Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1890-09-12

ng-dress, poured the coffee, talked to the
baby. and calmly asked her husband TO
| give her a small piece Of ham. John said,
Honor, why didn't you kiss me last
night ~
She laughed lightly. "Old married folks
shouldn't be silly" 1t was a speech Of his
own.
81 thought" little stiffly, that you
liked to kiss me"
"Did you Will you have another cup
of coffee ;"
"Thank you, yes"
After that they spoke Of the weather, of
the baby, of recent book, Mr.. Kent watch
ing his wife gravely, and she never by any
chance meeting his eyes. After while.
when he was ready to go, he kissed Paul,
and turned to his wife.
care you going to kiss me this morning,
Honor Z"
81 think not"
He crossed the room and laid both hands
on her shoulders. "My dear wife" he
! said, "will you tell me the meaning of all
this 2"
81 hardly know myself, John" she an
swered, but growing suddenly very pale. ]"
81 do not think ] love you any more"
John Kent's face grew perfectly white
he turned away from her without word.
| He went out like a sleep walker He sat
in his Office all the forenoon, and over and
above the noise Of the street below sound
ed the words, 81 do not think l love you
any more" Men came in and said, "Hel-
| To- Kent what's the matter Sick y And
Kent said, Ppm not feeling well" and
reused himself to talk business. You think,
perhaps, that Honor acted like a silly child,
but woman's life is made up OF trlfies,
and this conduct Of hers was the outcome
of three years brooding over trifies, and
these trihes, piled one upon another, had
grown into great mountain. 1t was not
that she had been left alone that particular
rainy night it was not that the day before
she had asked for money for household ex
penses and been cautioned to spend it wise
ly it was not that her husband had been
careless of her feelings, forgetful of her
wishes once or twice-it was simply rep
etition Of these things, until suddenly, un-
reasonably, perhaps, she had concluded that
he did not love her as in the early days of
their marriage, and knowing that she was
in every way as worthy of his love, even
more worthy in that she was the mother of
his child, her whole nature rose up in indig
nant protest against his injustice, and for
| a time she felt that she could never lay her
| lips on his again Does it seem like a great
| tempest from small cloud II is the heart
| life of a woman that | am telling you
about. Not what it might could, or even
ought to have been-just what it was.
AS | said, Mr. Kent was stunned. He
| did not know what he had said or done to
merit such treatment from his wife. He
was satisfied with his married life, and he
had supposed that she was 1t takes some
people a long time to get acquainted, and
the fact that they happen to be married
does not alter this truth in the least.
| Toward night he came out of his fit of alb
straction and feeling of anger succeeded
it.
He said mentally, Il rather think my
wife will accept kiss the next time l Of
fer one, and in that mood he went home.
He had an idea, hope really, that Honor
would have recovered from her extraor
dinary display of temper during the day,
and be duly penitent upon his return, in
which case he meant to he magnanimous
and forgive her. But it was odd-she met
him as if nothing had happened, except
that she did not offer to kiss him the din
ner was perfect, Paul clean and rosy laugh
ing and growing for his father to take him.
| Honor talked brightly of current events,
for she managed to keep herself posted on
| the daily news at least, but never a word
! bearing on the scene of the morning. Mr.
| Kent was puzzled He could have man
aged an angry, sulky, or penitent wife
But this bright specimen of good humored
womanhood, who treated him with the ut
most courtesy and kindness, and yet be-
tween whom and himself there seemed to
be granite wall was a new experience.
Matters went on in this way for several
days, and a hundred times a day John re-
membered Honor's words, 81 do not think
love YOU any more" He did not believe
it at first, but after a while he began to
think that she spoke the truth, and the
feeling of desolation that swept over him
was not an enviable emotion. His heart
sank when he realized at last that he had
lost his wife's love, and Immediately it be-
gan to seem the most desirable thing in the
world to possess He spent more of his
evenings at home-his wife was such Gu
rious study-he spent whole evenings
watching her from behind his book or pa
per. Finally pride yielded and one night
after Paul was asleep he drew his chair
close TO Honor's and said, Little wife, is
it true that you don't love me any more y
She looked at him steadily and replied,
gravely, II don't know, John that is a
horrible thing for a wife to say, but fear
it is true
What have l done Z"
That is the misery of it. do not think
| could tell you single thing you have
said or done, except-you don't love me-"
"But, my dear girl, l do. What ever
put that idea into your head Z"
81 don't know, wearily. "You will say
you love me, of course that is the proper
thing for married people to say ; it's only,
with bitter little laugh, that am not Q
well-regulated married woman, or should
have kept this awful feeling in my heart
and met you daily with lie on my lips.
could not do it, john" passionately 81
must be honest with you if it kills me"
Have | neglected you in any way I" he
asked.
"No, not more than most men neglect
their wives"
"But there has been neglect p he per
sisted.
"Do not let us discuss it, " she said.
"On the contrary, think that is JUS
what we should do. did not know tina
you cared if | left you alone evenings, nov
that you have Paul"
81 do not" haughtily, "if you do no
care to be with me-"
"And because | have taken an interes
in other things besides you and baby, yol
conclude that do not love you. Is that III!
1--WE might talk all night and not un
derstand each other, " she replied. 81 fee
that YOU don't care for me as YOU used +
do, and the knowledge has slain my affec
ton for you that is all can say. wi
not talk of it any more"
He looked at her white face, her com
J pressed lips, and wisely decided that Will
she was in that frame of mind argumen
was useless. He drew his chair away fror
, her and took up his paper again.
The next morning he went to an old law
, yer, friend Of his fathers, and told hir
, the story.
"And you have no idea what has cause
this trouble :" Mr.. Bates asked,
"None. My wife thinks l have cease
} to love her, and therefore she does not Low
= me-that is the effect the cause have nc
yet learned"
"Most women 20 through similar exp'
rience,n replied the lawyer, "but few ar
/ courageous enough to face the situatio
. and put their thoughts into words Th
. depth of your wife's nature has given he
a strength to do this. She is Temarkabl
t woman. Where did you find her {"
/ Don't you remember Down in th
= country, six miles from Pennington, tht
4 summer after had the typhoid fever" ,"
/ "Oh TO be sure A farmers daughter
an only child, isn't she I"
70 Eyes"
"Folks pretty well off -
Eyes. What's that got to do with it
S testify.
/ "A good deal The lady probably hi
q considerable cultivation 2"
e "Do you suppose l would marry her otl
S erwise My wife would shine in any soc
ETY." proudly.
5 "Of' course. She had considerable attel
ton before you married her, presume -
Naturally"
g "You brought cultivated woman, wi
e had been accustomed to society and attel
t;o,, ,ybo bad braathad the Dnre air an