The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-02-20
MY FRIENDS WIFE.
By FLORENCE REVERE pENpAR.

ut is no use, Tom, [ can not rid my
self of the feeling. 1t fortunes me at
times beyond endurance. Perhaps ]
am JEALOUS, as you say. But you shall
Judge for yourself. Come with us ia
the theater tonight, and if you can give
me your word of honor that you~BaE;se
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.
"My dear fellow" I here interposed,
Il think you are working yourself into
o fever for a mere chimera of the brain.
Your wife is the last lady / shouldjudge
capable of conceiying IN 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 I should suspect my wife of any
thing beyond great admiration for the
actor; but she is young and he is un-
deniably handsome and fascinating, /
dare say, in the eyes of women, while ]
am considerably her elder, and was
never celebrated Tor o superabundance
of beauty"
"How is it," I asked, that you en-
gagged a box for tonight? 1t would
have been easy enough for you to have
made some excuse"
."Why is it," he answered, shat the
moth futters around the candle? To
tell the truth, it is not easy for me ia
refuse her anything. I never did but
once, and / have never forgotten the
strange startledlook that then shone in
her eyes. 1t was a small matter, too.
You know thesdislike I have always en-.
tertained toward private theatricals. I
have no objection TO visiting q theatre
and making one of the audience; but ]
protest against being mixed up with
anything Of the kind. Laura snd I had
been engaged about q week, I 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'a
aunt, smilingly 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 MT 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, a
brainless idiot. dilating to q ditto COM
panion upon.t the charms of my intend
ed, who was to figure as Juliet to his
Romeo in tableau, he averred; con
sequently 1 was not in a very pleasant
frame of mind to e 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-
ton.
"'Harm" I 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 1 thought she was about to faint,
but she said quietly: :"
VERY, well, Philip, it shall be as
you wish
cit was a week or SO though before
she seemed to be quite herself. Since
then not a cloud has ever come to MAJ
our happiness until-Would to God!
l could stifle these vague fears"
The door opened, and as sweet q Wis.,
ion asI would cen feast my eyes upon,
paused upon the threshold. Clothed in
something white, soft and filmy, thnt
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
lip Stanton made a picture that an artist
would have reveled in. A smile lit UP
the dusky depths of her beautiful eyes
rs crossing the room she babe me vel
come, then as her small fingers toyed
with tho silver fringe of her opera cloak,
she addressed her husband with:
Had we better not be going, Philip
OF course Mr.. Harley will accompany
u.s." this with a glance at myself, fol-
lowed by, II shall pleased to have you
Il do so dislike being late-on his ben
eft night, too"
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 of 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 neal the close of the scene
that the star appeared. At his en-.
trance a delicate color crept into
Mrs. Stanton's cheeks, and her eyes
fairly sparkled with excitement as She
leaned eagerly forward, apparently for
getful Of everything but the actor, who
stood, unable to proceed with his lines