Smyrna times., 1883-05-16
The Doctors Second Wife.

The Doctors Second Wife. q
DIR. Brinsley belongs to the noble !
army Of martyrs and heroes known as !,
country doctors" He was the sort of
man yuu could love if you loved him
otherwise you would probably dislike
him, for he was very peculiar, every
body said so. Now there are several
ways of being peculiar, and the doctors
ways were not always pleasant ways
unless you loved him. His wife had
loved him, and to her he seemed the
most perfect of men. He suited her
and she suited him, and they had been
happy. 1t must not be supposed that
her love had been of the cooling kind.
! Perhaps the doctor would not have en-
! joyed that. Darling Becky rejoiced in
making bright, spicy, impudent re-
marks to her husband. Remarks that
made his large brown eyes sparkle
with delight, then he would meet her
half way, and they would fight the |
most interesting little duels, followed |
by the most affectiOnate reconciliations. |
But it was now three years since poor
Becky had been resting in her quiet
grave, and the Doctors friends has
decided that he needed some one to
keep house for him.
After much persuadimg Ee had been
parts a.4riy introduced to Miss Della
Swan. "What name?" thought the
Doctor. But as he looked at her he
saw she was fair, gentle, healthy and
twenty-siX. "A good sensible age;
must be neat and orderly" was his
verdict. In moment of enthusiastic
devotion she had accepted him.
They were 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 the other w0manu She
was very popular with everybody, but
she was not very popular with the
Doctor.
TO him "that other woman" was
still all the world and the brightness
thereof. So homeless did he feel in
the presence of this much nicer woman
that his visits to Becky's grave were
the only happy hours of his new life
After while he became more accus-
toned to Della, and then he began to
give her free and frequent lectures on
Becky. She " used to say so and so,
and she used to do this and that: and
: as she had been right then, she must
be right now and forever in every
thing.
Della had married from sense of
duty" and deserved 10 be punished
but it seemed to her that her punish
ment was greater than she deserved
d. She would not have wished that her
= husband should forget the wife of his
= youth, but she had expected that he
n would have some regard for the woman
VI he had invited to preside over his
household, and she had hoped to make
9m him comfortable; to "do her duty BY
him" as he expressed it. Part of thai
duty she had performed in the mos
admirable manner; never had thC
6 Doctors house been so clean; neve
- had his shirt bosoms shone with sucl
lutre; but the heart that beat behinC
them she had been unable to conquer
n Was it her fault? Had she not trie,
to be kind, to be patient, to be meek
Yes, but it was the trying that spoile,
it all, and she lacked the sweet bold
ness which love alone can give. Sh
oi was almost afraid of that ungraciou
man, and she was jealous of Becky
C. much loved, happy Becky. At the en-
of six months of such life, the Docto
inc noticed that Della looked pale an
thin. "You need little more fres
oso air, he prescribed, "and I shall tax
you out as often as can" Not will
$. out some inward fear, but attired i
Fn" her best Della sat in the buggy by tn
side of her lord. 1t was a balmy Sprin
afternoon, nature looked so fresh,
bright, SO happy, that little of tn
10 happiness breathed itself into Della
,os+ sad heart. The Doctor must also hay
been touched by these benign inf
ences, but never before had he been
kind, so attentive to her, so talkativ
I'll She smiled several times; twice 81
absolutely laughed. She sat lit
nearer to him, her cheeks bloomed al
,ck. she was beginning to feel quite cor
Portable, when, as luck would have
they happened to ride past We
small cottage, so very small that Del
said, "Oh, look! l wonder how pc
ns pie live in such tiny bit of house
The Doctors brow grew dark. g
such house as this,n he said in
- most impressive manner; lin just su
. house as this my wife and l lived
" the greatest happiness when we we
first married.
Ic Had Della been suddenly shift
- from Indias coral strand to Gree
lands icy mountains, the shock COT
hardly haye been greater. His wifi
she thought, "then if she is his wi
what am I?" Peculiar reasoning 70
~ haps, but Della knew very we'll WI
Ill, she meant. All that evening she
silently sewing and answering I
; Doctors remark with primness
H-| dignity that surprised him. But
asked no questions and took refuge
$500 thoughts of the old days when Bee
sat in that same chair, sewing, too,
with such bright, loving looks, such
interesting way of saying things! A
now what a difference! What,
- truth, was this woman to him? No
wife, not even companion, Onl,
housekeeper. And he gazed at her
fiectively. 1t so happened that De
who had been making desperate eff
to overcome her sulky mood, lool
lA'tf up at that moment and caught the
hite sIapped her face s Of She could ie not have @
it more, but she gave no sign. "
white fingers that trembled little,
-, folded her work and said, a am til
hre iru1 the | will go to my ROOM"
ve win Della did not sleep much that nj!
d girls ~ must leave him." she decided
'e YOUR last will not live with him unle
qsiHess ", am really his wife, l cannot" lie
'S1 once e. him; but howe She could not
De fast, back to her mothers house wi
: : oS9 co, questions would be asked which
- was determined not to answer;
persec, besides 1t was too near. Where eC
Plates, she go? A few hours afterward
y, No Ses question was answered. She rece
odeied a letter post-marked Denver, Col
xtra . do" it came from "dear Co
h'Sn'H Mamie" and as she read her Il
, Is en- Delia's face frightened; it is just '