Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-04-13
THE DOCTORS SECOND WIFE


The DOCTORS SECOND WIFE.
DR. Brinsley belongs to the noble
army of martyrs and heroes known as
country doctors" He was til" sort
of MN you could love if you loved
him: otherwise You would probably
dislike him, for he was peculiar;
everybody said so. Now there are
several ways of being peculiar, and
the doctors ways We're not always
pleasant unless yOu loved
him. His wife had loved him. and to
ner he had seemed the mos. perfect
of men. He suited her and she suited
him, and they had been very happy.
1t must not be supposed that her
love had been OF the cooling kind.
Perhaps the doctor would not have
enjoyed that Darling Becky re
joiced in making bright, spicy. impu
dent remarks to her husband Re
marks which made his big brown
eyes sparkle with delight; then he
would meet her half way, and they
would fight the most interesting lit
tie duels, followed by the most aficc-
tiOnate reconciliaticns But it was
now three long years since poor
Becky had been resting in her quiet
grave AMI the doctors friends had
decided that he needed some one to
keep house for him.
After much persuasion he had been
particularly introduced to Miss Della
Swan. What a name" thought the
doctor, but as he looked at her he saw
that she was fair, gentle. healthy and
rs. "A good, sensible age: must be
neat and orderly" was his verdict
In a moment of enthusiastic selfish
ness he had proposed tie her, and in Il
moment of enthusiastic devotion she
had accepted him.
They We're married. She lived in
his house, she poured out his tea and
coffee, she entertained his friends,and
everybody said: "Oh, how much
nicer she was than that other womanr
She was very popular with everybody.
but she was not at all popular with
the doctor
To him that other woman" was
still all the world and the brightness
thereof. SO homeless did he feel il
presence of this much nicer woman
that his visits to Becky's grave were
the only happy hours of his new life
After awhile he became more accus
toned to Della, and then he began t,
give her free and frequent lecture.
on Becky. "She used to say SO ant
so, she used to do this and that, an(
as she had been right then, she mus
be right now and forever, and il
everything
Della had married "from sens,
OF duty" and deserved to be punish
ed; but it seemed to her that he
punishment was greater than she de
served. She would not have wished
that her husband should forget tn,
wife of his youth, but she had OK
pected that he would have some re
gard for the woman whom he had in
vited to preside over his household
and she had hoped to make hin
comfortable; to do her duty b,
him." as she expressed it. Part o.
that duty she had performed in the
most admirable manner; never haJ
the doctors house been SO clean
never had his shirt bosoms shon,
with such lustre; but the heart which
beat behind them she had been I'm
able to conquer.
Was it her fault? Had she not
tried to be kind, to be patient. to be
meek? Yes, but it was the trying
that spoiled it all and she lacked the
sweet boldness which love alone can
nj, ,f, ~ 4
ungraclous man, and she was Jealous
OF Becky, much loved, happy Becky
At the end of six months of such a
life the doctor noticed that Della
looked pale and thin. "You need a
little more fresh air." he prescribed.
=" And shall take you out as often as
l can Not without some inward
fear, but attired in her very best,
Della sat in the buggy by the side of
her lord. 1t was balmy spring af-
ternoon. nature looked so fresh, SO
bright, SO happy, that little of this
happiness breathed itself into Delia's
SAD heart. The doctor must also
have been touched by these benign in
huences, for never before had he been
SO KIND. SO attentive to her. so talka-
tive. She smiled several times: twice
she absolutely laughed, she sat a little
nearer to hlm.her cheeks bloomed and
she was beginning to feel quite com
Portable. when, as luck would have it
they happened to ride past very
small cottage, SO very small that
Della said, "Oh. look, | wonder how
people live in such a tiny bit of q
house,"
The doctors brow grew dark. In
such a house as this" he said in his
most impressive manner; in such a
house as this my wife and I lived in
the greatest of happiness when We
were first married"
Had Della been suddenly shifted
from India's coral strand to Green
lands icy mountains the shock could
hardly have been greater. His wife"
she thought. j." then if she is his wife
what am r. Peculiar reasoning
perhaps, but Della knew very well
what she meant. All that evening
she sat silently sewing and answerin:
the doctors remarks with primness
OF dignity that surprised him. But
he asked no questions and took ref
nge IN thoughts of the old days when
Becky sat Ill that same chair, sewing
too. but with such bright, loving
looks, such an interesting way of
saying things. And now. what a diff
ference, What, in truth. was this
woman to him? Not wife. not even