The Penn's Grove record., 1889-08-17

words struck upon MS 1ellOW-traVelers
ears with a curious significance.
"And how about marriage for the
woman of feeling, Of passion, tied to a
clod who undertakes her value and
overrates his ownP" he snapped out.
Teddy put down his pipe and turned
his somewhat expressionless light blue
eyes with mild surprise upon the
speaker.
"Women Of feeling and passion, as
you call them, are happily rare among
our manageable girls" he said, didac-
tically. "a wOman's capabilities,
either of head or heart, are much more
limited than a mans. Her sphere is
the narrow content Of the domestic
hearth; and"
domestic nddlesticks," interrupted
the younger man. "You talk rs though
women were all alike. Is every man
fond of drink and bad, company? No!
Is every woman content with domestic
drudgery? No, againl There Is as
much difference between them as there
IS between u.s."
Teddy gazed at him with a kind of
| fatherly protest, and then he inquired if
he was a married a
Ills COUlpnutVu CAAaAkOu SoiOA
remarked haughtily shat be did not
see how that fact bore upon the ques'
rion."4 .
"But 1t does bear upon the question:"
said Teddy, with the same irritating
genIality. II am, / should say, a good
deal older than you. and l have been
married several years to a woman of
quite the average intelligence and of
more than the average looks and edu-
cation. l was very fond of her; she
was incapable of understanding a a
She disliked my friends; failed to APP
preciate my literary tastes and my love
Of travel; grew pettily jealous and leased
me with incessxnt questions as to how
1 spent my time; and finally took refuge
In sul.en silence or treated me to scenes
Just when / required my mind clear for
the composition of political speeches
| and pamphlets. My dear sir, 1 grew
perfectly wretched, and the end Of it
was, about year ago l went of on a
tour for political purposes In Ireland;
there picked up with some old bachelor
chums; passed from n excursion to
another, always intending to travel
home the next week, and am now at
length returning N0rthward a new
man, restored to my pristine, contented
state of mind and all the more anxious
to see my wife that l have plainly
shown her I can get on excellently
| without her,"
Sand may 1 ask how your wife has
been employing herself al the timer"
II have only had brief notes from
her." Teddy returned. 'She knew it
was discipline. But lately she has more
than onc begged me to return. SO |
am going back q little earlier than l
had intended as . surprise for her,"
"And you think she won't have con-
soled herself?', sneered the younger
man. "Your confidence in your own
powers Of retaining q woman's affection
must be CONSIDERABLE"
Teddy's stolid face changed at last,
and 1t was with the peculiar GOODNESS
which only light eyes can assume that
he turned upon his companion and re-
marked:
81 have confidence In my wife, sir"
The other gave q short laugh. which
he intended to be offensive, and which
succeeded in being 80, and 10 his in
tense relief silence was at length estab-
lished between them. Even the but
slightly sensitive mind of Teddy had at
length received the impression that his
travelling companion had no great lik-
ing for his society, and meant to make
himself disagreeable. He did not know
Bella, and therefore could not estimate
the impertinence and absurdity of his
suggestion that she could by any posi-
bility have 'consoled HERSELF for her
husbands absence.
Bella was just an ordinary woman,
quite happy potterIng about the house,
writing letters, or buying little things
The did not want. Then there was a
course OF reading he had marked out for
tar, which, if properly followed-if pro.
perry followed" as,
Teddy had closed his eyes and had
fallen into q light doze, the duration of
which he could never afterward esti-
mate.
From this lie was roughly awakened
by being hurled forward upon his hands
and knees, and then flung against the
side of the carriage with such violence
that the glass OF tie window was shiy-
cred into a thousand pieces. He heard
the crash Of glass and q terrible roar
ing, as of some hungry monster some
where In the distance. Opening his
eyes, he found himself Ia complete
darkness. A rush and rattle Of whir-
ring wheels mingled with the sound of
long-drawn whistling and women's
despairing shrieks. And from some
where close to him came q groan of
agony.
lie was stunned at first by the force
- Nhn 1N~ArSA~s-r Tn AI.4 1NnGnAI
space in which he found himself he
could at first hardly do more than real
ize that lie was alive. Presently, by a
little stretching and pulling Of his large
limbs. he learned that they were all un-
broken. and before the relief party ar
rived MI. Harry Edwardes, for such
was the true name Of the man known
among his chums by the nicknames of
"Teddy" and "Glpin'-had crawled
out from the ruins Of his compartment,
bruised and shaken, but without any
serious hurt.
Drizzl.ng rain fell from a leaden sky
upon the scene of the disaster.
Signals misunderstood, and the un-
expected shunting of a coaltruck across
the hne-such were the theories ad-
vanced afterwards as the cause Of the
accident.
But this Harry Edwardes did not
learn until many hours were passed.
The results were what he now realized
"a confused blockade OF windowless
carriages, flung off the line or hurled
one on top Of the other, pyramid wise,
across the rails; shrieks and means OF
injured or terrified passengers, he HIM
self standing upright and unhurt, and
at his feet the body of a dead man.
Sick and giddy with the horror OF the
scene, he knelt beside the PROSTATE 6g-
ure, and, unfastening his coat. placed
his hand above the still heart. It was
his fellow traveller, with whom he had
been wrangling, as 1t seemed, only a
few short minutes ago. HIS back had
been broken by the collapse of the TAR
riage, and the purpose Of hi, journey,
good or bad, had been frustrated.
A folded letter rustled beneath Harry
Edwardes' hand upon the dead mans
breast. Tears rushed up to his eyes at
the sound. II was Drobably from some