Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1890-10-09


wrong to speak to. you on this subject.
You have wit and discretion enough TO
preserve the proper limits"
For some time after her marriage
Flora was quite happy. but gradually she
became less SO: for the first enthusiasm
and first illusions Of marriage could not
Tor long deceive a spirit as quick and
acute as hers
A young girl who marries is easily de-
ceiyed by the show of an affection OF
which she Is the object
It is rare that she does not adore her
husband, and believe she is adored by
him, simply because he has married her.
The young heart opens spontaneously
and diffuses its delicate perfume of love
and its soft songs of tenderness; and
enyeloped IN this heavenly cloud all
around it is love.
But little by little it frees itself, and,
too often, recognizes that this delicious
harmony and intoxicating atmosphere
which charmed it came only from itself.
Thus was it here; as far as the pen can
render the shadows of female soul
Such were the Impressions which, day
after day. penetrated the very soul Of
poor little Flo.
It was nothing more than this, but this
was everything to her.
The idea of being betrayed by her hus-
band, and that, too, with cruel premedi-
tation, had never risen to torture her soul.
But. beyond certain delicate attentions,
she felt herself disdained and sighted
Marriage had not changed Eugene's
habits; he dined at home, instead of at
restaurant or hotel, that was all.
She believed herself loved, however,
but with ightness that was almost
offensive.
Yet, though she was sometimes sad and
nearly In tears, you could see that she
did not despair. and that this valiant lit
tie heart attached itself with intrepid
IN al ha oh ha
future might have in store for it.
Eugene continued very indifferent, as
one may readily comprehend, to the agi-
tation which tormented this young heart,
but which never occurred to him for a
moment.
he was happy enough.
This marriage had been a painful step
to take; but once confirmed in his sin, he
became reconci1ed to it.
But his conscience, scared as it was,
had some living fbers in it; and he
would not have failed in the duty he
| thought he owed to his wife.
These sentiments were composed Of a
sort of Indifference blended with pity.
He was vaguely sorry for the poor girl,
| whose existence was absorbed and de-
| stroyed between those of two beings of
nature superior to her own, and the fate
| to which she was. condemned.
He resolved never to neglect anything
that might extenuate its rigor; but he be-
| longed. nevertheless, more than ever sole
| ly to the passion which was the supreme
crime of his life.
For his intrigue with Cora ElIiston,
constantly excited by mystery and danger
and conducted with profound address by
| a woman whose cunning was equal to her
beauty, continued as strong. after months
| of enjoyment, as at first.
| The gracious courtesy OF Eugene, on
which he piqued himself, as regarded his
wife, had its limits, as Flora perceived
whenever she attempted to abuse it.
Thus, on several occasions, she de-
clined receiving company, on the ground
| of indisposition, hoping her husband
| would not abandon her to her solitude.
She was in error.
Eugene gave her, in reality, under these
| circumstances, tete-a-tete of few mo-
| ments after dinner; but later he would
leave her with perfect tranquility.
| Perhaps in an hour she would receive
/ packet of bonbons, or a pretty basket
| of choice fruit, that would permit her to
| pass the evening as best she might.
| These little gifts she sometimes shared
with her mother, sometimes with Slyme,
her brothers secretary.
| Slyme, for whom she had at first con-
| ceiVed an aversion, was gradually gett ng
into her good Rraces.
| In the absence of Eugene, she always
| found him at hand, and referred to HIM
| for many little details, such as addresses,
| invitations, the selection of books, and
| the purchase of pictures.
| From this came certain familiarity;
she began to call him Slyme, or friend
Slyme, while he zealously performed all
her little commissions.
He manifested for her great deal of
respectful attention, and even refrained
from INDUCING in the skeptical sneers
which he knew displeare1 her.
| Hanny to wltn6gG tlIA reform and to
| testify her gratitude, she invited him to
| remain on two or three evenings when he
came to her rooms 10 take his leave, and
talked with him of books and the thea
tiers.
Being indisposed for some little time,
| Eugene passed the first two evenings with
her until nine o'clock. But this effort
| fatigued him, and the poor woman who
had already erected an edifce for the fu-
ture on this frail basis had the mortifca-
ton of observing that on the third even
| ing he had resumed his bachelor habits.
This was a great blow to her, and he1
sadness became greater than it had been
up to that time-so much so, in fact, that
solitude was almost unbearabIe.
Unfortunately, her father and mother
we're away, and in the intervals she adopt
ed the habit of retaining Slyme, or even
sending for him. Eugene himself, three
fourths of the time, would bring him in
before going out in the evening.
I bring you Slyme, my dear, he would
say, -and a good author. You can read
him together"
But Slyme, whenever he looked at her
wore such sympathetic air and seemed
so mortified when she did not invite hin
to stay, that, even when wearied of him
she frequently did SO.
About the end of the month Slyme was
alone with Flora about ten o'clock in the
evening. They were reading Faust,
which she had never before heard. This
reading seemed to interest the lady more
than usual, and with her eyes fixed on the
reading, she listened with rapt attention
She was not alone fascinated by the
work, but, as is frequently the case, she
traced her own history across the grand
fiction of the poet.