Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1888-02-15

..You would not dare to kiss me here
Philip" she said at last in a voice SO gentle
and thrilling, it seemed to his throbhing
heart as if now soul had been born within
her. sit is SO puro and"-
But he drew her unresisting form into his
arms, and kissed her full cool lips again and
again. and she did not stir on his shoulder.
but her great blue eyes look startled re-
proach at his ardor.
''There is no place too pure for the kisses
have for you.
There never will be an hour in Philip
Breton's after life, when he shall not look
back to this moment as worth all his agony
as tho acme Of his being, when tho cup of his
happiness was full. And who should over
turn it, Why should he not hold it to his
ever thirsty lips forever, the well spring of
his love bubbling and sparkling forever
within? Might not the world stand still
awhiles Must it jostle him from his un-
wearying rapture, and push him on and on
into the barren desert of failure which awaits
all mankind at last?
The dinner bell tinkled invitingly, and the
master and mistress of the house came down
together. At the door of the dining room
stood the man servant, salver in hand, and
the silk skirts Of the lady of the house swept
against him as she passed in. Philip frownetl
fercely at him, for the usually most well be-
haved and respectful waiter seemed to forget
all his duties in staring with brazen impu-
dence in the beautiful face of his masters
wife. Philip grew pale with anger, but
Bertha only gave glance Of lofty contempt
at the fellows smooth face and white apron.
''Your servants are not well behaved, my
dear Philip"
In moment more they were alone, and
Philip forgot his wrath in the new picture of
III fo1,1 eo1l
were ended. No more solitary feastings
Bertha was always to brighten his house and
his table for him. The satyr Of bronze on
tho mantel that had scowled on his des-
| olation, seemed actually smiling now.
The portraits around the green tinted
walls had seemed to his magma
ton, as be had sat down SO many times to his
richly furnished table, like guests at a
funeral, or again, as if nlorosely curious how
man could violate all the principles of hos
! pitality by dining alone. Now, he fancied,
they had taken on a moro genial, compan
onable expression. TO be sure the sun
poured in through the open blinds in unusual
brightness, but it WAS the light in Berthas
blue eyes that changed everything for him.
1t was the beginning of his own home. This
woman, who seemed too lovely to be other
than q caller for an hour, had come to stay.
TO sit with him she did now, whenever be
hreakfasted or dined or supped-always
The world might heap wrongs and outrage
| on him, his factories might burn and his;
wealth dissolva=-she whose presence in itself
vas perfect existence to him, had come f
aim to stay forever.
Berthas face was bent over the tab,
studying tho odd device OH her napkin ring
The sunlight flickered in her golden hair
tenderly as if it were giving her kisses o
welcome. So she would sit before him IL
ways. But the sudden creaking of a man
| boot made him look up. The waiter ha.l
come in almost noiselessy and stood at the
sideboard carving bird for their secoi15
| course. Philip was glad he had not said
| of the hundred caressing words that had
come to his lips. But how slow he was at his
carving; was the canvas back SO tough, then
Ugh! There was glass ON the sideboard,
and Philip happened to glance into it. NTh
man held the knife and fork in his hands, yet
he was not carving at all, but was still star
! ing at Bertha's bent beautiful face in the
mirror, with his evil, swinelike eyes, II,
seemed to be studying her features, as if to
recall some association Oh, he had sue
ceeded. A hideous grin distorted his mouth
and whole face. Then Philip rose and pushed
back his chair. His servant recognized his
masters wife: Apparently she had played
! some very inharmonious part in some pre-
Yious scene he had witnessed And he was
! but one OF the world she had disgraced her.
self before. What could his evil eyes have
seen' Which miserable page in this lovely
woman's history that her husband was try
| ing to blot out of memorya If he could for
| give her, might not the rest. Must she be
subject to insult in her own home? Was he
not powerful enough to protect her against
! the shame of such looks as this fellow gave
her, ., . +,o s,soso.ns .., .o,,o,oa
his servant on the shoulder and beclsoned
him to the door. The malicious grin had
hardly time to vanish from the frightened
! face
'Go!r the words came Kissing from his
masters lips, land If / ever see your face
again, or if you ever breathe word against
the woman 1 have made my wife, The
man skunk up stairs like a whipped dog.
"Why, didn't notice you had been out"
said Bertha in mild surprise as Philip re-en-
tered the dining room. "Were you ill? How
| pale you are"
But she did not rise in her solicitude and
come to him. Instead he came to her, and
bending very gently over her tried to kiss
away the lines of care on her white forehead
which he had never caused He did his best
to smile gayly, and succeeded well enough to
! deceive her.
| WILL Oc your SeISuuG UO-udy, he SitlO,
with no profane eyes to look on"
Then he shook off his unhappiness by sheer
| force of will, and began to talk lovers non-
sense to the nal4 mistress Of his home in more
perfect abandon than ever, even in the ex-
! uberance of his youth. He must be happy
while he could, he dared not stop talking, lest
he should think too much. But she only
looked at him in far Off SURPRISE with now
and then curious, not quite pleased smile,
! at his absurdities. At last, all too soon, she
arose.
~ must go and dress and try and look c
little pretter, for today at least She
touched bis shoulder kindly as she passed out
into the hall, leaving him sitting still. at
table
It was only then thst he discovered letter
that had been concealed by plate. What
did he care for business todaya Still it might
serve to pass a little Of the time till his wife
should return. How the thought of her
warmed his heart In few moments the
door behind him would open, and he would
turn to see her graceful form on the thresh-
old. She would be dressed in some new color,
or perhaps in the black that gave her the air
OF dethroned queen. By this time she must