Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-12-28
obj. ! .States1nrllla11n,:. 1rll1 d :
Tracy's Second Wife.
BY HELEN FOREST GRAVES.

Tracy Z"
Frank Tracy laughed and Redeemed
little as his roommate, Howard Leigh,
carelessly put the question. a.
Blushing, eh :" pursued the latter,
with spice of mischievous malice in
his voice, "then of course I am to con-
clude that you have been in the charm
ing society of some young LADY,
Your guess is partly right" said
Tracy, lightly, "but the lady is very
little lady. To tell you the truth, I have
been spending the evening at Mrs. Wal
toms, and playing with that charming
baby of hers. l never saw such little
Hebe in all my life. Why,I could have
sat for hours with that baby on my
knee!" -.
"Then I am to conclude that she
neither chewed your cravat ends nor
jerked at your watch chain, to say moth
ing of crying!'
'.Not a bit of it. She's the most per-
foct little piece of flesh and blood 1 ever
saw in my life; if 1 thought she would
grow half as pretty as she is now, upon
my life I'd wait for her!"
"And what would Leonore Warran
say?'
s.Ah, what indeed: I'm glad you've
recalled me to loyalty, though certainly
Leonore can't very well be jealous of my
tiny firtations with Mrs. Walton's pref
ty baby. Heigho, I sometimes think
I've made mistake in engaging myself
to Leonore Warran. She is as beautiful
as an angel. and yet somehow we don't
seem to be congenial.''
"Rather late to think about that,
should imagine, when the wedding day
is fixed, and passage taken in the Eu-
ropean steamer for the wedding tour.
By the way Frank, how long shall you
remain in Europe ?"
81 can't say, some years believe.
Leonore thinks residence in Paris will
be delightful. I don't agree with her;
but brides, you know, are privileged to
have their own way. TIL tell you what,
Howard. the prettiest pink coral in Ma
plies shall be sent to hang around the
ivory neck of Mrs. Walton's baby"
:" Frank, how fond you are of child
ren!" ..-1 .s
"You're wrong there, my boy-I am
not fond of children, generally speaking.
but don't know who could help loving
that little brown-eyed seraph."
Frank took up the newspaper as he
spoke, and the conversation gradually
merged into the all-entrancing subject of
politics, foreign and domestic.
Hwopfx, x,oorc baua ahha1 opd Qox1,1
in the broad channel of time, and Mr..
and Mrs. Tracy had just taken possess
sion of their elegant home after long
residence abroad. 1t was evening. The
gilded clock on the mantel pointed to the
hour of seven, the fire burned clearly in
the ornamented CRATE, and the flowers in
the several vases on each side of the
piece, were scarcely brighter in
their hues than the pictured blossoms on
the superb velvet carpet. Frank Tracy,
who had changed from handsome youth
into a tall. stately man of about forty,
stood thoughtfully before the fire, while
his languid, faded-looking wife reclined
on a sofa in the lustrous shine of the
glowing chandeliers. There was only
one guest present to break the monotony
of the conjugal tete-a-tete, and he was
our old acquaintance, Howard Leigh.
II do wish, Frank, you wouldn't keep
drumming with your fingers on that
it makes me so nervous, but of
course you do not carefor that" exclaim-
ed Mrs. Tracy, petulantly.
81 beg your pardon, my love; I was
not aware that l was annoying you.'
l. "Why don't the servant bring up the
chocolate?" pursued Mrs. Tracy, eleva-
ting his eyebrows. .-.
.Shall ring and enquire?"
"No, it isn't worth while. If we had
only remained in la belle Paris, where the
servants understood their business"
"Then you preferred Paris as resi-
dence." said Leigh.
40, by all means, but Frank never
could be contented there. It is the most
absurd whim of his, returning to Amer
rica p t.s,
"You forget, Leonore," said Frank
somewhat gravely, "that America is
home!' h,..- Hf
Mrs. Tracy tossed her head and took
refuge in a bottle of smelling salts. Her
husband turned carelessly to Leigh and
resumed the conversation that her petu-
lance had disturbed.
II havn't asked yet whether my old
acquaintances, the Waltons, are living
or dead. You have not forgotten my
penchant for the beautiful baby"
"Oh, the Waltons disappeared long
ago from the current of New York life
He failed, or something-blew his
brains out, believe. She died of a
broken heart. La Belle was sent, un-
derstood, to an orphan asylum, where
she has already sprouted up into a
gawky, red-haired woman"
Tracy was silent a moment contem-
plating upon the sad facility with which
people slip from the cares and memo
ries of their friends in the whirl of large
cities.
All at once the door was thrown open,
and two or three rosy little children
bounded into the room, with long shin
ing curls hanging on their white shoul-
ders, and eyes all in a sparkle with in
fantine merriment.
''Don't come near me, you noisy little
monsters !" lisped Leonore, waving them
away with her snowy, jeweled hand /;
you'll crush my silks and laces ruin
ously!"
No word ofreproof, however, fell from
Frank Tracy's lips, as the little ones
climbed on his knee and hung around
his neck. Those children were the sun
shine of his life; he endured his wife,
but he idolized his children.
"Poor Tracy, it's quite plain to see
that he is not habpy," said Leigh, that
evening, as he was taking his ease