The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1872-11-13

: The wedding tour over, John FL
skine brought his wife proudly bael
! to q home he had purchased and hac
luxuriously fitted up, during thei
absence, and his tenderness, anC
, almost worship, should have made
: any woman happy. And for a time
she, endeayored to believe she was
so. Then his very kindness anC
constant attention amazed her, anC
the. gilded cage began to contain
a restless bird, for the old heart.
burning had only been tsnothered
not extnguished.
Her quondam lover, she knew
. had also married and was living an
unhappy life. If she had sold her
self for luxury and freedom from
care and toll, he had done the same
and his yoke was unptterably the
most CALLING and hard to be endur-
ed. His wife was coarse, compara-
lively uneducated. inperious, jeal-
Gus, and not slow to accuse him of
living upon her money when her
temper Was in the ascendency,
4 though At other times she was mawk-
.fffsf1ly Sentimental end diagastsa him
with fulsome adulation-expecting
the same in return.
Under this, his proud spirit cha
/ fed and tie more so because he had
\ learned how both he and Edith had
been imposed upon, and it needed
bat q smile from her--a simple glance
I OF the eye, d warm pressure of the
hand 70 make him forget all the al
legiance he vowed Al the altar. And
such things UNEXPECTED TO both.
Edith had just passed through the
i first coolness with her husband II
was the result OF a disagreement
about q matter Of taste and would
have amounted to nothing had not
her mother iuterlered, made noun
tain out Of a mole-liil and blamed
Ler daughter uuiustly and severely.
Frank Roylston, too, had just come
from j quarrel with Lis wife, much
more serious affair She had been
bitter IN denunciation-acc accused him
Of not caring III the least for her
simply marry ing that he might pos
sess himself Of a2d squaRder her
money and in general saying such
things As woman always does
when she gives way entirely to pas
sion And .0r the first time he had
retalia-ed b.ttcrl ly--spc fittings
that had better been left unsaid-
woundmg her pride and creating 4
breecA shat woali be very hard 70
heal
Both, therefore, were ripe for the
flashing up Of Tie old ioye--44i ia
that state they met.
TO BE beyond the reproaches Of
her foolish mother and the arguments
OF Ler husband, Edith wandered
from the ligt.e village, Il which they
liTej ~ tie banks OF beautiful
river that lneaudered Through i,
seated herself beneath the shade Of
the willows and aIders and was civ
ing way to bitter thoughts of the 4
what might have been" when she
was suddenly Joined bF RoyIs,0n
who la8 come for the same purpose
OF s-cluSign and thought
..E3ira ,''
..Franll!''
The names were uttered s.nulta-
neolsly BY either pair OF lips, hands
were proaerei and shaken, the pleas
ure OF meeting not disguised and .
without a single reflection IS to the .
of such an act they seat .
ed themselves side by side ana the
although guarded at
first. soon driftel into warmer 4
channel and the identity OF wife and .
husband became lost II the rush Of
feeling and sympathy.
Edith" lie said when the barrier
Of pride had become somewhat bro
ken Edith YOU must know
how sadly and cruelty we were both
deceived--I with the mad belief
that YOU cared nothing for me--you
that had made Egat Of >yeuT gcod-
ness and beauty"
les. sic sighed, cruelty in
deed"
In the insanity Of the hour, for |.
cannot even now deny how dearly /
love YOU. l gave way to the bland
i7hments of a woman / detested.'
Then your life is not happy
one, she ventured back.
Very far from it. But I might
have known what it would have
been. Happy? The torments pic
tured in the other world can scarcely
be more than I daily suffer, and he
bowed MS head upon his clenched .
bands.
Poor Frank -
Her womanly sympathies were
to be deeply aroused
she was drifting rapidly into dan
gerous stream-would soon be be
5ond her depth--beyond her power .
10 control herseIf-and may-hap
ost (;
'.Oh, Edith" he continued, when
[ picture what would have been my
with you l an tempted TO /
5aze my own life
'sNo, not that, not that - she eX-
claimed in anguish. +
1T would indeed be the act of a
'ool. But l could bear my burdens,
even if ten fold more heavy. did I
out know that you were happy /,
MIR. Erskine is very kind
"Kind does that comprise ali you
lesire in husband, Edith? Edith
5ould you but know how 1 would
nave worshipped and cared for you.
lie may be kind, but is cold, harsh
ind your face tells me that you are
even now suffering. Oh. heavens,
hat it should be thus. Tell me, is ,
le not unreasonable, unjust p {
Il think so, sometimes. And
hen the recoIlections of an hour be- /
ore loomed up before her with start i
ing distinctness. I
''And so both of our lives must |
)e wrecked--both of must drag the
hains although it gals the flesh at i