Weekly Trinity journal., 1870-07-30
I1ECONCILED AT LAST.


81 do not wish you to 60 to Mrs. Leroy
party. She is not proper person for you 10
associate with"
81 don't care what you wish me to do am
not to be dictated to like that. If | am alive
and well, | shall go to Mrs Leroy party to-
morrow night | shall do rs choose"
You will do as you choose? Yes. But i
you 10 | will never open my lips to you again
With these words the one who had been last
speaking took his hat from the sofa where he
had flung it, and opening the parlor door walked
quietly out.
The only other occupant of the room now was
a young woman with irettul looking black eyes,
who, Immediately She was left alone sat down
to the piano and ratified off brilliant voluntary.
Then she suddenly stopped, and reseatiug her
self, faced the crisis she had brought herself to.
She tried hard to persuade herself that she had
done right. She had been married to Edgar
Abbenseth now little more than year, and
the world considered them very happy married
young couple. Perhaps if the world had over
heard all the little conversations which, during
the year past, had taken place in the parlor Of
the Abbenseths, it would have changed its
mind.
Eta was what would have been called a girl
Of spirit. She had perfect health, and was ma
turaly wilful and rcbeiiou5. When she came to
be married, she found it easy enough to honor
'''' 'N'N iiN' "''N'''N1 '"' Wv "|'N WV
stuck in her throat,
The coming Of little baby to that modest
homestead had not tended in the least to subdue
her. In the language of all her friends, she was
the same wild Etla sll.
Mrs. Leroy was woman whose house Edgar
had been in the habit Of visiting before his mar
riage. She was approaching middle age now,
ana lived as hansomey us she could on a rather
slender income Her position in society was
dubious, and she loved to give late suppcrs to
that class OF actors, actresses newspaper people
and drttStcS, which WAS Toy no means Of the first
grade either in the moral or social world. In
fact she was Countess of Blessiugton reduced
to limited sphere. To CRAFTY some small pjque
she cherished against Edgar, she had forced her
self upon his wite's acquaintance, and cndeay-
ored to cast the ghmur Of uLcXceptiOnabiIity
over the forthcoming entertainment by inviting
thither as many spotlcss and rrcprOachHble
ladies as circumstances had made her acquainted
with. So she called on Mrs. Abbenscth during
Edpars absence, and Eta, who had seen bur
Little society of late, accepted for herself and
husband, TOO. On that afternoon, when Edgar
came home to dinner, she had told him about it
for the first time, aud hence n spicy quarrel,
which had terminated as indicated in the OPEN
ing words of this little hstoriette.
But, right or not right, Eta was determined
10 fight the batie ont TO the last; and having
made up her mind 10 90 to Mrs Leroy's She
VI D
Edgar had not returned the carriage was at the
door; Eltt was dressed the baby was in charge
of At good, milhful girl and Etta resolved that
she would drive to the house of an elderly friend
who was one OF Edgars particular ayersions,
and whom she would get to chaperon her.
She did so, and the evening passed quickly at
Mrs Leroy S, although there were looks and
tones there that Eta had scarcely expected to
see and hear. When she returned home she felt
as though she had not come forth as pure as she
entered.
Next morning she awoke later than usual and
when she went down stai,s to breakfast was sur
prised to find that Edgar had gone, without hay
ing left either note or message. Then the re-
membrance of what he had said rushed over her
and she trembled as she thought of the possibil-
ity Of his keeping his vow,
When Edgar came home to dinner that after
noon his brow was heavy and he uttered not a
word. Opposite each other husband aud wife
sat without exchanging u syllable or look. This
was the commencement of long season Of
silence. Edgar, at least, remained true to his
threat, however rashly it had been spoken.
Day by DAY the breach grew wider that scpara-
ted them week-a month passed. still not
one word was interchanged between man and
wife. What all but intolerable discomforts they
endured no one but their two selves knew. In
after days they often wondered what would have
been the sequel had one Of them been taken
occurred, however, and the weeks passed into
months, and the months into years without the
occurrence Of a single event calculated to draw
these separate lives together. Friends and rel
atives looked on and wondered how long this
kind of thing was going TO last. The advice
which they had proflered had been imperatively
rejected by both the alienuted parties. The OPP
portunities for recOncilement which their friends
had sought had scornluly been stunned. And
yet each of these unhappy beings, ruthlessly
running the brightest years of their married life,
loved the other, besides being secretly bound
together by single tie
This was in the form Of child, scarce twelve
years old, Reyel Abbenseth. Since he was only
two years Of age, it had been doubtful whether
he would live beyond babyhood and during the
hours when father aud mother knelt at his bed
side, these two estranged hearts felt themselves
silently appealed 20, by the logic Of the waning
litei which each Of them had contributed toward,
in the little baby face being dropping before
them. But the hours had long since passed
away, and, contrary to the expectation Of ALL
the child had risen from what seemed to be a
bed of death, and grown to oe twelve years Of
age, tall Of stature, and Of uncommon beauty
Early in his young life he had begun to notice
the dumbness Of the one parent in the presence
OF the other BY unconscious degrees be grew
into the knowledge that be must say no word
and do no act which would have tendency to