The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1889-10-31
v l.

Give still something to show you." said
Kemp, as he led his little pale bride over their
new home. "See what devoted husband Pm
going to bel l won't have you out of my sight
for a moment" He slipped his arm around
her as he spokMand opened the door OF his
dressing room. They entered.
My pictured" said Daisy, smiling as she
looked mp at It, hanging on the wall in front of
her. You never told me you had bought it,"
81 didn't buy it, Julian gave it to me as a
parting present Wasn't good of him2 And
he left an almost equally beautiful one for you.
/ kept IL until now, because / thought / would
like to write and tell him that we thought
gratefully of him on our wedding day"
Daisy drew herself from her husbands arm,
and began to trcmble violently. what did
he leave for me?" she asked in low, fright
ened voice.
Kemp reached out his hand for the morocco
case which lay on little table below the pic
ture. But my dear child, what is the mat
tori" he cried, for she had grown asby white,
and could hardly stand.
"Parting PRESENT." she gasped. "Why part
ing present2"
didn't Lady Fielding tell you" said Kemp,
with sudden sickening pang, that he had
gone abroad with Lord Manton for six or seven
years2 / know no wrote to tell her about it,"
"Sbe wasn't likely to tell mel" said Daisy.
"She always thought--she knew-GOne -
only this. Hughl" As the cry burst from her
with an anguish that seemed to rend her very
heart, the poor child turned wildly in her hus-
bands arms, and then dropped like stone at
his feet
In a moment the truth flashed into Kemp's
| mind. She had loved his friendl
Had he not been absolutely and so6shly
blind, he might have known it long ago but
now, when it was too late. he had to face the
miserable results of that blindness and of her
| fatal weakness of purpose. In trying to save
her from one loveless marriage he bad dragged
| her into another. As he stopped over now and
lifted her up in his arms he recalled the feel
| ing which had como into his mind when he
had seen her face in the picture now hanging
above them. He looked up. From hence.
forth. he thought, he should never SEQ any
thing but misery and reproach in that look.
She had appealed to him, and he had not IN
dersto0d
And Hugh2 Good heavensl had no, too
loved her? II so, what CHASTITY impulse had
made him urge on his friends conrtship Of the
| girl he loved2 Had he known what Daisy
| felt all the while or had he thought as that
| underlined verse of Browning seemed TO i'm.
| ply, that she was incapable of really loving al
all2 Why had he never made single attempt
| TO win herr Was it possible that he had given
her up, avoided her, because he believed that
| Kemp would make her happier than he him
| self could? Did he think her TO be so unified
for the wife of poor, hard working man that
| no would not even suggest that she should
share such lot? Had he mistrusted her
power of being true 20 him in the face Of
| her mothers opposition And. If he had act
| ed in this way for any OF these reasons, did his
action betoken cold cyncism almost neon
| ceivable in so young a man? Or did IL betokeu
n power of pure self-saeritice which was ready
| 90 suffer and endure all things without hope
| OF reward?
To these questions, and TO the hundreds Of
others which bcsct him, Kemp never found ar
answer Hugh had gone; he had made nc
| sign, aud his name was never mentioned again
| between the husband and wife; nor did he ever
| come back TO disturb them.
Aud. AS years passed and Daisy's clinging ma
! ture turned more and more 90 Kemp for sup
! port no brought himself to admit at last thai
| perhaps. after all, his friend had acted for the
best. -MTrdys Magazine.