The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-02-12
MY FRIENDS STORY.

fNAo~N~'' ~~-~
insist will give it you.
had insisted and besought by turns
Tor half an hour and this concession OF
his was the outcome of Il series OF stra-
tegic movements on my part that would
have done honor to a Partisan detective.
"Well. then" | said. Il insist. Go on
with your story. and if any pledge of
secrecy is in order, just say so and I'll
hold up my hands"
81 don't enjoin secrecy" he answered
slowly. THE story is not one you would
care to repeat.
''Oh, very we'll. very WELL" | bantered,
with mighty afectation of tlippancy
did not feel. IL can close my mouth
hs tight as any one you know. But to
the story. Your wife, you said. died
year ago?'
Il said nothing of the kind" he re-
,lied empharlcally. Il told you ! lost
her year ago." Then he rose and,
crossing the room. emptied the ashes
from his pipe into the fireplace and
helped himself to another round OF
tobacco AS he stood for moment sill
houetted against the faring Goals in the
crate, silent, calm, serene. it burst upon
me suddenly that the silence and seren-
ity which in him had long regarded as
most offensive and objectionable were
nothing other than the dignity of sor-
row, and felt ashamed of myself; not
the first time, perhaps. that have had
the same feeling, but never mind that
now. At last. having lighted the new
pipeful, he turned and said simply:
"You insist"
By this time realized that l was in
for it whatever it might be, and an
swered promptly, Eyes"
And then, still leaning on the chimney
piece. he began in hesitating way:
LAS you already know. Gladys and !
were married a trifie over thirteen
months ago. | loved her madly, and
she. poor girl. was all wife should be
Or could be. We were very happy to-
gether; no clouds over darkened the
clear heaven of our mutual love, nor
troubles for a moment disturbed our
peace and happiness. Previous to de-
parting on our wedding trip | had
leased suite of rooms in large up
town fat-you know the place-and
when we returned after short tour
those rooms became our home and our
paradise. So things ran on for nearly
two months, and then--then came the
end-the end"
Here he paused, and turning away
from me looked into the kissing, splut-
tering little fire a moment. Somehow l
did not feel like breaking the silence-I
realized that he was not thinking Of me
then, and to speak would have been
obtrusion if not sacrilege. At length,
raising his head. he turned to me with
apparent effort and as he did so could
see there were tears in his eyes.
'One evening"" he went on, after l
had begged him be seated and he had
taken the big cushioned chair by the
hearth, lone evening last February my
wife and | spent with her mother and
returned at a late hour to our apart
ments The night was bad one, and
Gladys. poor little girl. was weary and
exhausted when we reached home. Her
bright eyes had dull, leaden look. she
was pale. complained Of a headache and
said strange things as if her mind were
wandering for the moment, and recon-
mended that she retire at once and sleep
off the i'll effects of her overexertion.
She was very loath to take my advice
for some reason or other, and when l
had lighted my pipe and drawn my arm
chair up to the table she came and knelt
beside me and took my hand in hers.
member her words, spoken in her
,piquant, half reproachful way-'John,
you don't mean to send me away from
you, do your ~
"'Yes, my DEAR replied. rather pet
hlantly. For your own sake do. You
heed sleep and rest. am perfectly safe
here with my paper.
.''She rose and turned away. but had
taken only few steps when she re-
turned and took my hand again.
"'You want me to leave you, JohnT
eyes, yes, my dear; go to sleep and
get nights rest; it will do you more
good than anything else under the sun.
Her caresses somehow made me feel
strangely cold and nervous, and | spoke
more harshly than should have done had
stopped to think. She rose quickly and
passed into our bed chamber beyond, and
Is the portieres closed behind her a feel
ing of unuttorable loneliness overcame
me, my heart beat hard and fast and
breathed with difficulty. 1t was all alb
surdity, of course. and when | had hest
lated bit and reasoned quickly buried
myself in my paper and tried to forget
the occurrence. But every few mo-
nents the same strange unrest oppressed
me, until finally threw aside the paper,
Ind rising paced the floor. trying to drive
off the feeling before retired for the
night. Perhaps | had been pacing up
and down for al hour, or it may have
been but ten minutes-it don't matter
aow long it was-when my attention was
iuddenly arrested by a singular move
nent of tho portieres at our bedroom
doorway, and stopped short, unable,
afraid to move an inch. Slowly the
heavy draperies moved as though some