The Portland daily press., 1869-06-26
selected Story.
MY Husbands Second Wife.
a woMAN's REVELATIONS.

My husband came tenderly to my side.A :, a.
"Are you going out this evening, love sa , g
"Of course amp asls..s Tee ,7si
looked down complacently at my dress of
pink crepe, dew dropped over with crystal,
and the trails of pink azaleas that caught up
its folds here and there. ) A diamond bracelet
encircled one round white arm, and little
cross blazed fitfully al my throat, / had never
looked better, and felt sort of girish pride
as my eye met the fair reflection in the mir
ror. eFs~%
"Come. Gerald, make haste Why, you
haven't begun to dress yetG' hailaag
Where were my wifely instincts that did
not see the haggard, drawn look in his fea-
tures-the fevered light in his eyes?
81 can't go tonight, Madeiine-l am not
well enough ,...i1t. .rA ID
s '.You are never well enough to oblige me,
Gerald. l am tired of being put Of with such
excuses" 3li 1is
He made no answer. but dropped his head
in his hands, on the table before him. eDlf
"Ohl come, Gerald!p 1 Urged petulantly.
SIT is so awkward for me TO go alone al
lcayst'
He'shook his heal listlessIy. - -s's solrs
81 thought perhaps you would be willing to
remain at home with me, Madeline s
'Men are 50 seIfsh!' / said, plaintively;
hour for my hair. / dare say you'll be great
deal qaieter without me-that is, if you are
determined not to CO." 2a eAns ns
No answer again. ~, -. ~ 8, sgsi
"Well, if you choose to be sullen, l can't
help it," said lightly, as turned and went
out of the room, adjusting my silver boquet-
holder, the tuberoses and heliotropes seeming
TO distill incense at every notion,
Was heartless and cruel? Had / ceased
TO love nv husband? From the bottom of my
heart believe that loved him as truly aud
tendery as ever wife did, but had been so
spoiled and petted all my brief, selfish life, i
That the better instincts were, so to speak, EN-
tombed alive, 1 III hs sr8
went TO the party, and had my fill of ad-
ulatioa and homage as usual. The hours
seemed to glide away, shod with roses and
winged with music and perfume, and it was
nur uurff, wearied with dancing, / sought a
momentaIy refuge in the lighted tea-room
that heard words wakening me, as it were,
from dream. 4l
"Gerald Glen P" roo
/ could lot be mistaken in the name lit
was scarcely commonplace enough for that
They were talking-two or three stout, busi-
ness-like looking gentlemen-in the hall with
out, and ! could catch, now and then, a fuei-
tive word or phrase.
Slime, enterprising young fellow ?''-agreat
pityp "totay ruined, SO Bees and McKorker
sayp areckless extrayagance of his wilew /,
All these vague fragments l heard; and
then some one said:
"And what is he a going to do now ?n
"What can he do? Poor fellow! am sorry:
but. he should have calculated his income and
his expenses better" sit
"0r his aoife should Deuce take these wo-
men-they are at the bottom OF all q mans
troublcsp y aaiha 9f fe.sas
rose hurriedly up, with my heart beating
tumultuously beneath the pink azaleas, and
went back to the lighted corridors. Arthur
Moore was waiting to claim my hand for the
next redowa. 1s.ssss "A Il ie5. sae A
''Are you i'll, Mrs. Glenp How pale you
look y att s5-f4, ~ ssitsfs
"I-I am not very well. l wish you would
have my carriage called, Mr.. Mooren sA s
For felt now that home was the place for
me. Hurried by some unacc0untabIe i'm
pulse, sprang out the moment the carriage
wheels touched the curbstone, and rushed up
to my husbands rom. The door was licked,
but could see a light shining faintly under
emily. ..;
''Geraldl Gerald! tor Heavens sake lei me
imp afaa l67S b ass
Something fell on the marble hearthstone
within, making metallic clink, and my hus-
band opened the door little way. r L had
never seen him look SO determined.
aa "Who are you ?" be demanded wildly.o i , 3
"Why cannot you leave me in peace!"
