The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1889-01-26
some great charity with II

founding some great charity with it
and then retiring into obscurity:
Sometimes she gloried in it because
it gave her power-the only power
she was ever likely to know-and
onceshe forgot it."
| Ellen contemplated her last sem
tence with the complete understand
ing ola woman whose married life had
been much more than the fulfillment
of the hopes of her betrothal.
Eyes, she forgot 1t, and herself.
She forgot that she was plain angu-
lar and t1nlovely. She knew only
that she was loved and beloved: One
man had penetration enough to see
through the reserves with which she
had hedged herself about, and to
discover sensitive, loving, noble
nature behind this environment.
They were married. Unfortunately,
her husband was poor and handsome,
but they lived a whole year in Para
disc, and then the serpentintroduced
himself.
Zone day she overheard a pretty
little woman exclaim, Heavens, how
could so handsome man marry so
ugly woman?' Her husband heard
it, too, and turned to her with some
laughing remark upon his lips, but
he did not utter it. NO doubt i
looked ugly enough at that moment
to have justified any comparison
she said. She insisted upon their
leaving home and seeking new asso-
Citations. Then they came to c..
Her husband cared for her with the
most tender affection, thinking this
sudden change must be due to some
arrangement of the nervous system.
He consulted physicians. Those who
were shrewd enough to discover the
truth, dared not tell him their con-
illusions. The demon of jealousy
was aroused and all the peace offer
ings made but added fuel to the an
CRY flames. She had given all. 1t
was one daring venture of her life and
she deemed that it had failed. She
told me that it was simply torture
for her to cross the college grounds
with her husband, for all the girlish
faces they met so constantly con-
fessed an involuntary admiration of
her husband, and a surprise at the
contrast with herself. How well l
remembered, when she told me that,
how the girls used to rave as We
said in those days about the hand
some, dark-browed man who never
even glanced at any of us, and whose
mind was evidently far enough away
from his own projections, or the ad-
miration of lot of silly girls.
"What her life was at that time ]
suppose only strong, passionate
nature like her own can possibly
comprehend. I hope l may never
know" Ellen gave a little shudder.
"Her husband 's life was as wretched
as her own. His position laid him
open to the suspicion of having mar
ried her for her money, and suppose
there was no cruel, bitter taunt that
she left unsaid. Talk about a HE'LL"
said Ellen refectively, cit does not
seem possible that there can be
much worse one than two natures
like Mr.. and Mrs. Kimball's are
capable of making for each other.
$50 things went on from bad to
worse until life became torture for
them both, and one night her hus-
band, who by the way must have
certainly been an exceptional man,
for the first and last time was skunk
into replying to her cruel words. He
left the house in a white heat of an
ger, and told her that she need never
expect to see his face again, that she
might reserve her suspicious for
someone more worthy of them. She
followed him, covering under his
passion, not daring to call after him;
her heart filed with q terrible fear
Just at the corner, in the shadow OF
the church, her strength gave way.
She could notspeaknorm move, but her
whole life was concentrated in her
eyes, as she watched him going to the
mad surrender of his unhappy life.
Her whole soul was in an agony of
duplication for some one to stop
him, to save him, and just then two
dark figures came in sight. 4 food
of tears relieved the istensity of her
feelings. She felt that he was saved.
She saw her husband hesitate as the
two passed him. She saw him stop
again at the end of the bridge where
the little foot-path led down to that
torrent of roaring waters, and then
go irresolutely on, and then she
crawled back to her desolate home.
"That was the last she knew for
many weeks. When she came back
to the world upon whose threshold
she had fingered so long, her hus-
band sat beside her. When she was
strong enough he told her all. How
the two dark-robed women on the
bridge had caused him to postpone
his dark intention, how a walk of a
block or two had brought him into
the companionship OF a belated &C
quaintance. How his better Judgment
came back as the heat of his passion
died, and he had made some excuse
for his untimely appearance, and had
consented to pass the rest of the
night with his friend, and how in the
early morning a messenger sought
him out, saying that his wife was
very sick and knew no one; how,
through those long, delirious weeks
he had learned that the bitterness of
her jealousy was but the excess of her
love, and how he comprehended for
the first time what her life had been
and what his love had meant to her.
and then-there was peace between
them. Even when death parted them
she could say that it was less bitter
than that first terrible experience.
He is mine still, she says with that
quiet assurance that one cannot
doubt"
Ellen leaned back in her chair and
crossed her plump, white hands.
"Did you tell her your partin what
came SO near being tragedy" I
asked.
Again Ellen shrugged her plump
shoulders.
"No, couldn't" and then with a
little laugh, 'It was a case where the