Middletown transcript., 1882-03-17
PLAYING WITH FIRE.
BY MARY n. PRESCOTT.

/
BY MARY N. PRESCOTT.
It has passed into truism that it is
dangerous thing to play with fire,
and Mrs. Richmond found it so, to her
cost, during the summer she spent at
the Dovecote. Mr.. Richmond had been
model lover at the time of their mar
riage, but, like many another, posses
sion had made him secure, and by
almost imperceptible degrees he had
abandoned those tender acts and asSu-
RANGES which are the staff of life to
some women, without which existence
is not TO be tolerated. He was neither
unkind nor unmindful, but he was
absorbed and busy be had thousand
schemes Oh foot, and having married
her for love, he took it for granted that
she knew the fact too well to doubt it
or to need to hear it repeated daily, not
aware that there are some women who
live in fear lest ''Iove died in the last
expression. He no longer told her
she was the prettiest woman in the
world, although lie still believed it ;
nor begged her to wear his favorite
flower; nor chose her colors in fact,
he omitted any comments on her ap-
pearance she was the same heroine to
him whether IN velvet or bomespun,
whether rosy with youth or ashen-hued
with age. He rarely had time to go
out with her nowadays, and she missed
the attentions, the endearments, the
batteries, which had sweetened her
daily life, and began to question if he
had outgr0wn her and his love; if she
had "gone off" in her personal appear
ance if her mind had gathered rust
while his was sharpened and frightened
by friction with men and affairs.
She began to tremble for her happi-
ness, to devise means for improving
herself, for preserving youth, or its
semblance she once even went so far
as to try little rouge on her cheeks,
and was rewarded by Mr.. Richmond
asking if she were i'll. "YOu looked
flushed, (" he said, "and high color
dOesn' t become your style" She threw
the rouge away, and studied her style.
She read tedious books of travel, phil
osophy, and science, that she might de-
velop some mental charm to hold him
she almost wished she might have some
serious illness, something to startle him
out of his Indifference. Of course Mr..
Richmond never dreamed of this silent |
tragedy going on at his fireside-that |
tireside which seemed to him like a |
little heaven ON earth-and when busi-
ness obliged him to run over to London
for some months, and it was proposed |
that she should take rooms at the Dc
veeote, "by the nlargent Of the sea, it
was the last straw. +" He would carry |
me abroad with him if he still cared for
me-" she thought, not understanding,
with womanly lack Of logic, that lie
was ''not Oh pleasure bent, and would |
have no spare moments for picture
gallery or drawing-room. Have !
lost all attraction" she asked herself,
'' or was it mistake to suppose had |
any, a mistake which he has been find
ing out Would he fall in love with |
me. wonder, if we were both single ?
Would anybody ?" If she could only
make him trife jealous-ah that was
the touch-stone Of love
The guests at the Dovecote were all
ladies, married and single, with the ex-
ception of Roger Laurence, who had
come down to fill his sketch-book, shoot
birds, and do little lettering in quiet
nook, he said. The time hung heavily
on Mrs. Richmond's hands perhaps
she signified as much perhaps Mr..
Laurence OWNED it. "Do you row,
Mrs. Richmond p he asked one day.
No; Mr.. Richmond was always
going to teach me when l was first
married, but he never had time.' She
spoke in the sad imperfect tense, :" AMI
sighed without knowing it. "Let me
teach you" he begged and so it hap
pened that the other inmates of the
Dovecote used to laugh and call Mrs.
Richmond the water-nymph and Mr.
Laurence the river-god. In accepting
the invitation Mrs. Richmond had had
no other thought than to please her
husband with a new accomplishment
on his return, hoping that together
they might explore all the sinuous
windings of the river, and renew their
days of love-making. The idea Of show,
Ing him that another man valued her
companionship, found a spell in her so
ciety which he had overlooked, arrived
later. She had not counted upon find
ing any pleasure in the presence Of Mr..
Laurence or his ill-conceaIed admira-
tion. He was simply young man who
was inclined to be obliging and cour-
teous. But presently she was looking
forward to these excursions, presently
detected that the fact of Mr.. Laurence
preferring her companiOnship, when
there were youth and beauty to choose
from, lent her d subtle sense of power,
restored the self-coDfidence she had
lost, gave her delicious sort of sur
prise, such as girl who had always
believed herself plain might experience
if some one should own she was be-
witching.