Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-03-18
MARK SHELTON'S WIFE.
BY OLIVE BELL.

BY OLIVE BELL.
One cold morning in December Mark
Shelton, Esq, and Lis wife sat down to
breakfast in one OF the contest of dining
rooms Mark with cloud on his usually
peasant face, and his wife's placid
rountenance wearing puzzled and sor-
towful look, for when had he been angry
al her before?
He had scarcely spoken to her the
PREVIOUS evening, and he looked sullen
land gloomy still. What had she done?
She had rendered the thought over and
over. vet she had not dared to ask him.
The morning sunlight streamed into the
room as they silently drank their coffee
and abstractedly nibbled their mullins;
| and broad stripes of yellow gold lay on
the sea green ground OF the carpet, ming
. ling softly with the bright tints of the
| autumn leaves that sprinkled it, and
| lighting up the pictures on the vanished
| walls, until they stood out vivified into
life-like perfection in the mellow light
/ The fire burned cheeriully in the polished
crate, the canary chirruped blithely in
his gilded cage, while the trailing vines
that festooned the recesses of every win
dow turned each delicate tendril to the
warm sunlight, as if thankful for the
warmth and comfort and hallowed glow
that filed that pleasant room.
Mr.. Shelton finished his breakfast and
took up his morningpaper. Mrs Shelton,
pale little woman, whose chief beauty
lay in her eyes, which were so blue and
,Tustful one could not help loving their
owner, watched his moody face uneasily
Her smooth, purplislfblack hair was
coiled up in loose double twist, with
here and there tiny curl peeping out,
giving her girlish look that Marx had
often admired. Her morning dress of
navy blue cashmere, with snowy lace at
the throat and wrists, was simply
elegance itself; and better than all was
the work of the slim fingers that were
nervously twirling the silver teaspoon in
her dainty cotfee-cup.
But Mark was too much engrossed in
his own moody thoughts to find any in
terest in wife or paper, for, after vain
attempt at reading, he laid the latter
Gown and sat silently staring into the fire.
Mark burst out his wife, who felt
as if she were under the influence of a
nightmare, what on earth is the matter
with you?"
And Mark answered her with that sen.
sible masculine evasion, Nothing"
| know there is something wrong
somewhere" went on Mrs. Shelton, des-
perately Are you angry with me,
Mark"
No, Alice, I'm not angry with you"
Then tell me your trouble. l never
saw you so depressed before, and we are
married five years today, Mark"
Bless me! So we are! / had entirely
forgotten it." Mr. Shelton looked up
for the first time, and glanced across the
cheeks had lost the peachy bloom they
nad worn that day five years ago. But
me dear face was as fresh as ever in his
partial eyes, and his heart ached more
Tor her than himself, for he knew she
would suffer keenly in the crisis he was
dreadng so much. of the children had
been spared to u.s." he said mentally,
thinking of the two little graves in Green.
wood, they would have been "A comfort
10 her. But he kept his thoughts to
himself and said, instead:
" viii yeu attend Mrs. Austin's party
Aice?"
On the 20ths Yes" The uneasy light
..eit Alice shelton's loving eyes, for since
De was not angry with her she did not
care to pry into his secrets. And yet
], be would only confide in her, she would
leel SO relieved! viii you 90, Mark
81 think not" Acurious smile parted
his lips.
NhyF' in tone of surprise.
| shall be Otherwise engaged"
Nonsense, Mark. You must not be
such slave to business. Few men are
as prosperous IL the world"
have been prosperous" dreamily
olt'-he never finished the sentence
And the panic never affected you in
me least" innocentiy remarked Mrs
M ton, who knew as much about the
subtle workings of the financial world as
s.e did about the mythical inhabitast:
Of the moon.
Atr, shelton jumped up, slightly flushed
10 the face.
What idiots woman areif' was tn,
nplImentary exclamation that met hi!
"Le.s ears as .he went hurriedly from tn,
room, needless Of her excited: MARX
-N
But Mark was ont in the cold, sunli
sleet before the little woman had recoy
eiea from her establishment; his white