Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-06-07
quiries concerning her husband. she in
variably replied:
MANY years n 90 ~

quirles concerning her husband. she In
variably replied:
al lost him many years ago."
One hired girl more daring than the
rest ventured to continue the subject
in spite of her mistrcsss's forbidding
looks when the matter was alluded to,
by inquiring:
What allied himp"
Heart disease" replied the lady.
while grim smile rested on her face.
as she went outside and closed the door
to end the conversation.
She was handsome woman, not
over thirty-one or two years of age,
and several of the bachelors of the
vicinity had made advances with a view
to matrimony. all of which were po-
litely but firmly. repulsed. She always
declared she was opposed TO second
marriages. The truth of the matter
was that, owing 10 a sad experience,
| she did not have much faith in men,
or in marriage of any kind whether
second or first.
She had passed her girlhood in a
country village in the vicinity of Chill
licothc, Ohio. and at seventeen had
become engaged to Ashley Winthrop.
u rising young lawyer of that city. Her
acquaintances thought she had mar
ried extremely well-but she hadn't.
She had become acquainted with young
Winthrop while he was rusticatIng in
the village. She. being the belle there,
he engaged her in what he ut first in.
tended TO be Irritation but before he
knew it he was more interested in her
than he had intended. AUD when it
came time to leave. some way it was
so easy to ask permission TO come back
for her sometime. She seemed to look
and long for some such proposal. too,
and he could not but acknowledge to
himself that she had right TO do so,
after their intimacy. Yet he had new
er meant things 10 60 so far, and knew
that it was not for the best. She was
too thoroughly country girl to bear
transplauting to the city. She was not
the sort of woman he had always look
ed forward to marrying, yet so proud
was lie OF what he termed his honor"
that. CALLING US the bondage would be
to him, he would not make a clean
breast of it. and end matters between
them. So they were married and went
TO ChillicOthc to live. If her unassum-
ing. country ways annoyed him be-
fore. when there was no one but him
self to mole them. how much moro so
now that all his friends could witness
them. She soon learned that her hus-
band was ashamed of her. and this
made matters evOn worse. for she tried
to please him by affecting the fine lady,
and mado a miserable failure of it.
To man Of domestic tastes only she
would have proven treasure. Her
house was the best ordered. and her
table afforded daInties unsurpassed.
But her husband overlooked her yjr-
tues. entirely. in contemplating what
he considered her deiic enCes He
Nv ded taking her out with him when.
ever it was posSl bic. and made both
himself and hi 5 wife miserable.
When they were married i've years.
Mr.. Winthrop was elected to the legiS-
laturc, and, OF course. never offered to
take his wife to Columbus with him
when he went. which WAS bad move
for both. Having no one to look after,
and no one to look after him, he had
too much time for getting into mischief.
At the same hotel at which he was
stopping a senator from northern dis.
trict was also boarding, accompanied
by his daughter.
1t is hardly likely that man so te-
naCiOuS OF his honor that he would full
I'LL Il dIstasteful contract of marriage
for lis sake, would wilfully withhold
the fact OF his MARI age and onter into
filtration; so perhaps. the opportuui.
ty for disclosing the fact never present.
Ell itself. However that may have
been. certa II it is that Ashley Win
tIrop soon began 10 seek the society of
Senator Seely's daughter. Louise, and
acknowledge to himself that, if ho were
only free. here was the woman he
would choose for a wife.
And the girl? WHY, she was fiat
tered by the evident interest ard adj
miratiOn of the bright young member
from ChilIcothe; enjoyed his society at
first, and later om-why will women be
such ools?-proreeded to fall head and
ears in love with HIM without so much
as try ing to find out anything about his
past life. Her father. also. rather en-
cOuraged the intimacy, taking it for
granted that a young man whose fell
lOw-citizCnS respected HIM enough to
elect him to the legislature must be all
right CThs goes to prove. BY the way.
that men are not always as acute as
they ought to be. eilher)
No mutual agreement as to the state
of their hearts was arrived at in so
many words. but each knew the others
feelings intu.tivcly. The only refer
cnce made to the subject was in part.
ing. Then, us Ashley held her hand
AMI noted her look of regret at the sep.
aration. he said earnestly:
Much as | have enjoyed your soci
ETY.. | trust we may never meet
again"
"Why?" she asked. opening her
eyes wide in panied surprise.
'Because-Oh. Louise. Can't YOU uu.
derstand why? Pve been fool-aye.
worse than that!
81 don't understand she said, husk
lily. as feeling of foreboding crept over
her heart
Il can't explain it now conld no,
face you and acknowledge my own vii
lainy."
Just then others entered the room
and they parted without further expla.
nat on. When he came home
aga he WAS more than ever
djssat SIZED with his W fe, and seri.
ou.ly thought of committing suicide to
end his mlsery--nGver dreaming that
he WAS one OF the most favored mortals
on whom the sun shonc if he had only
been sens bic enough 20 realize ii. He
considered that he owed Louise an ex.
PLANTATION. beS DIES he Ionged 10 write
TO her and perhaps receive reply, any
way; so he wrote long account Of
his former courtship, his unhappy mar.
| riagc, present miserable state increas-
ed by his ardent affection for herself,
| and ended he descr bing the obstacle to
! their union as Il being utterly devoid
OF the finer sens bill ties with a soul
not aspiring bey ond homework. He
was writing this epistle in his Office.
and just As he was about TO close, who
should step in but his wife. He thrust
the letter hurr,edly into book and
turned with very embarrassed coun-
! tenance to greet her. Her suspicious
and curiosity were aroused at once,
and she invented an excuse for sending
| I'm ont. possessed herself of the letter
and read it in his absence. then wrote
below his last line