Fair play., 1876-11-23
NOEL HAUSSER.

DEAR FRIENL: would be very glad
to accept your kind invitation to spend
afew days at you place if it were con-
sistent with my honor. A strong
phrase, you will sa!; but hear my story
snd then judge for .ourself.
You say that you wish me to meet
your charming and accomplished cous-
in. and hope l may y like her that
will-in short, you are desirous that we
fall in love with each 0her.
It would be q mor,i catastrophe.
Why? I am already married, or rather
I have been so unfortunate; am di-
VOrced.
$50 young and so unludky," l ina
CINE you to be saying. Ys, very un-
lucky and unhappy. 1 did not intend
to tell you my story, but as you invi
me to the home of your mother and
sisters l must do SO. As long as we
were bachelors together it wa not i'm
perative. 1t is quite q sad story, yet
not absolutely shocking save to my
self.
When married Belle Eastm,n nv
friends said had made q mistate, in
short mesalliance. did not think so,
for l was hOpelessly Cyes, that is the
word for it) in love. Were you ever
so? Then you can understand he
cause of all my misfortunes. 1t is t,e
universal fate or malady, but don't l.t
rs moralize. She was q young git
who had about half an education, and
in no respect compared favorably with
the gentle and accomplished ladies who
have made part of my family and sur
rounded me from my babyhood up.
"Don't I wish 1 were back in my ba-
byhood with rattlebox and coral and
hobby-horse?" Sometimes do, as
sure you. "Why did 1 fall in love and
howi" Oh, "she had Roman nose
and her cheek was like q rose on the
snow." "Don't I like petticoat gov
ernment?" Oh. yes; trailing skirts,
looped overskirts, chignons, perfume of
white moss roses. Certainly, with
sweet and gracious manners. But Belle
was an Amazon, and her ways were
too strong minded for me.
How became acquainted, infatuated,
engaged, married as soon as foolish
youth possibly could, is such an every
day affair that will spare you the de-
tails. Imagine me after six months of
married life coming out of loves young
dream and the atmosphere of roses to
find myself united to a woman SO un-
suited to me that there seemed q per-
petual antagonism between us. The
things 1 liked did not please madam.
liked the quiet pleasures of home; my
wife was unhappy unless surrounded
by u crowd. A woman bent on having
her way generally manages affairs of
society to suit her own tastes. My
house was filed with people that l alb
stole out to the club for the
sake of quiet evening with my book
or paper. Then madam became
jealous. Some one has limited
that women are apt to be
so-au of them. I do not know how
that is; but madam had no reason; 1
was at that time too much dis
enchanted of all womankind to be
of Eve herself. However, my
principal cause of complaint sprang
trom the resolution of madam to be
strong minded. She bent all her en-.
ergies with finished determination to
he improvement of her mind. She had
many teachers in those days; signors
md signoras, musicians and drawing |
and dancing masters; yet all these
sndured. She was very lavish with |
money, but, never having been very
anxious to hoard it, I could have borne
even this. She next turned her atten.
bon TO moral distractions, and temper
ance. religious societies, women's rights
dress reforms, in turn, en-
gagged her mind. Her busy brain was