Wichita eagle., 1889-05-09

Ailc6, at nrSt, tried TO laugh away
these grim and ugly suspicious in her
husbands brain; but that only made
their growth more rank. 81 am not
sensitive man." he would say 81 am
not apt to imagine Sights. But when
| am wounded to the quick by your in
justice, your misconception OF me. it
is hard to hear you turn me into rldi-
Guile"
She tried then to argue him out OF
his morbid fancies, but this was inn
possible Concerning the tariff. or the
last discovery in science, or new
book, nobody could be more rational
than Ned Moxon; but no reason. no
argument could touch his grievances.
1t seemed to her that he gioated
over them. He woke her In the night
to tell her of his deep affection for her
or his friends and of the ingratitude
with which he was repaid. Every care
less word or trifling neglect was a
black proof Of that ingratitude.
Going up the Saguenay, Alice met on
the boat her old friend Fraulein B.,
and the two girls chartered together
for an hour on deck, while Moxon,
with heavy brow, paced up and
down.
you know" he said afterward.
chat l do not speak German. 1t is
the lack of consideration of me that
hurts me-"
"But she can not speak English
and"
Pray do not explain. It is trifle.
These things sting, however. We will
talk no more about it."
For two days of their homeward
journey he held her aloof with the
most chilly courtesy, sitting silent by
her side, staring out of the car win
dow with the face of a martyr. She
found out at last that button was
wanting on his glove.
mo, l did not tell YOU" he said,
with patient. injured smile. Lore
has keen eyes for these little services.
All, l wonder sometimes if you ever
loved me, dearp If it was not respect
esteem, you gave me-"
''And all this" thought the tortured
Alice, ito grow out Of button.''
But she now neither joked nor ar
gued with him.
All Plympton, when they arrived,
watched them curiously. They knew
Ned and his grievances. "She has
sound sense and fine tact, and she
loves him dearly" the older women
said. .'She will cure him, if any body
can"
Her first effort at cure was to make
their home bright and cheerful, in
hopes that the innocent gayety might
drive away his moody suspicious. But
he became more melancholy each
day, telling her at last with sad pa
tience:
Il do not like company. I had
thought our life would be long.
happy tete-a-tete in our home"
~ am so sorry, Edward" she cried.
Il only brought these people here to
anuse you"
When the house was empty she babe
no more guests. Then Edward grew
more wretched than before
This is unkind of you, Alice. You
condemn yourself to solitude to please
me as if were a tyrant and an ogre.
exact no such sacrifice. You are
placing me in false position.
If Mr.. Moxon had been a. wicked or
malignant man his wife would proba-
bly, not have found this trait so diff
cult to deal with. 1t would have been
in harmony with his whole character.
But he was an affectionate, generous
fellow, showering kindnesses upon his
family, his friends and the poor. He
was liberal. public-spirited citizen;
be took the delight Of a boy IN picnics,
fishing parties, or any other gayeey
among the young people. 1t Is true
that at each one some sting was given
to what he called his affections, but
what really was his seif-loEe. and
these stings festered in his mind for
years.
Ned" one of his cousins said to
Alice, lis the most lovable fellow in
the world; yet he has grudge against
every family in Plympton."
As time passed and children began
TO grow up around them the strain
upon their mother became almost In
tolerable. Edward loved his children
passionately; he heaped luxuries upon
them; secretly, he befteyed them supe-
rior to all other human beings; but he
nagged them necessarily. and each Of
their petty faults he received as a
personal insult and injury to himself
Tom" he would exciaIm. with
face of despair, lis biting his nails
again! have spoken to him about it
a thousand times It is open defancei
That boy despises me, and he shows
it," Or, Rosa writes a wretched hand.
She knows how ambitious ! am that
she should excel in penmanship- She
has no affection fer me, Aice-none
whstever!"
Ii was in vain that his wife repre-
scented that all children were fallible,
or begged him to let time and patience
do their work.
No; | make every sacrifice for
them. II they loved me. they would
not pain me in this way" he would re-
ply, with real agony of soul. when
Rosa failed in her geography, or Bob
came home bedaubed with mud