The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1885-10-23
she was struggling bravely 20 keep

"Because I've no time for such friv-
olity. There, you've wasted enough
| OF my time, sogo."
Scratch, scratch, went that exas-
perating pen, as Invent on writing more
stuff to cancel, and yet too weak and
angry to leave off like a. sensible man,
| run up and change my things, and ae-
company my little wife to the pleasant
social gathering few doors lower
down the road.
She had been looking forward to the
| visit as q treat. So had I till that
gloomy fit came over me; but as Ihad
taken the step already made, I felt
that I could not retreat without look
| ing foolish; so acted with the usual
wisdom displayed by man under such
circumstances, and made matters
much worse.
"Did you hear me say that I wished
you to 60 alone?" said, angrily.
eyes, yes, Dick dear, I'll go if you
wish," Matte said, very meekly; "but
indeed I'd far rather stay at home"
"You are desired to go; you have q
rose in your hair" I said, sarcastical-
ly-oh, what poor satire when it was
put there to please me-"and they ex-
pect you; so now go and enjoy your
SELF" 1 added, by way OF a sting to
my sensible speech.
~ can't enjoy myself, Dick" she
said, gently, ''unless you come too.
Let me stay"
"I desire you to go!' I exclaimed,
banging my hand down on the desk.
She looked at me with the big tears
standing in her eyes, and then, coming
nearer, she bent over me and kissed my
forehead.
"Will you come and fetch me, Dick?''
she said, softly.
"Yes-no-perhaps- don't know"
said, roughly, as I repelled her ca
resses. And then, looking wistfully at
me, she went slowly to the door, glided
out and was gone.
That broke the spell, and started
from my seat, more angry than ever.
1 was wroth with her now for obeying
me so meeLly, and I gently opened the
door, to hear her call the maid to ac-
company her as far as the Wilson's
The | heard them go-heard the girl
return, and I was alone.
Alone? Well not exactly, for SO to
speak, was having an interview with
my angey self, asking how could let a
feeling of annoyance act upon my bet
ter nature, and make me behave as I
had to the sweet girlish being who, dur
ing the six months we had been mar
ried never looked at me but with eyes
of love.
''Change your things and go after
her," something seemed to say; but I
repelled it, threw my writing desk aside,
kicked off my boots, snatched my slip
pers out of the closet, thrust the easy
chair in front of the fire, threw myself
into it, and then, with my feet on the
fender and my hands in my pockets, I
sat, morose, bitter and uncomfortable,
gazing at the glowing embers.
''She had no business to go!" I ex-
claimed. "She knew I was up all last
night writing that miserable book, and
was out ofsorts, and she ought to have
stayed"
Then I reviewed the past half hour,
and grew calmer as l leaned back,
knowing as did that had forced her
to go, poor child, and how miserable
she would be.
"She'll forget it among all those peo-
ple," said bitterly.
But / did not believe it. and at last
I sat there calling myself an idiot,
blind, mailman, to plant as had the
first seeds of what might grow into a
very upas tree eofdissension, and blight
the whole of our married life.
"Poor little darling!'' said at last;
'tTl wait up till she comes home, and
then tell her how sorry I am for my
folly, and ask her forgiveness. But as
a man, can do that? Will it not be
weak? Never mind, Iexclaimed, 'Tll
do it! Surely, there can be
no Drawer thing than to own
ones self in the wrong. Life
is short to blur it with petty
quarrels. And suppose she were taken
i'll to-night-my darling whom 1 love
with all my heart? Or suppose she
went too near the fire and her dress
caught alight? There, how absurd
Thank goodness, she is in silk,
and not in one of those fy-away mus.
lins!''
sat on, musing, till suddenly there
was b buzz outside the house, and
then the rush of feet, I fancied I heard
the word ''fre!" repeated again and
again, and, turning to the window,
there was glow which lighted up the
whole place.
I dashed down the stairs and out of
the door, to find the road thronged,
for a house a little lower down was in
flames, and, to my horror, had not
taken a dozen steps before 1 found it
our friends, the Wilson's.
There was no engine. but q
crowd of excited people talked eager
ly; and just then the fire escape
came trundling along. the road. 1t
was quite time, for the house
as reached it, was blazing frriously,
the flames darting out in long, fiery
tongues from the upper windows, while
at several there were people piteously
crying for help.
1 fought my way through the crowd,
and tried to run up to the house, but
half a dozen oficious people held me
back, while the men with the fire escape
tried to rear it against the house; but
it would not reach because of the gar
den in front, so that they had to get
the wheels of the escape over the iron
railings, and this caused great delay.
EET of mo ootD roptod tn tboca who