Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-06-26
The PRICE OF HER FOLLY
BY MENA ST. JOHN.

nam 0uSDdDu. III lHdt OuC Sii-
cumstance lay, as most men
thought, the browning good for
tune of very fort unate life. The
ma jority of women, however, were
not of the same opinion.
Mrs. Wynhan was young wo-
man, beautiful, undoubtedly, with
the dark, luxuriant beauty of the
South. Puritanic society called
Mrs. Wynham wicked woma d;
aid so she was, if you hold it de-
spicable and vile to break solemn
oath-if you consider it wicked
for a woman who has sworn to
love, honor and obey only one
man to encourage pronounced
love-making from all the interest
ing men who come in her way.
Mrs. Wynham called her pro-
miscuous flirtations amusement,
and would have been highly in
dignant had any one limited at her
want of respect, either for herself
or husband But a woman who
habitually sets proprlety at def
ance is not very reliable.
They were summering In a dead
New England village. Mr.. Wyn-
ham had taken her out of the way
of temptation, hoping that she
would learn to love solitude, to
cultivate the virtues.
Vain hope! In a week Mrs
Wynham declared that she was
dying of the blues, and that, If
Mr.. Wynham persisted in living
like hermit, he might do so
alone, she would leave him for
ever.
To this, Mr.. Wynham, who was
not an angel, replied that she
might do as she pleased, he had
taken rooms for the summer and
meant to occupy them.
Then he went out slamming the
door behind him, and walked
down to the depot and took a seat
in the morning express for the
city, cursing the fate that had tied
him to such heartless, cruel,
beautiful incumbrance.
But through the day Mr.. Wynn
hams wrath cooled; he began to
call himself a wretch, tyrant,
to make all sorts of excuses for her.
She had done him no wrong
and he loved her still, as he had
when he married her, as he always
would though she should betray
every trust, destroy all confidence,
and trample upon his honor. Un-
doubtedly he was fool, but he
couldn't help it.
Then he began to fear that she
might act on her threat to leave
him. He remembered the dan
gerous, daring flash in her eyes,
and knew that she would very
probably act on the wild. unrea-
sonable impulse.
The poor man went back TO their
retreat by an early train, prepared
to pet her, humor her, go to the
worlds end with her, but never
let her leave him. I'd
He was not prepared to find the
lady in a darkened parlor, arrayed
in an elaborate white toilet, liz up
with scarlet geraniums. He was
not transported with delight to
find Mr.. Ned Satterly bending
over his wife'S chair, his hand
some blonde head.very close to the
dark. beautiful face turned to-
ward him.
However, even this was prefer.
able to not finding her at all, and
this much envied husband choked
his anger and made the best of q
very bad situation.
For a " hole fortnight he kept
on making the best Of it. During
that time Mrs Wynham had
learned to dote upon country life
had succeeded in outraging public
opinion, had made herself and her
fair-haired attendant the sole talk
of the slow, old fashioned town.
1t could not last much longer
Mr.. Wynham was gradually max.
ing up his mind that she must
choose between him and Satterly,
between lasting honor and indy.
ing disgrace. One evening Mr.
Wynham drove up from the sta
ton in a torrent of rain, amidst
the crashing Of thunder and flash
ing of lightning. That very nigh
he would put the terrible alterna.
tive.
No Mrs. Wynham in their
rooms; no Mrs. Wynham in the
ladies parlor. He made inquiries
In the morning Mr.. Satterly had
driven the lady to the beach
about ten miles off, and had mol
yet returned.
In half an hour a man with s
a pale, set face, with a bitter an
ger, a half acknowledged dread a
his heart. was driving a pair 0
horses furiously through the rair
on toward the sea- shore.
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