Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1889-10-16

| III was In vain tnat the Otner man
shut his eyes, opened them with a
stony glare, took out letters to read,
or affected to be absorbed In making
calculations in his notebook. Teddy"
was resolved to talk and was soon in
the middle OF a slowly delivered de-
scription OF the perils of one Of his last
yachting excursions, and Of the heroic
bravery he himself had displayed
therein.
Getting used to the deep, monotonous
voice, his fellow-traveler's thoughts
went off on their usual journey. His
eyes were fixed on the cushions facing
him; but his mind conjured up the
vision OF q woman with soft brown
eyes full OF sadness, n voice like the
sweetest notes of n violin, and a touch
so charged with magnetism that his
very soul seemed to culver at the
memory OF it,
He was on his way to her; and once
in her presence he would scatter her
| objections, her protestations, TO the
winds, by the force of his passionate
| pleadings. She was miserable, mis-
understood and neglected; eating her
heart out among dreary and unsympa-
thetic surroundings. For four years
she had been beating her wings against
the coolest and dullest of cages; and
he was on his way now to set her free.
II would be an injustice to her for him
to listen to her remonstrances, and
Eyes; marriage for the man of in
| tellect, as we'll as for the man of
action, is most undoubtedly distinct
failure"
So lectured the big, fair man, happy
In the sound of his own voice; and his
words struck upon his fellow-travel-
er's ears with a curious significance.
"And how about marriage for the
woman OF feeling, of passion, tied to
clod who undertakes her value and
Overrates his ownPn he snapped.
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
pur marriageable girls" he said
lidactically. "A woman's capabil
tiles, either of head or heart, are muck
more limited than u mans. Hei
sphere is the narrow content of the
domestic hearth; and"
domestic fiddlesticks," interrupted
the younger man. "You talk as though
women were all alike. Is every mar
fond of drink and bad companyQ No
Is every woman content with domes
tic drudgeryp No, again! There +,
as much difference between them as
there Is between us"
Teddy" gazed at him with kind o,
fatherly protest, and then he inquired
il he were a married man.
His companion changed color, and
remarked haughtily that he "Did moi
see how that fact bore upon the ques,
tion."
"But it does bear upon tho ques-
tion," said Teddy, with the same irri.
tating geniality. ii am, ] should say,
q good deal older than you, and have
been married several years to woman
of quite the average intelligence, and
OF more than the average looks and
education. / was very fond of herr
she was devoted to me; but, being
woman, she was incapable Of under,
standing man. She disliked my
friends; failed to appreciate my liter
airy tastes and my love Of travel; grew
pettily jealous, and leased me with
incessant questions as to how l spent
my time; and finally took refuge in
sullen silence, or treated me to scenes
just when / required my mind clear
for the composition Of political
speeches and pamphlets. My dear sir,
l grew perfectly wretched and the
end Of 1t was, about q year ago went
off on tour for political purposes in
Ireland; there picked UP with some
old bachelor chums passed from one
excursion to another, always intend
ing to travel home the next week; and
am now at length returning north
ward new man, restored to my
pristine, contented state OF mind, and
all the more pleasantly anxious to see
my wife that 1 have plainly shown
her can get on excellently without
her."
"And may I ask how your wife has
been employing herself all the timer"
II have only had brief notes from
her." Teddy" returned. "She knew
it was discipline. But lately she has
more than once begged me to return.
So / am going back little earlier than
/ had intended as a surprise for her."
And you think she wont have con-
man. your confidence In your own
powers of retaining a woman's affec-
tion must be cousiderablel'
"Teddy's" stolid face changed at
last, and it was with with the peculiar
GOODNESS which only light eyes can as
sumo that he turned upon his compan-
ion and remarked:
II have confidence in my wife,
sir"
The 9th er gave short laugh, which
he intended to be offensive, and which
succeeded In being so, and to his in
tense relief silence was at length estab-
lished between them. Even the but
slightly sensitive mind OF Teddy" had
ut length received the impression that
his travelling companion had no great
liking for his society and meant to
make himself disagreeable He did
not know Bella, and therefore could
not estimate the impertinence and alb
surdity OF his suggestion, that she
could by any possibility have econ
soled herself for her husbands alb
sence.
Bel la was just an ordinary woman,
quite happy pottering about the house,
writing letters or buying little things
she did not want. Then there was a
course OF reading he had marked out