Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-02-13
MY FRIENDS WIFE.
BIZ FLORENCE REVERE pENDAR.

-.
self Of the feeling. It tortures me at
times beyond endurance. Perhaps I
am jealous, as you say. But you. shall
Judge for yourself. Come with us to
the theater tonight, and if you can give
me your word Of honor that you notice
nothing unusual in this infatuation Of
my wife for Claude Devine, Twill try to
believe that it is merely because he is
the rage that she, too, is anxious to
add her plaudits to those Of his many
admirers 4.
Ny dear fellow" I here interposed,
Il think you are working yourself into
fever for mere chimera Of the brain.
Your wife is the last lady should Judge
capable of conceiving an illicit passion
for any man. And I have heard that
this rising star-Claude Devine is not
given to kneeling at the feminine shrine
, in fact, that he is vastly bored by all the
alteration he is the recipient of from
his numerous lady satellites"
"God Forbid" exclaimed my friend,
chat should suspect my wife of any
thing beyond great admiration Tor the
actor; but she is young and he is un-
deniably handsome and fascinating,
dare say, in the eyes Of women, while I
am considerably her elder, and was
never celebrated for superabundance
of beauty"
"How is it," I asked, ''that you en-
gagged box for tonight? It would
have been easy enough for you to have
made some excuse"
"Why is it," he answered, "that tho
moth futters around the candle? To
tell the truth, it is not easy for me to
refuse her anything. I never did but
: once, and I have never forgotten the
strange startled look that then shone in
/ her eyes. It was q small matter, too.
You know the dislike have always en-
tertained toward private theatricals. I
; have no objection to visiting a theatre
! and making one of the audience; but I
protest against being mixed up with
anything of the kind. Laura and had
been engaged about week, / think,
when the ladies' of the house
where my betrothed and her aunt
boarded took it into their heads
to get up one of these amateur
affairs, and were for inveigling Laura
into their plans. Miss Spruce, Laura's
aunt, smiGngly acquiesed. She had
never had the heart, she informed me,
to refuse her niece anything from the
time her dying sister had left the child
in her charge. When Laura mentioned
to me about taking part in these theat-
ricals it happened that I had been con-
siderably riled q moment before by
overhearing one of our boarders, q
brainless idiot. dilating to ditto COM
panion upon the charms of my intend
ed, who was to figure as Juliet to his
Romeo in tableau, he averred; con-
sequently was not in a very pleasant
frame of mind to converse with upon
the subject, and answered, somewhat
hotly:
If you have any respect for me
Laura, you will keep out of such ex-
hibitions.'
why, Philip! what harm is there
! in them?" was her surprised ques-
| tion.
'Harm!" repeated hastily, I had
rather see anyone belonging to me dead
than connected in any way with theat-
ricals.' ..
"She turned so white at my words
| that thought she was about to faint,
but she said quietly:
VERY, we'll, Philip, it shall be as
you wish .a~-
lit was a week or 50 though before
she seemed to be quite herself. Since
then not cloud has ever come to mar
our happiness until w ould to God
I could stife these vague fears.
The door opened, and as sweet Wis
ion as would cen feast my eyes upon,
paused upon the threshold. Clothed in
something white, soft and filmy, that
seemed to float in graceful folds about
her slender figure. Crimson roses blush
Ing upon her breast, and nesting CO.
quettishly in the shining braids of her
dark hair, the vivid scarlet Of her lips
outrivaling the flowers hue Mrs. Phil
ip Stanton made picture that an artist
| would have reveled in.s A smile lit up
the dusky depths Of her beautiful eyes
as crossing the room she bade me well
come, then as her small fingers toyed
with the silver fringe OF her opera cloak /,
she addressed her husband with: NJ. 4 &.
Had we better not be going, Philip :?
OF course Mr.. Harley will accompany
u.s." this with glance at myself, fol-
lowed by, shall pleased to have you
II do so dislike being late on his benz
eft night, too. z .
Philip had already left the room to
don his overcoat, so did not catch his
wife's last words, which produced q
rather unpleasant effect upon me. She,
however, appeared unconscious Of this
mistake 81. words, for such / was con-
WINGED it was.
We arrived at the theater just as the
curtain rose an the first act, but it was
not until near the close Of the scene
that the star appeared. At his en-
trance q delicate color crept into
Mrs. Stanton,s cheeks, and her eyes
fairly sparkled with excitement as she
leaned eagerly forward, apparently for
lgetful 81 every thing but the actor, who
stood, unable to proceed with his lines,