Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-10-03
CHAPTER. Ill

CHAPTER. III.
The wedding was over. The honey
moon was over also, and Mrs. Melville.
richly dressed, and looking very lovely,
with Edward as an attentive and devoted
husband beside her, was receiving her
guests.
Nellie was among them. She was
paler than usual, and her free, happy,
girlish laugh was gone forever. Yet she,
too, looked lovely this afternoon, In her
pretty blue silk dress and cottage bon
net, and there was q sweetness and beauty
in the expression of her gentle young
face that went far beyond any mere
beauty of feature.
The house was handsome and we'll
appointed, the servants were models of
attentive respect. All seemed as it
should be. Nellie stayed the remainder
of the day, and saw nothing that she
I'D not like. Edward was forever on
the watch to please Oracle, and she, for
her part, took it all as her due, and so
far gave him her sweetest smiles In re-
turn. What more could be wanted?
Only few weeks passed. Nellie was
invited to dine with them. After dinner
they were moving about the drawing
room, and Grace was exhibiting to Mel
lie some choice bouquets of flowers
which had been sent her that morning.
They had all been arranged on one
table, III accordance with whim of the
young wife, who declared that the effect
of their richness and color was lost when
they were scattered.
But Edward had not heard her say
this.
"Let me put this blue vase here,
Oracle" he unwittngly began, remov-
ing it, as he spoke, to another table.
"There 1t shows to advantage now :"
Grace, with heightened color, deliber-
ately walked to the table, and, taking
up the vase, restored it to its former po-
sition.
cit is quite out of the way there, +"
she said, stifiy, ''and this is where i
wish it to be, Edward"
Chow great a matter a little fire kin
dlethi" Edwards color also rose, yet
he did not look angry.
"And I wish that it should stand
here" he returned, once more taking
up the vase, and then he added, half re-
proachfully, half playfully, "you prom
ised to obey me, Oracle, did you not?"
"Don't be so ridiculous, Edward |"
And her eyes flashed, and she looked as
if she would have dashed the flowers
from his hand, and before he could set
them down she had taken them from
him, and finally placed them in the par
ticular spot she had chosen.
Edward looked panied, and Nellie
unused wonderingly over it all, as he, in
moody silence, escorted her home.
Could all this have happened in q house
where love was lord? No, indeed. GA
woman" thought Nellie, "who loves.
loves also to obey"
But this proved to be only the begin
ming of small discomforts and disagree
ments. Many months passed. Grace
grew more imperlous than ever, and Ed
wards face lost all its brightness, and he
seemed day by day to grow old and 81
lent and sad. And when Nellie went to
see them now, she found that unless
Grace expected visitors she took but
small pains with herself, remarking
sometimes to Nellie, as they went down
stairs for the evening:
"I have not dressed, Nellie. OF
course you don't mind, and there's no.
body else but Edward"
Nobody but Edward! Love would
have made him all the world to Nellie.
-" would wear my prettiest and best
dresses for my husband, Gracie," she
said. ''As for other people, they might
go. What should care for them 2"
But Grace only frowned for reply.
Nellie had not been to see them for
some time, ard various small circum-
stances caused her to suspect that they
had hadaserious quarrel Gracehad gone
for fortnight-all alone-and Nellie's
father, taking pity upon solitary, sor-
rowful-looking Edward, had invited him
to spend an evening with them.
After tea he sauntered into the gar
den, and he was gone so long that Mel
lie went to look for him. She glanced
under the shady trees-it was summer
again inow-but he was not to be seen.
Then she came to the summer-house.
Ali, there he was, leaning forward on
the little green-painted table, his head
IN his hands, and Nellie heard him muir
muir, in a low, moaning tone:
81 wish, oh wish"
The rest was indistinct, and his long.
ing, whatever it might be, was still his
own secret. And Nellie passed softly on
and indoors.
Grace had little daughter, but, in
stead of rejoicing In Edwards house,
there was bitter sorrow, and, as the
young husband knelt by the bed
side of his unconscious wife, he felt all
the old love for her filling his heart once
more.
P1.k x=l,o4 III s-..,> 41.1 L.. .ia,.A-L L.