The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-06-08
Mark Shelton's Wife.
DY OLIVE BELL

| Shelton, esq and his wife sat down to
breakfast in one of the coZiest of dining
rooms; Mark with clou,i on his natural
ly pleasant face, and his wile's placid
countcnance wearing puzzled and sor-
rowful look, for when had he been angry
at her before?
lie had scarcely spoken to her the pre-
vious evening, and he looked sullen and
gloomy still. What had she done? She
had pondered the thought over and over,
yet she had not dared to ask him.
The morning sunlight streamed into the
room as they silently drank their coffee
and abstractedy nibbled their mullins !;
and broad stri pes of yellow gold lay on
the sea-green ground on the carpet min
CLING softly with the bright tints of the
autumn leaves that sprink led it; and light
ing up the pictures on the vanished walls,
until they stood out vivitied into life like
perfection in the mellow light. The fire
burned cheerfully in the polished CRATE
the canary chirruped blithely in his gild-
ed cage, while the trailing vines that fes-
each delicate tendril to the warm sunlight
as if thankful for the warmth and comfort
aud halowed glow that filled that pleas
ant room.
Mr.. Shelton finished his breakfast and
took up his morning paper. Mrs. Shelton.
4 pale little woman, whose chief beauty
lay in her eyes, which were So blue and
trusttul one could not help loving their
owner, watched his moody face uneasily
Her smooth purplish black hair was coiled
up in loose double twist, with here and
there tiny curl peepin9 out, giving her
a girlish look that Mark 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 We're nervously twirling the silver
teaspoon in her dainty coffee cup.
But Mark was too much engrossed in
his own moody thoughts to find any inter-
est in wife OF paper, for. after a vain at
tempt at reading. he laid the latter down
and sat silently staring into the fire
Mark" burst out his wife, who felt as
ii she were under the influence of night
mare, "what on earth is the matter with
you?'
And Mark answered her with that sensi-
bic masculine evasion. ''Nothing"
'Iknow there is something wrong some
where" went Oh Mrs Shelton, desperate
ly. care you angry with me, Mark ?h
NO, Alice, I'm not angry with you
Then tell me your trouble, | never saw
you SO depressed before, and we have been
married five years to-day, Mark"
BLESS me! SO we have! l had entirely
forgotten it," Mr.. Shelton looked up for
the first time. and GLANCED across the ia
bic at the little woman in blue, whose
cheeks had lost the peachy bloom they had
worn that day five years ago. But the
dear face was as fresh as ever in his par
tial eyes, and his heart ached more for her
than for himself, for he knew she would
suffer keenly in the crisis he was dreading
so much '.lf the children had been spared
to u.s." he said, mentally, thinking of the
two little graves in Greenwood, "they
would have been comfort to herr But
he kept his thoughts to himself, and said
instead:
''Will you attend Mrs. Austin's party,
Alice9n 81
'On the goth Yes" The uneasy light
left Alice Shelton's loving eyes, tor since
he was not angry with her she did not
care to pry into his secrets. And vet, if
he only would contde in her, she would
feel SO relieved "Will you go, Mark P"
j
his lips.
"Why,n in a tone of surprise.
Il shall be otherwise engaged"
Nonsense, Mark. You must not be
such a slave to business. Few men are as
prosperous in the world"
"l have been prosperous" dreamily,
but"-he never finished the sentence.
"And the panic never affected you in the
least innocently remarked Mrs. Shelton,
who knew rs much about the subtle work.
ings Of the financial world as she did
about the mythical Inhabitants of the
moon.
Mr.. Shelton jumped up. slightly flushed
in the face.
"What idiots women are" was the COM
plimentary exclamation that met his wife 8
ears, as he went hurriedly from the room
needless of her excited. 'Mark-'
But Mark was out in the cold sunlit
street before the little woman had re-
covered from her astonishment-his white
even teeth clinched tightly together, as he
hurried down to the dim, dusty Office.
| where so many. arduous duties demanded
his attention.
| Many of his business friends who met
or passed him on the streets looked curl.
ously at his downcast face; for his mind
was too much preoccupied to take any in
terest in passing occurrences, lie heard
nothing, saw nothing, but the blue, numb
hands of street beggars, who seemed to
beset his path every few rods, for his char
acteristc charity was well known, and a
few were the palms that did not close on
the coveted penny.
For Mark was a good man, humane,
charitable and generous in all things, and
until a year back the world had gone well
with him. But the panic swamped dozens
of his debtors; his business was dead in q
financial sense; and his creditors were
clamorous for bills he could not meet. lie
had never been careless, unwise OF eX.
trayagant in filling or discharging con
tracts and his business difficulties haG
come upon him SO swiftly and impercepti
bly, that the blow fell heavier than if he
had been expecting some such catastrophe
But Alice Shelton knew nothing Of all
this. The mental turmoil going on in hel
husbands breast never found vent in &
dissatisfied word or look, and until the
previous day he had kept his face an(
manner free from all traces of care an,
anxiety But the constant excitement ant
| Will ilbe DCOu wv lIdlu 1Ol ulIA, anu LIlS
dunning of creditor who demanded the
punctual payment of note of four thou
sand that fell due Oh the 2lst of Decembel
together with other unforeseen debts, hat
so upset him that he could not cover his
mental distresses with the mask of care
lessness he had worn for weeks past
His greatest trouble was for Alice
Never very strong-and he had often un
derrated her strength-he had endeavore.
to surround her with every comfort ant
had carefully kept all harassing bushes
details or cares from her ears. He hae
given her money without stint, and he sup
posed she spent it like other women, TO
she was always we'll dressed, and his hom
was model Of order and good TASTE B,
that as it may, he never thought of tracin!
the cause of his failure to home extrava
ganee. For no woman was more thorough
ly economical, without being miserly thai
Mrs. Shelton. Her party toilets were al
wapa in avcantional taste and hpr draa