Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1891-05-20
A o. Fl tSTORY.

When that particularly shrewd and
buslness-llke young man, Mr.. Thomas
Partington, joined himself to Ada, relict
OF the late Isaac Abrahams, his friends
evinced considerable surprise at the
step The widow was indeed, as they
confessed, Young and fascinating, and
had, moreover, inherited a very sub
stantial fortune from her former hus-
band But then she was dreadfully ex-
travagant in her habits and had lately
developed a perfect mania for gam
bling. In fact, her losses on the turf and
at the card table were becoming quite
the talk of society, and it is certain that
even during the short period which
elapsed between her first husband s
death and the date of her second mar
riage her fortune must have materially
diminished by the drains she made
upon it. In another year or two, at her
present rate. she would-so Tom s
friends said-run through altogether.
And then he would find himself in the
unenviable position of having to support
Il recklessly spendthrift wife entirely
out of his pocket. A few of his greatest
intimates impressed this upon him be-
fore he took the final plunge and urged
him to back out of his engagement ere
it was yet too late. But Tom turned a
deaf ear to their advice. He was very
much in love with the charming widow.
And, besides, he entertained a strong
hope that after their union he should be
able to reform or at least control his
Wife's extravaganza. Instead, there
fore, of trying to cry off the match he
hurried it forward to the best of his
ability, in order that she might have as
short an interval as possible in which to
enjoy the unchecked expenditure of
her money.
But when ne was married to the lady
he found that his hope of being able to
reform her had been decidedly chimer-
zeal Self-Uiiled and headstrong she
would scarcely endure advice, much
less any semblance of restraint. So,
after few months of useless remon-
STRANGE, he gave up all attempts at gen
ulne reformation as a bad job, and had
to content himself with showing silent
-disapproval of her extravaganza, or
with throwing in their way such feeble
obstacles as he could. These were
slight enough, for her fortune was en-
>1irely at her own control. Still they
were not quite fruitless. And as time
went on people noticed that Mrs. Part
znuch smaller scale. Her best friends
began to hope that the instincts of the
mother were beginning to assert them
selves over the cravings of the gambler,
and that it was thought for the little one
whom she was soon expecting that thus
checked her in her career of mad eX
f6raTagance. 1t is certain, at any rate,
shat as time went forward she greweverv
day more out of spirits; and nothing
1I-oJv, e., oil /
she was sOtt-hearted Woman-than
that she should be fretting over her
past selfish extravaganza as sort of
2rGe)bery perpetrated on her unborn off
spring. Perhaps, also, her weakened
physical condition contributed its quota
TO this altered frame of mind. But,
whatever the reasons may have been,
the fact was undoubtedly there. And
each day the once light-hearted and
}@eckiess woman grew more moody and
depressed.
Tom appeared to notice this change
In his wife. His manner toward her,
always kind and attentive, became
actually tender in its consideration; and
he tried his hardest to soothe away her
gathering depression of spirits. He was
not able to be with her much in
the daytime For shortly after his
marriage, being tired Of having nothing
to do, he had to put some of his money
into Cuisines" in the city, where his
constant presence was now required /;
but he regularly spent his evenings at
home, hardly going to the theater or to
his club.
His wife seemed to feel his consider
>ate tenderness very deeply, for several
times. as he sat beside her of an even
ing, with his arm thrown caressingly
round her, she suddenly buried her face
on his shoulder and burst into tears
aike one whose remOrse is awakened by
unmerited and unlooked-for kindness.
On each Of these occasions, Tom felt by
q certain subtle and impalpable instinct
that his wife was on the verge of max
ing some confession-perhaps Of sorrow
and regret for her defiant attitude to-
wards hlm in the past. But although by
his comforting word and soothing ca
resses he did his best to invite her
confidence, the confession which he felt
TO be hanging on her lips never issued
from them.
Meantime, what was so clear to her
husband did. not escape the notice of
Mrs Partington's female friends. OF
these she had many, but by far the
most favored and confidential of them
was Mrs. Brandon, an old school-felloW
with whom she had kept up lifelong
intimacy Mrs. Brandon, who was at
once a very lively and highly sensible
lady, had at an early period detected
the unusual gloom which had come over
her friends manner, and rallied her
upon taking her new position SO seri-
-ously.
My dear Ada" she said at last, in
the course of an afternoon call, during
which Mrs. Darlington had been more
dull than ever. 81 should never have en-
foreseen what deplorable effect your
second dose of matrimony would have
upon you Do you know that in the
twenty minutes / have been here, the