.'IPs l, Gerald-your Madeline your own
little wife," fsa.s alo.' aa sDa
And caught from his hand the pistol he
was striving to conceal in his breast, its mate
lay on the marble-hearth, under tho mantef
-and flung itout OF the winlow.
"Gerald would you have lett Dge?r
Il would have escapedl he CRIED still hal
delirious,. to all appearances. Il aDebt-dis-
erace-misery- reproaches I would have
escaped them ALL"
His head fell like that OF weary child on
my shoulder. drew him gently to sofa.
and soothed him with thousand murmured
words, a thousand mute caresses For had it
not all been nay fanlt?
And through all the long weeks of fear
that followed, nursed him with unwayering
care and devotion. had but one Thought.
one desire,-to redeem myself in his estina-
tion; TO prove to him that l was something
more and higher than the mere butterfly OF
fashion, ] had hitherto shown myself l
Well, the March winds had howled them
selves into their mountain fastness ;ithe brill
iant April rain drops we're dried on the
bough and spray-and now the apple blossoms
were tossing their fragrant billows of pinky
bloom in the deep blue air of the latter part
ofMay. F .-lssa
Where were we now ?
1t was picturesque little. cottage just ont
OF the city, furnished very like magnificent
playhouse. Gerald sat in cushioned easy
chair ON the piazza just where he could
working batch of biscuits, with my sleeves
rolled up above my elbows, and the gold
thread" hair neatly confined in silken net
What an industrious fairy it isv' he said,
smiling sadly. az 5t4esl TWeas{ :.
"WeIl,y see Hike it ! It's a great deal
better than those sonatas on the pianop'
"Who would eyer.hare thought you would
make so notable a house keeper?"
laughed gleefully-I had all a chiid's de-
light in being praised < I'D lafssg44is
"Are you going to Miss Delancy's croquet
party?" he pursued. s 6s.iA FAsiei1 I.
"No-what do care for croquet parties ?"
I'm gong to flnlsh your SHIRTS, and you'll
read aloud TO mep' ~
Madeline, want you to answer me one
question" afsh YRS xs4YrK
"What is it?" s.ssh M Jl31
had safely deposited my pan OF biscuits in
the oven by this time, and was dusting the
flour off my hands.
? What have you done with your diamonds" ?"
81 sold them long ago; they paid several
heavy bills, besides settling half years rent
here!"
"But Madeline, you were so proud of your
diamonds"
81 was once-,,o,o they would be the bits
terest reproach my eyes could meet. o, Ger
aid had / been less vain and thoughtless
and extravagant-"
checked myself, and robin, singing in
ttAS POt'AtuSu uhpPiC-OiUooOulo, dUONt tuc pldZ-
"a, took up the dropped current OF sound. !.
'That's right little Red-brest," said my hus-
band, half jokingly, "talk her down She has
fotgotten that our past is dead and gone, j
and that we have turned over new page in
the book of our existance. Madeline, do you
know how feel sometimes, when / sit and
look at you?" 'ss'is's hsttA
SNol"
"WelI, feel like widower who was mar
ried again p hfeAaH
Ny heart gave a little superstitious jump.
'Like widower who was married again,
Gerald?" eelN
eyes, I can remember my first wife-a
brilliant thoughtless child, without an idea
beyond the qualification OF present whims-l
spoiled plaything! Well, that little Mad
cline has vanished away into the past some
where she has gone away to return no more,
and in her stead behold my second wife.
thoughtful, tender woman, whose watchful
love surrounns me like an atmosphere, and
develops itself into new depth and beauty
every day." efa -
i was kneelng at his side now, with my
cheek upon his arm, and my eyes looking in
to hisl i
"And which do you love the best, Gerald
the first or the secopd wife?"
II think the trials and vicissitudes through
which we have passed are welcome indeed,
since they brought me, as their harvest fruits,