Morris tribune., 1883-02-28
THE DOCTORS SECOND WIFE

DIR. Brinsley belongs to the noble army
of martyrs and heroes known as country
doctors" He was the sort of man you
could love if you loved him: otherwise
you would probably dislike him, for he
was very peculiar; everybody said so.
Now there are several ways of being
peculiar, and the doctors ways were
net always pleasant ways-unless you
loved him. His wife had loved him, and
to her he had seemed the most 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 cosing kind. Perhaps
the doctor would not have enjoyed that.
Darling Becky rejoiced in making bright,
spicy imprudent remarks to her husband.
Remarks which made his big brown eyes
sparkle with delight; then he would
meet half way, and they would fight the
most interesting little duels, followed
| by the most atfectionate reconciliations
| But it was now three long years since
poor Becky had been resting in her
| quiet grave and the doctors friends had
decided that he needed some one to
keep house for him.
! After much persuation he had been
particularly introduced to Miss Della
Swan. "What namep' thought the
doctor, but as he looked at her he saw
that she was fair, gentle, healthy and 26.
"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 cot-
fee, she entertained his friends, and
she was than that other woman!" She
was very popular with everybody, but
she 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 fell 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 accustomed to Della, and
then he began to give her frequent lee
lures on Becky. "She" used to say so
and so, she used to do this and that, and
she had been right then, she must be
right now and forever. and in every
thing.
Della had married "from sense of
duty" and deserved to be punished;
but it seemed to her that her punish
ment was greater than she deserved.
She would not have wished that her hus-
band should forget the wife of his youth
but she had expected that Re would
have some regard for the woman whom
he had invited to preside over his house
hold, and she had hoped to make him
comfortable: to ''do her duty by him."
as she expressed it. Part of that duty
she had performed in the most admir-
able manner, never had the doctors
house been so clean; never had his shirt
bosoms shone with such lustre; but the
heart which beat behind them she had
been unable 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 give. She was al
most afraid of that ungracious 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, |
land 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 afternoon, 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 |
influences, for never before had he been |
so kind, so attentive to her, so laxative. |
She smiled several times; twice she alb |
solutely laughed. She sat little nearer |
to him, her cheeks bloomed and she was
beginning to feel quite comfortable, when,
as luck would have it, they happened to |
ride past very small cottage, so very |
small that Della said, ooh, look! won
der how people live in such tiny bit of
house?"
The doctors brow grew dark. "In
such a house as this" he said in his most |
impressive manner;"i just such house
as this my wife and lived in the great
est happiness when we were first mar
ried?"
Had Della been suddenly shifted from
India's coral strand to Greenland's icy
mountains the shock could hardly have
been greater. "His wife," she thought,
"then, if she is his wife, what am I?'
Peculiar reasoning, perhaps, but Della
knew very we'll what she meant. All
LudI SNcu1llS OuC OllChII1 0OWAAe l
answering the doctors remarks, with
primness of dignity that surprised
him. But he asked no questions
and took refuge in thoughts of
the old days when Becky sat in that same
loving looks, such an interesting way Of
saying things And now, what a difference.
What, in truth, was this woman to him7
Not wife, not even companion, only
a housekeeper. And he gazed at her re.
fectively. 1t so happened that Della,
who had been making desperate efforts
to overcome her sulky mood, looked up
at that moment and caught the full mean
ing of the doctors eyes. Had he slap
ped her face she could not have felt it
more, but she gave no sign. With white
fingers that trembled little she folded
her work and said, Il am tired, I will 60
to my room"
Della did not sleep much that night,
Il must leave him." she decided at last.
81 will not live with him unless ami
but how? She could not go back to her
mothers house where questions would
be asked which she was determined not
to answer: and besides it was too near,
Where could she 90? A few hours af-
She received letters pest-marked
Denver, Colorado" it came
from "dear cousin Mamie," and as she
read her letter Delia's face frightened;
sit is just what wanted" she said to
herself.
One evening when the doctor came
home, Bridget met him at the door and
said, "Missus has gone, sir; she had to- 60
kind OF sudden, but she said she would
write and tell you" "All right" an
swered the doctor. "Gone to her moth
er's" he explained to himself. 81 sup
pose there is some sort of fandango GO
ing on there" He made himself very
comfortable. It was cool evening, and
he smoked his cigar, and put his feet on
the stove, with "no one nigh to hinder"
But what the doctor really liked was to
be hindered; he enjoyed watching the
mild shadow of disapproval stealing over
Dalia's faro. If che bod frankly and |