hetty's what I call a natural widow. You know
some folks are born that way. They kind of hang crepe on everything
they touch. Hetty drizzles tears as easy as a sponge."

"Well, really, Persis, as long as Nelson and I are satisfied with the
arrangement I don't know as you have any call to trouble yourself."

Persis met the invalid's irritated protest with an air of disarming
frankness.

"Of course you wouldn't see, and that's just what I'm coming at. I
suppose Nelson has told you that he and I had a little boy and girl
affair when we was both of us too young to know our own minds."

Mrs. Richards' incredulous gasp indicated with sufficient clearness
that she had not been favored with her husband's confidence regarding
that chapter in his past.

"You and Nelson?"

"Yes. Now, I don't mean, Charlotte, that we was ever engaged. Mother
thought I was too young to have steady company, and Nelson was just a
boy, and he took her snubbings to heart more'n he would have done if
he'd been older."

"He's always given me to understand," said the wife with dignity, "that
I was the only woman he ever cared for."

"I guess they generally say that, don't they, Charlotte? It's kind of
like the 'honor and obey' in the marriage service. Women say it when
they know they _can't_ honor and they _won't_ obey. It's just a form.
But as far as Nelson goes," explained Persis thoughtfully, "I dare say
he could fix that up with his conscience without any trouble, seeing
our sweethearting never got beyond a few kisses at the gate. He did
give me a ring once, but 'twas nothing but carnelian. Land! Who'd
think of that twi