River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-10-30
THE WIFE'S DREAM.

A COSY. prettily-furnlshed sitting
room. singing birds in gilded cages, q
plnmp Angora cat on the velvet rug be-
fore the fire, wise-looking pug stretch
I'd Iazily on the flowing skirts Of pref.
ty woman's pretty dress. Truly, a sweet
domestic picture. But stopl Surely
that is a frown between those prettily
arched brows, and the full swell of the
under lip is very like pout. And, as
/ live. there are two great tears on tke
long black Iashes : And now she breaks
ont into a torrent of petulent, impatient
words:
"The same tiresome things day after
day-first breakfast, then kiss Charlie
goodbye, then directions to cook for
the o'clock dinner, and after that
needle-work-how | hate it or calls,
made or received, in which one is treat
ed to full account of Mrs. Blanks ex-
travagance, of Miss Honiton's flirta-
tions, of that hOrrid Col. St. Cyr, so
awfully fast, my dear, and so distress
ingly good-looking.' HOW tired / am
of it all And there is Charlie. Who
would have believed he could change
so ia so short time? He no longer
cares for ball, theatre or opera, but
dons dressing-gOwn, smoking-cap and
slippers directly he has swallowed his
dinner, lights that horrid meerschaum
and passes the evening behind a news
paper enveloped in smoke clouds. o
dear | wish ] had not been in quite
such hurry TO get married. o 60
away, Bijou," and with her slippered
foot she thruss the teasing pug from
her.
A rap at the door, and to her sharp
"CJme in, servant appears, bearing
a card. Madame looks; flushes, says
81 will be down directly" and flies TO
her dressing-room, brushes her flushed
cheeks with tine cooling powder puff,
pats the brown waves of her hair with
two pretty dimpled hands, glances at
herself in the glass smiles and descends
to the drawing-rOom.
A tall, gentlemanly- looking man rises
and comes forward as she enters.
Mrs. Thornton"
That is ali he says, but the tone and
the manner are most impressive, and
thrills through the heart of the 3lfe s.
Charities words and tones used to be-
fore he took to neglecting her for dress
ing gowns, sleepy hOllOws and meer-
scbaums.
Well, they talk of the weather, the
last new opera, etc etc, commonplace
subjects enough, but why should his
eyes cause hers to WAIVER and drOop,
glad to shelter themselves behind the
white lids? Why, at parting, is the lit
tie white hand so hastily Withdrawn
from the warm, close pressure of mis-?
Why, after he has gone, does she gaze
So tenderly at the hand she had so hast
lily Withdrawn, raise it almost to her
hips, and then suddenly let it drop to
her side? | can tell you that. She
loves her husband with her whole warm,
passionate heart. And for a year and
more she been living on husks. He
considers his whole duty done when the
table is beautifully supplied, his wife
well-dressed, and he does not waver in
his allegiance to her. Possession has
dimmed the bright lustre of his love,
and so the wife's heart is hungry for 1t,
and this old admirer, whom she gladly
brew over for Charlie, is welcome to-
lay, for the sake of the ripple he makes
this dead-sea mOrotony down which
she is slowly drifting. And his eyes
cause hers to droop, and his hand pres
sure causes her heart to throb, because
there Is love in the eyes and tenderness
in the hand pressure.
She does not care one iota tor this
Ray Remmjneton. Still, she has hun
geIed - long that this crust Is not so
unpalalable to her as it would once have
been. There! sir, or madame, you've
the explanation. As for you, Mr.. Jones
or Robinson, Is there so much differ
ence between your conduct ard this
Charles Thornton, of whom | write,
that YOU can afford to pass the lesson by
rs not applicable to you? II so, Mrs.
Jones or Robinson is 10 be congratulate
ed. She Is a happy woman, and God
bless you, sir, say /, and | wish there
were more like you.
Now | am not going 10 make of this
handsome Ray Remington a tiend in
carnate. No, he was simply what would
be termed q genuinely good fellow.
Which means that he was witty, gene
rous, warm friend, nobody's enemy,
and little, just little, weak and i'm
pulsive-enough so to follow up his
own desires and inclinations, reckoning
little of the cost or consequence to him.
self or others.
He had been very much in love with
pretty Mrs ThotnTon before she became
Mrs. Ihornton-When she was pretty
Lou Tremame, and had asked her TO
change her name for that of Reming-
ton. But pretty Miss Tremaine was
very much in love with some one else,
and few months thereafter made her
self ard that other Supremacy happy by
going through q certain Gel emony III
Grace church, reSplendent in white sat
in and Brussels lace. And Ray Rem
ington, with dull. gnawing pain at his
heart, acted as groOmsman, and there
was not tremor in his voice, though
the brave face was quite colorless when
he congratulated the bride and groom
and wished them bon voyage.
He had met Mrs. Thornton several
times since her return from her tour,
bat never alone, rs to-day, and he
found it dangerously sweet to sit there
gazing into the lovely eyes and at the
dear, tender little mocth OF his early
love.
But let us return TO Mrs. Thornton
SIZE stands there, in the center OF that
pretty room, with Il white, white face
aud Wild, frightened look IN the sweet
blue eyes, then bursts into passionate
food of tears, throws herself on the
nearest chair, drops her face IN her
hands. and her hands on the table be-
fore her. Five-ten-fiileen minutes
pass. The sobs grow fainter and faint
or. Az length silence reigns, save for
au occasional chirp from tho cAnaries
and the ticking of the pretty French
clock on the nlantel. A rap at the door
arouses her, ind James enters with d
cluster of violets. There is no card
nothing to tell from whom they came
but she knows only too well. In tins
dear old days, when she was Miss Ire
maine, TWO such clusters were left every
day at her door, one bearing Ray Rem
inston's card and the other Charlie
ThoJnton's.
How long ago it seems, and how
changed the vioiets are! As fragrant Al
Of OLD, and as quantity pretty, their deal
liGtle faces all awry. but somehow they
almost make her cry. And she liken'
them 10 little, fearful blue eyes, ant
kisses them tendeIly, pityingly, anC
tbon-jhrusts them hurriedly into tht
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