Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-11-17
THE TRAGEDY OF ONE LIFE.
BIZ ELLA WHEELER.
"Can we take boarder. Geltrude?-

| coarse. blue jean garment which she was, con-
| trary 10 Bible injunctions. mending with new
cloth. and they fell upon two forums framed in
the opened door.
| one Wa the stout. burly form of her husband.
John Chester. man whose every feature and
| move aud word was imbued and pregnant with
| the commonplace born newer of wood and
| cTaTer of watrT-wh0Sc mind and heart crayed
J nothing higher than food and raiment for the
! body.
Just behind him. ana at one side stood a
Strauger VINO lowered a full head above him: a
! supple wcil-knit. we-clothed figure. hand
some blonde face. on which the mystic sign Of
I 'cuisure" was imprinted ami on which the
/ grace q b1yhOoi stIll fingered
| All this Gertrude Chester's e,es saw in one
/ swift glance rs she answered:
! why. yes John. suppose so. if it is neces-
sary. and If YOU think test
John Chester knew yery well what her
! answer would be. Gertrude's VIII never
crossed his own; though her burdens were
! Us many as She could well bear, she never
! refused TO take an additional one if he SUI
! @est"d il, and he was not slow To suggest
anything which would bring a few dimes into
/ the ia niiy Golfer. no matter how it increased
/ the cares and labors of his wife.
! ell tbs here young man is looking for a
! boarlin" place he is Mr. Berton from Pniia-
| Geipnia out here on government bu,iness-a
| land lLrnCy-and he wants room and bed
! guess this - 81" only house hereabouts where
/ he BE- likely 10 find them. So. if You re
agreed. GeTtru;ir Wen give him the room the
| -cHGoinaan had. May be You'd like to take a
look at the room? Ny wile'n show you the
| way"
Eir. Berton flushed slightly AMI bowling TO
Mrs. Chester. followed her up the broad. bare
| staircase to he spare room
| 1t wa square apart Tent. furnished with a
| pine WaSiI>tand and earthen ware; an ugly bed
stcad-Which aiirrw ard proved to be $pringipss
! AM, q pine wardrobe covered with cnl,ifZ cur
ia Us. But Rrecce Rrrton saw that it was well
Vent lated hg two good sized windows. and that
there was plenty Of room to put UP shelves for
has books. aud that everything in the apartment
was ScrupU!ouS.Y neat and clean.
1T is the best We can offer" Mrs Chester
said ap0lugCtcaily-
| 1t is quite good enough" Mr.. Berton
answered "ith smile, which was like burst
| of sunlight over his face. II am not seeking
l"r IuAIiy; indeed. do not want it. ] cane to
Iowa 70 r0,l"h it,. 1t will help me to strengthen
my character and my physique. 1 trust, which
, has been encrvated by a dollhouse sort of edu-
| cation. Hardship makes heroes"
And heroine>:' Gueried Gertrude. '.If So
! ought to ne very lustrious indeed" And
| then she went out of tn" room. without wait
| lag for r Berton's reply. But he heard her
sigh YEARLY as she went down the stairs
she is not happy or contented with her life, -
| ne unused We'll. who is. for that matter? But
she looks too refined for her surroundings. and
tor her husband Ugh lie is d course fellow
| rietean IN every sense Of the word"
| He locked closely at Mrs Chester az he sat
| opposite her at the tea table. He saw that she
must have been IA handsome Girl once and was
still ;IiI a. rdCtiVe woman under about thirty
! Her darh eye. were full OF IL restless fire: her
low. broad brow reminded him OF the head of
| tlttic which adorned his bracket al home; tue
! Gro"pof her mouth was beautiful i'll its pathos.
! her face looked weary and wogn and, most Of
| all. hungry. but it was hunger which John
/ Chester cUuli not see understand
Ie" DAY LATER, she Game 10 his door with a
| heav, bucket uf water IN her hand. lie sat at
his table writing. an': rose hastily and came for
ward To relieve her OF the bucket.
| II d. Ect want to disturb YOU" she said
| ap0io@e;itaiiy. "a She put one hand to her SIDE
/ but happened to think that lad not flied
The pitcher II your room to-day. l was so tusy
/ a. tie morn NJ.
| ''Ycu need not apologize. he answered land
! YOU need not bTng the water VI stairs to ,ne
ther- IT is too hard for you. will ill my own
| pr
! Gertrude looked ut him In swift surprise 1t
was the list time in More than years that
! She had been told ANYTHING was too hard for her
| t. do. John Chester believed her to be as hardy
and all-enduriD-, himself OF rs his horses or
/ oxen
/ Work never hurt anybody yet" he often
| sad It Is the Idle folks who are always
/ aiiin9 And Gertrude learned early in her
! married HE to refrain from mentioning anv
physical WEAKNESS or pam. 1t elected no
! SYMPATHY from her husband and seemed to
| annoy him. And never vet had he said to
her, You look tire l. Gertrude" or advised her
| TO save her strength or guard her health
! She had married young. she had been home
less orphan teaching school. John Chester WAS
wei-to-dO young man. who before marriage
made rresenta5!e appearance and had pleas
Ing address 1t seemed TO be the best thin. for
Gertrude To do. so her friends said and he had
wOocd her with real ardOr, which touched her
| hart But all the romance and ar1Or of the
| lover vanished with the honeymoon. They went
| " Est and settled on government land in Iowa
| as soon as they were married IL was q hard
dreary life. made harder and drearcr bY John
Chcster's growing slOvenliness. disregard of per
sonal appearance and matttr-Of-iact views of all
| things.
To rise early. work late hurry through his
| three meals like some hungry animal and
plunge into bed with the first shadows OF night
and IA soon as the last ''chore" was done, was
| al his idea of existence.
| To sit and talk awhile to read an honr 70
speak tender word or bestow a tender caress-
all these things were fUts aud nonsense in his
eyes Jet they would have made Gertrude 8
! life at least content. il not happy
| IA II was. she lived wholly within herself
/ doing her duty. and more than her duty like q
work-horse, and never complaining; but her
| heart was slowly consuming with hunger They
| were making money. John Chester was re-
! garded as thriving man by his nciyhbors 1t
was all income and no CutrO. lie. was satisfied
amt congratulated himself that he had 80 will
| ing and sensible a heipmcet. And he had no
| lea that she was not perfectly we'll content He
| would have thought her insane if she had told
| him how wretchedIy dr-ary and void her life
| was He had ne vices, he never abused OF beat
| her. he fed and clothed her. he was always at
| home when not at work. Was he not model
| spouse!
| Poor thing. don't believe she has had any
! one tell her she ought not to work so hard in
! years. If ever" unused Breeze as he noted the
| surprise upon her face. ''Weil. III do what |
| can to brighten her dull life while I'm here"
| Are you fond of boOks?" he asked her that
| evening as she sat mending some socks. after
| John Chester had rolled into bed in the adon-
| ing room.
VERY" she answered. 81 have never had
| very many. though. since came to Iowa"
would sou like to use mine? or better still
| would you like to have me read aloud little
| wh.!e every evening. while you sewn suppose
you find no time to read-yOu are always 80
! busy"
| %, II yOu only would read to mel" Gertrude
/ answered. her cheeks flaming with sudden
| glory
| Il wil!." ne answered. and after that he read
! almost every evening for an hour while the
| steady sOnOrous sn0re from the next room tes-
| tined TO the undiSturbed SIMMER of John Cbes-