Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-02-05

stopped at the door, and his wife step
ped from it. He did net, however, over
: hear her say to. Stephen Halliburton:
''If you call tomorrow afternoon,
will show you what mean"
!; s'Had you a.pleasant afternoon 20 hel
. husband asked, by-and-by, as they sal
at the tea-table.
every pleasant" she said, thought
fully.
"Ir was very polite in Mrs. Halibur-
ton to bring You home.n
]. eyes, 1 should have spoiled my new
dress.n
/ 1t was always with little effort that
Randall could get his wife to talk, and
she seemed peculiarly silent tonight,
and absent as well as silent.
1 Her eyes were brighter, too, than
common-her face little flushed. He
was too generous, too unselfish man
to begrudge her even happiness in
which he had no part; but something
in her abstraction filed him with un-
easiness. The uneasiuess was not de-
creased, when reaching home a little be-
fore the usual hour, the following af-
tern0on, he met Stephen Halliburton
just leaving the honse, nor when he
found Georgy with the same frightened
eyes and heightened color as the night
before. -,. E. ...,'-
That was the beginning of John RAN
dall's trouble.
1t was not so much common jealousy
"a mans instinct of revolt at another
mans admiration of his handsome wife,
as it was fear, desperate death-like
fear that Georgy needed something that
he could not give her to make her hap
py. He could not give her luxuries.
He could never say such things as he
fancied Stephen Halliburton must be
able 90 say to women. But he loved
her SO! o, heavens, he loved her 50
How could he endure that anything
should come between them?
Il won't wrong and tease her with
suspicious" he said to himself, in the
depth Of that night. I'll keep on steady.
"Perhaps she'll see it right by and by"
Poor fellow he did not realize how his
determination implied the dreary
thought that her heart was turned from
him. He raised himself on his arms to
look on her as she slept; and all through
what followed he retained the pure,
calm face, as it pressed the pillow,
whitened by the moonlight that glinted
the frost on the window-panes and
flooded the room.
She seemed colder to him after this,
and he kept silent.
He knew that she met Halliburton at |
her aunt's; he knew that when she
went to the seaside the ensuing sum-
mer, for a weeks visit to Mrs. Paul Ap-
pleton, there he was also. He knew
that she seemed to be living life apart |
from him; and once-that was when |
the iron entered his soul, when he went |
to her desk, present he had made her
during their engagement-fora sheet Of
note paper, and found it locked and |
asked her carelessly enough for the key,
she flushed and said she would get the
paper for him.
But he kept true to the promise he
made himself. He kept on "fighting
his way against it as best he could"
hoping, with sick heart, that she
"might see it right by-and-by."
The months wore away. The second
year of their marriage was nearly COM
pleted. John had been very careful
as careful as Georgy herself that there
should be no outward - visible sign
of misunderstanding or coldness be-
tween them. No suspicion had come to
any that the second year of marriage
life had been less happy than the first.
Nor had he ever omitted to give her
any little Indulgence within his power.
He had prepared surprise for her on
the coming anniversary of their we'd
ding, during the year. T7t .rs
The anniversary fell upon Sunday
and so their little commemoration of
the day must come the preceding even
ing. No allusion had been made to any
celebration by either Of them; but John
felt sure, some way, that she could not
let the time pass without some sign. For
his swn part, he had half resolved to
attempt some explanation of this es-
arrangement. Any thing, he thought,
would be better than this chilling re-
serve. With his mind divided between
the anticipation of relief and jealous
dread, he went to the counting-honse
that Saturday night to receive his
The cashier looked up, with a
certain embarrassment at his approach.
"Ah, Mr.. Randall--the accumulation
have left in my hands? To be sure!
And by the way, Mr.. Halliburton spoke
to me to mention to you that there were
to be some changes made, and-and-I
but there he is himself, SIR" -r
John Randall turned, with feeling
akin to desperation, to meet his employ
er. 1t had gone through him like
as the cashier spoke, that
he was to be displaced. Stephen Hall
burton simply said, as John faced him,
"I'll not detain you now, Mr.. Randall.
l shall call this evening to let you know
of the changes | feel obliged to make"
And the owner bowed and left him.
With the money in his nerveless
hands, John Randall walked homeward
like a man dazed. He was to lose his
place. For what reason he found it is
impossible to conjecture. But to lose 1t,
was to lose reputation, courage-every-
thing. He had never imagined such a
possibility as that. The money that he
should not dare to make a
present of it to Georgy now. He might
have to wait for other employment. It
might be needed for their bare every
day needs before he got to work again.
A chill like death struck 10 his soul.
Georgy evidently had not overlooked
the recurrence of their wedding-day.
The cozy rooms of the cottage all wore
a little air of cozy festivity. Some
slender vases held the gleanings Of the
flower beds = chrysanthemums blood
red, white and purple-verbenas, and
scarlet geraniums. 5i- ~ Il
She came To the door that night to |