The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-10-18
1WIFE'S CONFESSION.

did not marry for love. Very few peo
pie do, so IN this respect | am neither bet
ter nor worse than my neig hbor M, |
certainly did not marry for love believe
| married Mr.. Cartwright simply because
| lie asked me.
This was how it happened. He was the
rector at DOvetOn. and we lived AT the Ma
nor House. which was about ten minutes
walk from the church and Iectury. We
had daily service at Doveton, and / nearly
always attended it, and it came to pass that
Mr. Cartwright invariably walked home
with me. 1t was a matter of custom now
and | thought nothing of ii d; it pleased him
and ON the whole IL was rather pleasant to
me also.
/ must confess, however | was rather
surprised, when, one morning as we GOT to
the avenue which led up To the Manor
House, Mr.. Cartwright asked me to be his
WIFE
| have never been able to find out whv
said yes, but | did !; perhaps | thought it a
pity To throw away so much love perhaps
| it was because lie was terribly in earnest
! that | dared not refuse him perhaps
! feared bis pale face, and his low. pleading
voice would ever haunt me if | rejected his
| love OF. perhaps it was because he only
asked me TO marry him-he did not AK me
/ If | loved him, for think he guessed | dId
nOr perhaps IT was all these reasons put
! together, but anyhow | said yes, and in
due time we were married
| ought to have been very happy, for he
was most devoted husband, but | was
not, and though did not notice it then. |
| know now that for the first six months after
our marriage he was not happy either.
| IL was all my fault either would not
! or could not love him. | accepted all his
devotion to me as a matter Of course but
/ made no effort 20 return it and | am sure
/ lie found out that he had made a mistake
1 IN marrying a woman who did not love
/ him.
| One morning about six months after our
/ marriage, he told me at breakfast that he
! intended leaving me alone fora few weeks,
/ t. stay with his mother, who was net very
! well. He watched the effect of this an
nouncemeut on me, but though | was
really dlspleased, | concealed my annoy
| ance, aud asked carelessly when he would
start.
! He replied, the next day if l had no OBJ
/ lection, aud so il was settled
lie was more affectiOnate than usual tn at
| day, and l was colder than ever only
once alluded to his journey, and that was
| to ask 1t | might have my sister Maude to
! stay while he was gone
The next morning was anxious to avoid
( a formal parting, SO | drove to the station
| with him. AS the train moved off, | re-
membered this was our first parting since
| our marriage, and / wished l had not been
| So cold.
/ When [ got home the house looked so
| dreary and empty aud there was no one to
| meet me; presently one Of the servants
| came for the shawls, and with her Nero.
| MI. CartwrIghts retriever, which, when he
| saw L was alone, set up howl for his mas
/ ter. l patted him aud tried to comfort
hIm, feeling rebuked by his grief, as he
! followed me, whining, into the house, -
! Every room seemed empty, and each spoke
/ OF the absent master. AT last | wandered
into his study, where he spent his mornings
and liked me to sit and work and now
! remembered how often had excused nv.
! sell, saying preferred :he drawing room
! aud this reflection did not add 10 nv nan
! piness.
There was photograph of me standing
| on his writing table, aud another on the
! chlmney piece on the walls hung two or
! three of my drawings, which he had begged
| OF me when we were engaged indeed. the
| room was full of little remen, brances of
NE opened book bad given him, and
| IN u was his name i'll my hand dwriting, and
| underneath in his own, "Frem my darling
] wife" l laid it down with a sigh. as /
| thought how carefully he treasured every
thlng had ever given him, and how little
care | had taken Of all his gifts to me-
Everything | attempted, everything I
| looked at reminded me of his goodness to
me and of my coldness and !ngratitude to
! hIm. At last | went to bed, where, after
working myself into fever of anxiety lest
he should not have reached the end of his
Journey in safety, | at length cried myself
| TO sleep.
The next morning I went down to break
last with heavy heart, for knew could
net hear from him till the next 6av: il
! mpn Cn 70, IL !,
| Nero appeared to think So. too, for he was
| most unhappy. shifting round his masters
] chair III the most melancholy manner.