Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-03-12

had known the heavenly charm o
? their deep, delicious harmony; and
now they were silent, motionless,
muffied. so to speak, in silks and
! satins. These chords still and sound
less, her heart was dead; not the
less 50 because it had been killed by
a golden shaft Having known and
felt the life of sympathy in love,
she could not but mourn for it, un-
consoled by the life of luxury. In
: short, Katie in time became mag
nifieently miserably, splendidly un-
happy.
Then a change became apparent
in her husband. He could not long
remain blind to the fact that his
love was not returned. He sought
the company of those whose gayety
might lead him to forget the sorrow
and despair of his soul. This shad-
0w-joy was unsatisfactory, however;
and, impelled by powerful longings
for love he went astray to warm by
a strange fire.
Katie saw herself now in the
midst of gorgeous desolation,
burning with thirst unquenchable
by golden streams that flowed
around her; painting with a hum
ger not all the food of fiattery and
admiration could appease.
She reproached her husband for
deserting her thus, and Ire answered
! with angry and desperate taunts of
deception and total lack of love
which smote her conscience heavily.
"You do not care for me-" he
cried !; "then why do you complain
that | bestow elsewhere the affec-
tions that you have met with cold
ness?"
"But it is rong-sinful,'' Katie
demonstrated.
Eyes | know it /" said her hus-
band, fiercely. at is the evil fruit
of an evil seed. And who sowed
that seed? Who gave me hand
without heart? Who became a
sharer of my fortune, but gave me
no share in sympathy? Who de-
voted me to the fate of loving,
unloved husband? ? Nay, do not |
weep, and clasp your hands, and |
sigh and sob with such desperation |
of fimpatience-for | say nothing you
do not deserve to hear"
every well, said Katie, calming |
herself; 81 will not complain /
will not say your reproaches are un-
deserved. But granting that / am
the cold, deceitful thing you call me
YOU know this state of things can
not continue"
Eyes, / know it."
"Well?"
Mr.. Wellington frowned darkly;
his eyes flashed with determination; |
his lips curled with scorn.
81 have made up my mind" said
he, ''that we should not live to- [
gether any longer. | am tired of
being called the husband of the
splendid Mrs. Wellington. | will
move in my circle; you shall shine
in yours. [ will place no restraint
on your actions, nor shall you on
mine. We viii be free"
''But the world ~ shrieked Katie,
trembling.
"The world will admire you the
same-and what more do you de-
sire ?' asked her husband bitterly.
"The marriage of hands and not of
hearts is mockery. We have played
the farce long enough. You know
the conventional meaning of the
term husband and wife but do you
know what it should mean? ? Do
you feel that the only true union is
that of love and sympathy? Then
enough of this mummery. Fare
well. / go to consult friends about
the terms of separation. Nay, do
not tremble and cry and cling to
me now, for / shall be liberal to
you, AS much of my fortune shall
be yours rs YOU deSire.O
He pushed her from him. She
fell upon the sofa. From a heart
torn with anguish she shrieked
aloud:
"Frank! Frank! why did l send
you from me? Why did l sacrifice
love and happiness to such fate as
this? ? Why was blind until sight
brought me misery ?"
She lay upon the sofa, sObbing
and weeping passionately. Gradu-
ally her grief appeared to exhaust
itself; her head lay peacefully upon
her arm, over which swept her
disheveled tresses, until, with a
start, she cried
Frank oh, Frank, come back
"Here / am," said a soft voice by
her side.
She raised her head. She opened
her astonished eyes. Frank was
before her!
"You have been asleep" he said,
kindly.
"Asleep ?'
"And dreaming, too, should say
mot pleasantly, either" {
Dreaming? murmured Katie. T
And is it all a dream ?o
81 hope so, replied Frank, taking {
her hand. (
"You could not mean TO send me !
from you so cruelty, know. So !
waited in your fathers study, where I
| have been talking to him all of an /
hour. ] came back 10 plead my I
,ause once more, and found you a
here where | left you-asIeep." q
"Oh, what Il horrid dream!" MUIR h
nured Katie, rubbing her eyes. 1t y
was. so like a terrible reality that q
,hudder now to think of it. ] +
thought | was married" I" d
"And would that be so horrible?' e
lsked Frank. 81 hope then you f
lid not dream you were married to f
ne.v Y
''No; l thought gave my hand il
without my heart" t
"Then, if you gave me your hand, a
t would not be without your heart?'' Ii
"No, Frank" said Katie, her o
bright eyes beaming happily a
through tears, "and here it is" v
She placed her hand in his-he v
kissed it in transport.
And soon after there was real
marriage; not a splendid, but a
lappy one; not followed by a life
If luxury, but by life of love and
and that was the mar G
iage of Frank Minot and Katie r,
Yale. n
81