Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-18

against him."
"I can't help it, Davis" Whelan said
but he spoke with less energy; 81 cam
/ help it. l am sorry it is so. | wish We
were better matched, bnt 1 don't think ]
have quite so much the best of it as you
seem to think. You have your adyan
tages, too; you are very clever"
He was very clever, indeed; for not only
had he known what line to take and how
to work it effectively, but he knew exactly
when to stop. He heard conjunction II
his friends voice, so he kept silence fol-
some time to let it work fully. To do him
justice, however, the cleverness was in.
stinctive, not calculated; he was really
pleading from the depth of his own feel
ing.
At last he spoke again.
"Pve said all can, Whelan. The thing
is in your hands. ! can't contend against
you, as l said. I've put the matter before
you as strongly as can; as to putting ii
as it is, as / feel it, that's impossible"
Whelan did not answer. He sat look
ing absently at the clear, silent, frosty sky.
The Mall was getting empty now, and the
cold, pure night air was quoting and
pleasant. The surprise with which he
had listened to his friends request began
to wear off; the feeling of exaltation which
had filed him when he left the theater
began to reassert itself. He remembered
how eagerly he had longed for an oppor-
tunity of self-sacri6ce but half an hour
ago, and was almost ashamed to see that,
now his opportunity had come, it was
doubtful whether he would avail himself
of it. He looked across at Davis, and saw
his attitude'of utter helpless detection he
fancied, too, that he saw tears in his eyes,
and was profoundly touched. AT the mo-
ment his friends pleadings seemed to him
full of force and truth. There could be no
question which of the two wanted Ito use
the only available world Miss Parry most.
Would it not be contemplate to use all his
unquestionable advantages against man
who had absolutely no power of competing
with him ? So easy victory would be no
glory, but to resign a certain victory was
true generosity.
After a long pause he spoke.
''You think she will have you, Davis ~
~ am sure of it. If not, you can still
try your chance, you know"
Leave my chance out of the question
and try your own, and l wish you success
with all my heart, Tom"
Three months later the marriage OF
Miss Parry and Mr.. Davis was announced
in the papers, and Chris Whelan, who had
been keeping himself out of the way
through the best part of the season,
now felt himself at liberty to return to
town.
"You won't mind my looking you up
occasionally, l suppose?" he said to
Davis. 81 shall like to know how you
get on"
@Oh, come by all MEANS" Davis said en-
Enthusiastically. "You have the right to
see the result of your generosity, and
you'll congratulate yourself when you do
see it. We are making a success of mar
rage, Madge and l."
So Chris went The Davises had moth
ing of what is usually termed position"
but they had cosy little place at footing,
where Chris got into the way of going
very often indeed, always sure of warm
welcome from his friend and his friends
wife.
Mrs. Davis, indeed, was particularly
gracious and cordial toward her husbands
lTlenu, Dul uVN anu tucu OAI1S caught d
glimpse of something behind her friendly
manner that puzzled him. She never
seemed to have any hesitation in letting
him see how devoted she was to her hus-
band, and how completely happy in her
married life. Sometimes, indeed, it seemed
as if she rather went out of her way to i'm
press him with her felicity, for she often
positively overwhelmed Davis, in his pres
ence, with demonstrative affection, or
sometimes, when Whelan and she sat talk
ing, as they often did all through a long
afternoon, growing confidential together,
listening to each others pet theories and
day dreams, specializing upon all those i'm
material and mystical themes that are so
delightful to discuss Just because we never
can arrive at any understanding of them,
changing in a sentence from sarcasm to
solemnity, from tragedy to frivolity, grow
ing earnest over trihes, or playing lightly
round the edge of immensities-taklng, in
short, as only people who thoroughly know
and like each other can talk-she would
suddenly break off and indulge in an ut
terlY commonplace eulogy of her husband.
This would have bored Whelan if it ihd
not puzzled him so, for he had known Davis
a good deal longer than she had, and was
perfectly familiar with his virtues, and his
faults, too. Mrs. Davis was the most
charming and lovable woman he had ever
seen, and, of course, she was passionately
attached to her ugly, commonplace hus-
band. This was quite as it should be, only
why did she so labor to convince him of a
fact he never had doubted?
So time wore on, and if he began to find
that the hours spent in his friends house
were the only hours worth having in his
life, the discovery did not disturb him
much. He went at his own risk. Davis
was glad to have him, and Madge was abb
solutely safe in her exaggerated love for
her husband He was satisfied that it
should be so, for he had not an evil thought
in connection with Mrs. Davis. Indeed,
incredible as it may appear, he had proba-
bly, never had an evil thought in connec-
ton with any one.
Indeed, he took sort of wretched
pleasure in the success of his sacrifice, and
as often as he left the friends of his own
set to 90 down to the quiet, cosey little
house at footing, told himself emphati-
cally that he did not regret it.
Now it had happened that while Davis
and his wife had been on their Honeymoon
they had fallen in with an old uncle of
Davis who was great admirer of pretty
women, and he had been so taken with
Madge's beauty and brightness that on
parting with them he Immediately made
his will in his nephew's favor, "as reeog-
milton of his good sense and cleverness in
securing such charming and amiable
woman as his wife,
The old man said nothing about this at
the time or afterward; he probably saw
other pretty women, and forgot all about
Madee. for he never held out helping
hand &c. her husband in all the long strug-
gle with poverty which followed their
marriage, and took no notice when he was
informed that their second child was
called after him. But, if he forgot his
fancy for Madge, he also forgot to make
any other will, and when at last news of
his death reached Davis in London, he
found himself owner of good deal of rail-